Now out of all the action movies that came out in the late 80's and early 90's this one has got to be not only one of the most underrated but probably the most ridiculed. For reasons I have no idea as this little diamond in the rough is far superior to a lot of the dreck that came out at the same time. For those who are not in the know it tells the story of two friends played by Mickey Rourke and Don Johnson, whom rob a bank with the intention of saving their beloved biker bar that is getting closed by that very same bank. But instead get caught up in a futuristic (1996) drug syndicate that the bank is a front for, whom deal with the designer drug or "retina activated hallucinogen" known as Crystal Dream. If you have seen this movie you can't sit there and tell me that this is not superior to other action genre films that were released the very same year. "The Perfect Weapon", "Showdown in Little Tokyo" or "Double Impact." And what about some of the vile rubbish they spew out today like "Battleship" or the God awful "Fast" franchise. The rapport and banter between Rourke and Johnson seems quite genuine in how it is delivered and apart from a few extras, most notably the opening scene (although the bad actor with the knife makes me laugh every time, ha), the cast actually does a pretty decent acting job for a standard generic action film of the era. Add to that the inclusion of former WWE star and Hall of Famer "Big John Studd" as Jack Daniels (get it) and this wrasslin fan was thoroughly impressed upon my first viewing sitting front row in the local theatre. I think this movie would have gotten a better reception if it wasn't released around the same time as that genre defining sci fi action classic you may know as "Terminator 2: Judgement Day." Everyone was in T2 mode at the time and it simply had no chance. But compared to some of the other releases that year when it came to action films this is definitely one of the highlights. Now I am not actually sure if this has gone on to achieve cult status or anything like that. But I will proudly say that it is part of my collection and a very guilty pleasure of mine.
Passions in life: Movies, Music and Wrestling....My childhood was spent growing up in the "Outback" of Australia (I'm a little bit country) and my adulthood resided within the city limits (I'm a little bit rock and roll), so you could say that I am the best (or worst) of both worlds. A 6 foot 7 ex wannabe pro wrestler (whose career was cut short due to a busted back, NOT caused by wrestling) & muso who has a precocious cat & a habit of doing the wrong thing but for the right reasons. The story of my life????
All demos, no albums ;)
Now out of all the action movies that came out in the late 80's and early 90's this one has got to be not only one of the most underrated but probably the most ridiculed. For reasons I have no idea as this little diamond in the rough is far superior to a lot of the dreck that came out at the same time. For those who are not in the know it tells the story of two friends played by Mickey Rourke and Don Johnson, whom rob a bank with the intention of saving their beloved biker bar that is getting closed by that very same bank. But instead get caught up in a futuristic (1996) drug syndicate that the bank is a front for, whom deal with the designer drug or "retina activated hallucinogen" known as Crystal Dream. If you have seen this movie you can't sit there and tell me that this is not superior to other action genre films that were released the very same year. "The Perfect Weapon", "Showdown in Little Tokyo" or "Double Impact." And what about some of the vile rubbish they spew out today like "Battleship" or the God awful "Fast" franchise. The rapport and banter between Rourke and Johnson seems quite genuine in how it is delivered and apart from a few extras, most notably the opening scene (although the bad actor with the knife makes me laugh every time, ha), the cast actually does a pretty decent acting job for a standard generic action film of the era. Add to that the inclusion of former WWE star and Hall of Famer "Big John Studd" as Jack Daniels (get it) and this wrasslin fan was thoroughly impressed upon my first viewing sitting front row in the local theatre. 