Movie · 1996 · Action, Adventure, Thriller · 1h 55m · PG-13 · English
Curator score: 1.4/10 (112.1K ratings)
No air. No escape. No time.
Overview
A group of armed robbers fleeing the police head for the New Jersey Tunnel and run right into trucks transporting toxic waste. The spectacular explosion that follows results in both ends of the tunnel collapsing and the handful of people who survived the explosion are now in peril. Kit Latura is the only man with the skill and knowledge to lead the band of survivors out of the tunnel before the structure collapses.
Ratings
Curator score: 1.4/10
IMDb: 6.0/10
Letterboxd: 2.94/5
Rotten Tomatoes: 29%
Metacritic: 47
TMDB: 6.1/10
Director
Rob Cohen
Production
Davis Entertainment, Universal Pictures
Cast
Sylvester Stallone, Amy Brenneman, Viggo Mortensen, Stan Shaw, Barry Newman, Dan Hedaya, Jay O. Sanders, Karen Young, Claire Bloom, Vanessa Bell Calloway, Renoly Santiago, Colin Fox, Danielle Harris, Trina McGee, Marcello Thedford, Sage Stallone, Jo Anderson, Mark Rolston, Rosemary Forsyth, Wang Luoyong
Where to watch
Starz, Philo
Curator Review
Verdict
A sturdy, old-school disaster thriller with impressive practical effects, a strong sense of scale, and a surprisingly earnest Stallone performance. It’s at its best once the tunnel collapse traps everyone inside, though the setup is bloated and the melodrama can be cheesy.
Best for
fans of 90s disaster movies
viewers who like practical effects and large-scale sets
Stallone completists
people who enjoy earnest, high-stakes survival stories
Skip if
you want tight pacing from start to finish
you dislike melodrama or sentimental dialogue
you prefer modern CGI-heavy disaster spectacle
you need a deeply plausible script
Overview
Daylight is exactly the kind of mid-90s disaster movie that survives on craft, momentum, and sheer commitment. The premise is simple and efficient: a tunnel catastrophe turns into a claustrophobic rescue mission, and the movie knows how to milk that setup for tension, fireballs, and collapsing concrete. The practical effects and physical sets give it a tactile urgency that still plays well.
Worth noting
What keeps it from being a full-throated recommendation is the familiar disaster-movie baggage around it. The opening stretch is overloaded with character introductions and backstory, and the emotional beats can feel broad or corny. But once the film locks into survival mode, it becomes a very watchable pressure-cooker thriller with real scale.
Bottom line
Stallone is the key. He plays Kit Latura with more sincerity than swagger, which helps the movie land as a rescue drama rather than just a spectacle reel. If you’re in the mood for a big, analog, slightly cheesy 90s crowd-pleaser, this is an easy one to revisit.
Top Letterboxd reviews
matt lynch (3.5★) · 247 likes
The extra sturdy, unpretentious Irwin Allen melodrama threaded through this really is the extra mile, and it's got one of Stallone's best and most earnest performances as the guy who won't even leave the dog behind. The rest is outstanding analog VFX and some incredible sets. I used to think this was a bit of a cheeseball, and it is, but in a very productive way, and it turns out I've been under-appreciating this movie for years.
wersku (3.5★) · 219 likes
I always love movies where I can barely understand anything Stallone says 🙏
I watched Dante’s Peak a little while ago, and it made me start remembering which movie it was where Rambo sprints through a blazing tunnel, because I recalled it being really good. And since I remembered a few of your reviews here, I just had to rewatch it. I don’t know if it’s nostalgia talking, but I effing loved every second of this.
It’s simple, yet it… more
Rafael "Mister Movie" Jovine (4★) · 157 likes
Fight! - Stallone v. Schwarzenegger: A Rivalry of Muscular Proportions
Rob Cohen is one of those directors that rarely gets talked about but I enjoyed his films. Whether it was for guilty pleasure or genuinely, he always knows how to make things pretty exciting for the most part.
This film has been kind of a blindspot for me. I’ve seen the ending a few times and there was one day I saw it on Cable but I was with my… more
Christian Di Leo (3★) · 110 likes
This goof-tacular survival picture definitely scratched that 90s itch that I am always desperately looking for. So many goodies to feast on here! You got: Stallone running around as a man with a tortured past who wants to make up for his mistakes, film grain so thick that you could scrape it off the screen with your finger nail, the introduction of your wide array of characters from all walks of life before the disaster occurs, Viggo Mortensen stealing every… more This goof-tacular survival picture definitely scratched that 90s itch that I am always desperately looking for. So many goodies to feast on here! You got: Stallone running around as a man with a tortured past who wants to make up for his mistakes, film grain so thick that you could scrape it off the screen with your finger nail, the introduction of your wide array of characters from all walks of life before the disaster occurs, Viggo Mortensen stealing every… more
gregs1999 (3★) · 106 likes
When every character was trying to go through that stupid tunnel, something was going to go down. Glorious explosions ensued, colossal fireballs and destruction. Then the rest of the film followed, and never lived up to its opening. Stallone was decent, I wish Viggo Mortensen had a bigger role.
Rob Cohen ranked