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A random act sets off a chain of events that no longer seem random,

Chaos opens with the camera panning a wall of newspaper clippings that tell the story of two cops whose careers ended when a hostage was killed by a police bullet.

One of those cops is Detective Quentin Conners, played by Jason Statham. He is called back to a bank heist where Wesley Snipes holds forty hostages. After Snipes and his crew escape the scene, Conners is left with more questions than answers. Why didn’t they take any money or objects from the safety deposit boxes? And why is Snipes always one step ahead of Conners and his new partner Shane Dekker (Ryan Phillippe)?

The movie has plenty of action, including car chases and shots that kill bad guys but just graze our heroes. Jason Statham does a fine job as the cop with a chip on his shoulder who is willing to do the job for the good of society.  Ryan Philippe impresses as the rookie with a pedigree who has more to offer than his father’s reputation. Wesley Snipes is downright chilling as the criminal mastermind that stays ahead of the cops but does make a few mistakes that lead to his downfall.

Bonus features include a “making of” titled “The Order Behind Chaos” and a director’s commentary, worth watching if just for some inside scoop on the personalities of the actors (Wesley Snipes can be difficult to work with, although of course not in this movie).

I didn’t see the twist at the end coming but I wasn’t totally surprised.  It’s a good action flick, but the whole chaos theory storyline felt thrown in just to increase the film’s intelligence quotient. Chaos isn’t recommended if you’re looking for something that makes you think.

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