He pointed out that the system presents a hazard to secured lenders, since the tax deed obliterates all existing liens and the rules about providing notice to secured lenders are a little sketchy.
That's a tribute to Mr. Verhoeven's virtuosity as an action director, but it's also why the action eventually obliterates any traces of irony in this vast, elegantly executed enterprise that was financed by two studios, Sony's TriStar and Disney's Touchstone.