IGNITION*

Revisions by Manuel Orantes

Explosive romantic actioner with dynamite characters elevates this enthralling tale of a mad bomber who takes on a fearless DEA agent and a wheelchair-bound bomb expert during July Fourth festivities in the nation’s capital. Federal agent Lacey Tornado captures drug kingpin Rico Sangre and brings him to DC where he is sentenced to death for his crimes. Former bomb squad expert Harvey Cross, confined to a wheelchair, is brought into the mix when his turncoat colleague Grimes starts a bombing campaign throughout the city to force Sangre’s release. Tornado and Cross form an unlikely alliance, fall in love, and send the mad bomber to Hades. Compelling at every turn, character-driven script offers a white-knuckle ride with an unexpected romance bubbling to the surface. For Antwon Legion, Cross is quite an intriguing lead (charming, daring, yet paralyzed). Similarly, well-drawn Lacey Tornado is a rose with thorns (sharp-tongued with glimpses of tenderness under her Kevlar vest). Tightly scripted, IGNITION moves like a lit fuse, and the romance that develops is tested at every turn; these two flirt even when a bomb could go off in their faces (banter is great). Final third at the Washington Monument is action-packed and ends with a kiss, not a bang.