Of course it's unrealistic - it's an entertaining movie.
Scene 3:
A crowded train station. Depp has just tripped obnoxious rollerbladers When Walken approaches.
Walken: I'm the police, show me your ID.
Depp: Am I being detained?
Walken: Sir, show me your ID.
Depp: Am I under arrest, or am I free to go?
Walken: You THINK you KNOW the LAW, but you, SIR, are sadly mistaken.
Both walk off in different directions. Fade to black. End credits. Running time: 10 minutes.

OP What's the pint of films if you demand they be realistic all the time. Don't be an idiot and enjoy a film for it's entertainment value.

It's a fun movie, though.

Isn't it wonderful? Everything falls into place just perfectly. Let's face it, how many of those characters would really have had to help Depp's character? The guy in the bathroom changing pants with him and sweating it out that he may get killed. The cleaning woman 'accidentally' dropped the card key to the Governor's room. The Governor herself showed no emotion when she learned her husband was part of thisI could go on and onbut hey, its only a movie.

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It was a bit contrived in some areas but not any more than most movies are. After all, we can't see every single second of every character's day. It would be rather boring and inconsequential to the story.
With that said, though, it did annoy me how easily Walken's character believed that Dutton's character was completely deaf. I think a rookie might have fallen for that, but a seasoned and clearly unstable hit man would not take the chance.
Although I understand why
the husband had to be involved, I didn't like that part of the story either. We see many, many movies about wives' unwavering support of their politically ambitious husbands, but it seems like the husband is out to get her every time a woman is the upwardly mobile political figure.

I've never seen Christopher Walken acting so bad in a movie. I think it's because the movie made no sense from the beginning. It's all very unrealistic. Why didn't they hire a hitman instead of a nobody at a train station who's never used a gun in his life to kill the governor????

One thing for sure is no matter how good Johnny Depp was in this, he got out-performed by Christopher Walken in every scene.

Funny, I liked the movie and have seen it multiple times, just because a movie might not be that realistic doesn't mean it's a bad movie. I don't get why people can't just watch it and enjoy what your seeing? But no bid deal, just some peoples loss I think.

I had never heard of this film. It came on cable last night and nothing was on except for this month's thousandth airing of the Matrix films, the Alien films, and the final Destination films.
. AnywayI'm thinking someone called in favors big time. That's the only reason I can think of as to why Depp & Walken agreed to do this film. The plot wasn't the problem since there have been actual cases where innocent victims were made to rob banks or their families would be harmed. The writers dropped the ball on this one.
The Governor had security everywhere yet no one noticed Depp and the Bay Guys repeatedly acting suspicious as they traipsed all over the inside and outside of the hotel fighting,arguing and also playing a game of hide-and-go-seek.
This was a big event. Not only should the Governor's security been on point, the hotel security should have been covering the security cameras!
How about the Bad Guys seeing the stall door move and not bothering to see if ANYONE was in there??
His story was super-outlandish yet without consulting her own security the Governor in a nano second believed Depp enough to not say anything to her own husband!
We're supposed to believe the Governor doesn't keep in touch with her assistant by cellphone??
When Depp shoots at Walken security should have shot him dead on the spot!! Instead 3 or more people are running around loose with guns shooting at each other.
Armed Johnny Depp disappeared on Walken how many times?? The female accomplice was parked right in front of the hotel. He could have shot her and took his daughter and been home in time for dinner!
After Christopher Walken threatened to kill Johnny Depp for the upteenth time AND DIDN'T ..did anybody give a damn about Depp,his daughter or this movie?
Just for the record, I'm not a Dude, I'm a Dudette!

Couldn't have said it better. Never saw this movie before then it came on HBO the other day so I gave it a chance. After about 45 minutes the movie was so ridiculous to me I had to turn it off. Every scenario in the film was ludicrous!

