In an audacious take on his own cinematic history, Robert Downey Jr has labelled one of his own movies as potentially his worst ever performance, yet some die-hard fans insist it deserves a chance.
This isn’t about the box office bomb Dolittle or his much-maligned Shaggy Dog from the noughties.
We’re talking about the forgotten sequel to a beloved ’90s thriller, an early venture for the actor who would go on to dazzle us as Iron Man. The film in question?
1998’s U.S. Marshals, the follow-up to the acclaimed The Fugitive which sees Tommy Lee Jones returning as the relentless Sam Gerard.
With the hunt on for a fugitive murderer, Mark Sheridan (played by Wesley Snipes), Gerard gets assistance from Downey Jr as Diplomatic Security Agent John Royce, when their target makes a daring escape following a plane crash.
Fans can now relive the excitement as U.S. Marshals hits ITVX, available to stream without any cost.
However, despite its intriguing premise, the movie hasn’t fared well, scraping just a 30 percent approval rating with critics on Rotten Tomatoes and even drawing criticism from its star.
In the comprehensive biography The Fall and Rise of the Comeback Kid by Ben Falk, Downey Jr had choice words about the project, slamming it as “possibly the worst action movie of all time”.
Reflecting further, he added a biting commentary: “You’ve had a traumatic year… what do you think would be really healing for you? How about like 12 weeks of running around as Johnny Handgun?
“I think that if you talk to a spirit guide, they would say, ‘That’ll kill you’…
“I thought maybe there was something I was missing, and what I really needed to do was to be in one of those films that I love taking my kid to. It would end up being really depressing.”
Downey Jr even boldly claimed he would “rather wake up in jail for a TB test than have to wake up another morning knowing I’m going to the set of U.S. Marshals.”
Despite Downey Jr’s harsh critique, the film has garnered a cult following over the years, with some fans insisting it’s an underrated gem worth revisiting nearly three decades on.
One satisfied viewer took to Google reviews to share their thoughts: “This was a great movie. Though it’s not better than The Fugitive it did not disappoint for a sequel in my opinion.
“People simply do not give this movie enough credit. It had an amazing cast. Loved Robert Downey Jr and Wesley Snipes, they both did a superb job.”
Another fan declared: “I don’t care what people say about this movie. I liked it better than the first movie.”
Meanwhile, a defender on Letterboxd offered a balanced view: “I mean, obviously U.S. Marshals isn’t as good as The Fugitive – but then again few things are.
“The fixation on that fact from so many critics overlooks the fact that as a standalone thriller, Stuart Baird’s film is very good indeed.
“It does not rely on hark-backs to the original and tries to avoid recycling the same plot points. Wesley Snipes has a very different character to work with than Harrison Ford and it’s arguable that he’s not really that sympathetic at all.”
Another enthusiastic fan penned: “A really underrated and quite unique sequel to a classic that results in being an absolutely great work of pure action entertainment that truly never lets it foot off the gas.
“Director Stuart Baird does a wonderful job at crafting hugely exciting set piece after hugely exciting set piece with a wonderfully no nonsense cinematic style that you can’t help but get extremely swept up in and engaged by.”
The question then arises – is this film an undiscovered masterpiece or a low point in Downey Jr’s career?
There’s only one way to find out – dive into the action on your favourite streaming platform.
U.S. Marshals is available to stream on ITVX.