Ian (Rufus Sewell) runs a company of extreme sports athletes who do stunts for film and TV. They're hired to film an avalanche for a commercial in the Alps. Joining them is downhill skier turned actress Chloe (Bridgette Wilson-Sampras). They trash the hotel and are kicked out. They bribe their way onto a mountain top hotel under construction. The problem is that a Serbian war criminal and his crew are hiding out nearby.There are some OK stunt work. The story is simplistic which is OK for a B-movie. There is too much annoying Eurotrash elements in this movie. The acting is OK. The most annoying thing is the constant Euro dance music which takes away any tension. This would work a lot better with a different soundtrack but even that wouldn't elevate it any higher than a B-movie.

(Note: Given the subject matter of the film, this review will contain copious uses of the word "extreme." It really can't be helped.)This is a film I have been seeking out for some time.I saw previews of it back in 2002 on several VHS tapes and DVD's I owned. And whenever the trailer would pop-up, a big, goofy smile would creep across my face and I'd let out an laugh. Because it looked bad. Really bad. Yet it also looked like it might have a hint of brilliance. Not in an intended way, mind you... but rather unintentional brilliance. It looked like it had the potential to be one of those "so bad, it's good" classics. One of those movies that's just so poorly put together, you can't help but enjoy it.Yet the film was also enigmatic when it came to trying to find it. For several years, I'd make an effort to seek it out. Whenever I was at our local Circuit City, Hollywood Video, Target... I'd inevitably take a quick peak to see if they had it. And I could never find it. And not only that- nobody I talked to had heard about it. Nor could they understand how amusingly bad it looked when I would try to describe it.So you can imagine my surprise when now, years after I eventually forgot about the film, I happened upon a random copy by chance at the home of someone I know.Remembering how interested I was in checking it out, I borrowed the copy and finally gave it a watch.... ... ...it wasn't worth the wait.Not only is it not a good film on its own, "Extreme Ops" isn't even good in an unintentional "so bad, it's good" kind-of way as I'd hoped. It's just a poorly put-together mish-mash of actors giving bad performances, portraying bland characters with occasional spurts of some of the most boring action I've ever seen.We follow a group of extreme sports fanatics and their director as they take a trip to the Alps to shoot "extreme" stunts and have "chill sessions" in between. However, they are unaware that a Serbian warlord is coincidentally in the same area, and he decides the kill off the extreme sports fanatics in an attempt to make sure nobody witnessed he or his plans. And so our heroes must attempt stay alive and thwart his schemes the only way they know how- displays of their extreme sporting talents.The performances are of literally no consequence. Save from a decent- enough performance by the underrated and criminally under-recognized Rufus Sewell, and the absolutely adorable Jana Pallaske making for a fun, spunky rocker/punk chick that I found endlessly likable. Everyone else completely blends into the background, being stock- beyond- belief.Directorial duties are handled by Christian Duguay, probably best known as the director of the first two "Scanners" sequels. And I can't help but feel Duguay was lost in making this film. (I'm guessing because of a lack of experience with "extreme" action) Performances and handling of the material often feels forced, coming off more as an out-of-touch director's attempts to be "extreme" than actually being extreme. It feels like a film made by someone who doesn't understand the material.I also have to comment that I found the camera-work to be quite poor in terms of composition and movement. Perhaps it was an issue with the copy I viewed, but I felt the framing of many shots (particularly during the climax) was very "low." (As in things would often go off the top of the frame a little bit.) And it was distracting. It felt like the actors were always about to bump their head on the top of the frame to me, and I found myself instinctively ducking my head slightly while looking up during my viewing as though I was trying to look up and see more of the picture.A major part of the failing of this film is that it doesn't do anything truly interesting with the characters or storyline. Nor does it do anything truly interesting with the stunt-work. I understand the idea of a film based around extreme-sports fanatics from a studio standpoint- extreme sports were popular at the time and had the potential to support a lot of good action- but this film doesn't do anything with the idea. The plot is among the thinnest you'll find, the characters very stock, and the displays of action are often boring and honestly are about as thrilling as anything you'd see on a cable- sports channel for free. It doesn't work for a feature-film, and there's no real draw for the audience to invest their time or money in seeing this film. Heck, the same year this was released, the original Vin Diesel vehicle "xXx" came out, and while not a great film, it more properly and interestingly utilized the concept of focusing the film around extreme sports. (In that film's case, by being a tribute and subversion of spy genre movies like the Bond series.) It just shows how lazy and haphazard this film was, when around the same time, other films more fully explored a similar concept.That being said, this isn't a total loss. As stated above, Sewell and Pallaske do well in their roles. And I did find a few scenes effective. Particularly a well-done effects sequence where characters have to out-race an avalanche. While it wasn't particularly showy, the scene did give an accurate depiction of what an avalanche looks like, especially for its relatively meager budget. (Although some laughable green-screen shots nearly ruin it.)I'm going to have to give "Extreme Ops" a poor 3 out of 10. It has its moments, but it feels too much like a lazy cash-in on trends of the time, particularly "extreme" sports, and is quite shoddily assembled. Definitely one to avoid.

Too many people get too technical when giving reviews on this site. I watch movies for the entertainment value, nothing more nothing less. This action packed gem, with amazing stunts was great fun from the first frame to the last. Sure it's corny, and very far-fetched, but what action packed film isn't. If you want a film with OK looking stars, a baddie on the loose in the Austraian Alps, and adrenalin pumping action, then this movie is for you, you also don't have to be a rocket scientist to follow the plot. I thought it was a lot of FUN....well worth the tub of popcorn. It put me in mind of other non stop action films with similar structure, Indiana Jones movies, all have mains tars, a baddie or two, great scenery and fabulous locations, same here. Should be enjoyed by the whole family......

This movie was so ridiculous I couldn't help from laughing hysterically, even if the director was going for serious anxiety. Let me lay down the final action scene in the movie because it's so hilariously bad.Spoiler*** The bad guy shoots a girl out of her snowboard binding from about 150 yards away (possible?). Another snowboarder puts her on his board and they continue down the mountain (possible?). They stop just in time from flying over a cliff, and the other teammates give them ropes as the cliff crumbles away beneath them (lucky). They're all hanging from ropes for a few minutes until one guy cuts himself loose and parachutes away (Why is he worried about falling and why don't they all parachute away?). Two skiers create a diversion while a third jumps over top of the terrorist helicopter, throws a rope in its propeller and blows it up. This creates an avalanche that the two diversion skiers now ski in front of while posing for the hand-held camera that they toss back and forth to each other.***End of Spoiler The fraction of a plot that existed made no sense. Why would people risk their lives like this for a freaking commercial? Couldn't they just use CGI to show a skier in front of an avalanche like they obviously did in this movie???! People who would like this movie would have to know nothing about snow, snow-sports, mountain climbing, and the laws of physics. So for all those retarded skateboarders with a 7th grade education, This movie is Xtreeme to the Max!!