"The Package," directed by Andrew Davis, is his third film in a row to involve strong action heroes and labyrinthine conspiracies set in Chicago (the others were "Code of Silence," with Chuck Norris, and "Above The Law," with Steven Seagal).
Although shooting movies on location has been a Hollywood way of life for years, few directors get more out of a location than Davis. He doesn't seem to see cities as most other directors do; he contrives somehow to create a more convincing sense of actual places. By the time the moment for the would-be assassination has arrived, we have a good idea of the physical layout involved - the angles, the hiding places - but we also have an almost palpable sense of the city.
All three of Davis' movies have the same themes running just beneath the surface, one involving the loyalty of law enforcement professionals to one another. He always has a character in his movies who is a veteran, street-smart cop with a strong sense of ethics, a man whose word can be counted on absolutely. And there's always a conspiracy somewhere else in the legal apparatus; all of Davis' movies involve diabolical schemes by top security people. What sets "The Package" apart from the earlier films is that there's less emphasis on violent action and more on the unfolding of the plot.
Hackman is very good in the leading role, but then Hackman is so good, so often, that he sometimes seems like a natural force, in danger of being taken for granted. What I noticed in this film was the way he made his character into a particular human being. There's not a lot to build on. The plot is so important, the pacing is so urgent, that the pure character moments are rare. So he works with his dialogue, finding ways to make it sound like his ingrained style of speech. There's never the sense he's reading dialogue; he has a habitual ease with the words, almost a weariness in the way he handles his business, that convinces us he has been doing his job for a long time.
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