Live Wire (1992)

Live Wire has the kind of high-concept hook action fans crave: a bomb you can’t see, can’t disarm in the usual way, and might already be inside someone’s body—turning every conversation and crowded room into a potential countdown. Pierce Brosnan brings a cool, bruised professionalism to the bomb-squad hero, and the film wisely leans into that ’90s thriller vibe where political pressure, personal betrayal, and ticking-clock danger all squeeze the same nerve. Director Christian Duguay keeps the pace tight and the tension tactile, with set pieces that feel inventive rather than noisy, building suspense from the terrifying idea that safety can vanish without warning. It’s undeniably a made-for-TV thriller in scale and rough edges, but if you’re on the fence and want a lean, pulpy ride with a genuinely creepy premise, it delivers.

Live Wire is clearly trying to be a high-concept ’90s thriller: a ticking-clock bomb squad story with a nasty “invisible” explosive idea and Pierce Brosnan doing his best to sell it with straight-faced intensity. The problem is the script leans hard into implausible twists and soap-opera melodrama, and the low-budget effects and clunky dialogue make the big moments feel more silly than suspenseful. If you need tight plotting, believable villains, or action that looks expensive, this will likely test your patience. But if you enjoy cheesy TV-movie thrills, oddball set pieces, and watching a future Bond try to elevate shaky material, it can still work as a guilty-time-killer.