I think your point is backwards.
It would be less realistic if the villains had as tight a leash on Depp's character as they would have liked to. If they tried too hard to control him in the hotel, then they would have either aroused suspicion, or caused a scene to such an extent that the operation would be in jeopardy and no longer discreet.
The "leeway" given him is actually realistic. Walken's character could do only so much to force the protagonist to the resolve without causing the aforementioned scene. Remember, they only have his daughter held hostage as their only leverage. What if the protagonist either snaps under the stressful situation and causes a scene himself, or decides that the antagonists are bluffing and decides to do the opposite of what he's supposed to do? For the Walken character, it's a delicate operation.
I didn't quite grasp your second sentence.
I'm not a control freak, I just like things my way

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Wow.. must people politicize everything? The bought senator wouldn't stay bought.

Movies are meant to entertain so expect the director to take some liberties in the plot to make it cliche, Hollywood, whatever you want to call it for the sake of entertaining the audiencecmon ppl this movie wasn't an Oscar winner, don't take these things too seriously and you'll have a better time.

I can't believe that no one is discussing the obvious hollywood liberal political slant of this movie. The Governor was to be killed because she became too liberal, meaning the conspirators were conservatives. Very cliche and dissapointing.
I'm not that proud of everything I've done, but I'm not that ashamed, either.

After that, it was downhill all the waythe bad guys gave Depp's character as much leeway as he wanted. (I wouldn't be surpised to find him go-karting, watching TV, or even taking trip to the Bahamas in the extended version)
Haha, that's exactly what I was thinking when I was watching this movie. I didn't catch the beginning, but I think the script for the greater part of the movie had to be something like this:
Johnny Depp walks around the hotel. Christopher Walken approaches.
Christopher Walken: "Come on, let's go."
Johnny Depp follows for a little bit and then walks off again.
Repeat this sequence as many times as possible until feature film length is achieved.
I have to say though, the "leg hit" at the end was awesome.

. are you serious? lol, you missed the explanation entirely, it was a kind of dream sequence during the time Depp's Character was knocked unconscious by Walken's.
^^This.
That was the whole point of the dream sequence.
"I am the ultimate badass, you do not wanna *beep* wit me!"- Hudson in Aliens.

What's unrealistic is how many times Depp got hit in the groin! I would've been tired of that reaaal quick!

. are you serious? lol, you missed the explanation entirely, it was a kind of dream sequence during the time Depp's Character was knocked unconscious by Walken's.

okgranted i didnt see the whole thing.I cant really say muchI came in at the time where they let Depp into the inaugerarion or whatever with a gun. So i was like "OH!!!Johhny Depp!, this should be good." I like fiction and fantasybut it has to be some what realistic. All i know is Chrtopher walken 's charaxter got shot like 5 times and didnt die. I think he may have had a bullet proof vest on but realisticly at close range, he would not have been as healthy (or alive) as he was. but i shrugged that off you know. 90's hollywoodw/e. But come onright after that Johnny Depps character was thrown like 7 stories down and landed on his face!!! how the heck did he just get up and walk from that?!?!?! thats wen i began to get pissed off lol. I was busy at the time i was watching the movie, so i was phasing in and outbut I remember looking up and seeing these two people that were shot laying on top of one another. the one on the bottom woke up first, and flintched, which some how awakened the dead soul on top of him!.people just would not die in that movie!it was then I lost all concern for the little girls life. I figured, even if she did dieshe would just come back to life anyway. So i decided to watch it later in it's entierty from the beginning. Does anyone have any explainations for why no one would die?

completely agree, random "jack in the box" walken is all i can remember about this weak film. Always makes me sad to see two great actors in one stoopid film.

While I thought the movie was good, I just watched it again for the 2nd time (first in like 10 years) and I did notice they seemed to give him a lot of leeway lol. Go to the bar, go to the bathroom 20 times, shoe shines, elevator rendezvous, trying to get help like 5 times. All he got was a single punch to the stomach and Walken even apologized lol. Oh well, aside form that its a great suspense/thriller movie.

I thought it was great! I was on the edge of my seat for most of the movie. I was constantly wondering how Depp's character was going to get out of every situation. My mom saw it and she loved it, and she never likes these "thriller" type movies.
George: I didn't have anything better to do that day. It's not like I was on parole or anything.