U.S. Marshals (Warner Brothers) is an action-packed thrill ride. It is filled with exciting chases, spectacular effects and a plot that twists and turns. The problem is, most people already saw the same movie five years ago in The Fugitive.

Tommy Lee Jones (Volcano) returns to his Academy Award-winning role as U.S. Deputy Marshal Sam Gerard. Gerard is chasing Mark Sheridan (Wesley Snipes, The Fan), another fugitive who claims he was framed.

Jones is excellent and appears to have mastered the role of “cop who won’t stop.” Along with Jones, most cast members from The Fugitive return to help track Sheridan. Joe Pantoliano (La Bamba) adds the same brand of humor he did in the original film as U.S. Marshal Cosmo Renfro.

Robert Downy Jr. (Chaplin) takes on the role of high-level federal agent. Downy is grossly miscast as a gun-toting, self-serving, turncoat agent.

Loose ends plague the movie. In the middle of the chase, the audience learns of a Chinese-U.S. intelligence conspiracy link with Sheridan. Too many details are left out, too many unnecessary characters are inserted and too much goes on at once.

It seems U.S. Marshals was slapped together quickly. The writing is stale, using many of the same types of jokes as the original. The overhead camera shots of Chicago common in The Fugitive are now of New York.

With the help of another solid performance from Jones and some heart-pounding scenes, U.S. Marshals provides the audience an abundance of high-octane action. Although it is a disappointing follow-up to one of 1993’s biggest hits, that doesn’t take away from the entertainment value of the film.

However, if Warner Brothers and Jones decide to make another version of The Fugitive, they might want to consider having Gerard pursue an actual fugitive instead of an innocent man trying to clear his name.U.S. Marshals now is playing.3 hatchets