Deadfall starts out promising. It's a story about con-artists, and as such, there are the obligatory plot twists and cat-and-mouse games that have the potential of being so much fun. It's not a particularly original formula, but generally an entertaining one -- and with Michael Biehn turning in an amiable performance as the lead, what could go wrong?

Just about everything. It isn't long before the film disposes of its promising set-up and is content merely to be gruesome, profane, sensational, and exploitative. And the final act is as anti-climactic as endings get. In some ways, this is even worse than a more thoroughly wretched film, because Deadfall makes exciting promises it makes a point not to deliver, leaving the viewer to feel cheated and empty.