Standoff (1998) follows the FBI and Texas police as they storm the headquarters of a religious cult. This movie is incredibly forgettable. The acting is alright, with Robert Sean Leonard giving a likeable performance, but this is unfortunately the only praise I have for the film.

The cinematography includes some decent shots, but for the most part is rather dull and cheap-looking. The colour schemes are way too overbearing for me, and every frame feels overly saturated resulting in the film being extremely hard on the eyes.

The sound design is quite odd and doesn't really add anything notable to the film, and the score is very wacky and cheesy at times. I don't actually mind the score too much as I find its goofy nature somewhat endearing, as one would expect from a 90s film.

The characters are written to be fairly dull and lacking in substance, but the actors do their best with what they're given. Robert Sean Leonard is always a delight to watch and I found him to be likeable and fun. Also, Dennis Haysbert is good too and pretty intimidating!

The plot isn't strong enough and I find the filmmakers don't delve into the subject matter as much as they should. The film is sometimes pretty messy, and it's not one of those movies that keeps you entertained throughout. However, I do like the twist and found it to be quite unexpected.

A way to go for some Low-Budget Movies is to have a Confined or Closed Environment. The thing Is, if You go that way, the Characters and the Actors have to be on Their game or the whole thing collapses under its own restraint.

In this one the Setting is an Abandoned, Run Down Farmhouse in Rural Texas. The Backdrop of the Story is a WACO like Raid on a Nut-Case Religious Cult and some FBI Agents are Caught in the Crossfire and Holed-Up, Waiting for the Calvary.

The Cast is a Good One with Dennis Haysbert, Keith Carradine, and Natasha Henstridge (fully clothed). The Headliner is Robert Sean Leonard, whose Film Career Stalled early on and He went to TV.

The Interaction, Anxiety, and Paranoia of the Agents and Their two Cult Captives (both Women) are what's at hand here and it is a fine Dramatization of a Stressful Situation where Everyone Comes Unglued.

There is some Strong Violence and the Players have the Chops to make this work. The Plot may be Predictable or Not, but the Ending is Not the Big Noise in This One. It is a Character Study and the Script is a Good One for a Low-Budget Standoff.

This Virtually Unseen Movie that Captivates with the Crackerjack Cast and the Dialog. There are frequent Shootings In between the Character Confrontations and Overall it's Worth a Watch for some Good Acting and a very Tense "Pulled From the Headlines" Scenario.