Tag: action comedy

City Hunter (1993) review-a big creative swing and miss

While some could accuse Jackie Chan of playing the same kind of guy over and over, he’s at least tried to shed that skin in his later career.

Outside of portraying a Chinese revolutionary in the historic drama 1911 (2011), Chan channeled his inner Liam Neeson in The Foreigner (2017), showcasing his dramatic chops as a mourning father looking to avenge his daughter’s murder at the hands of IRA terrorists.

Even though critical reception for both projects was mixed, it showed that Chan was willing to use his cachet as an international superstar to stretch his acting range, rather than stick to his usual screen persona (a goofy, wholesome guy who loves martial arts).

One could argue that he chose these later roles out of necessity. After all, a 60-ish-year-old Chan simply couldn’t replicate the pure athleticism and intricate physical comedy that made him a household name in the first place.

But it should be noted that Chan has tried to mix things up before, with Wong Jin’s City Hunter (1993) being a noticeable mid-career experiment.

Instead of deploying his usual boyish charm, Chan is a considerably meaner in this film, playing a character who lustfully chases after women and dishes out violence in a very cavalier fashion.

Plus, the general tone of the film is a major departure from Chan’s previous work, where the comedy is much more Looney Tunes than his preferred Buster Keaton stylings.

Unfortunately, these changes don’t play to Chan’s strengths at all, and the general filmmaking on display isn’t strong enough to compensate for the movie’s many shortcomings.

As a result, all you’re left with is a really off-putting experience, where Chan and the filmmakers seem like they are actively trying to alienate the audience for 100 minutes straight.

In terms of plot, City Hunter follows the basic premise of the serialized manga of the same name (created by Tsukasa Hojo). Chan stars as a private detective who solves crimes alongside his assistant Kaori, who is the sister of his deceased partner. 

After being hired to locate a media mogul’s missing daughter, the pair’s search leads them aboard a cruise ship that is quickly taken over by armed thugs. Wacky hijinks ensue from there, as a colourful cast of characters help Chan take back the ship from the gunmen.

Despite its many flaws, City Hunter has the decency to show you what kind of movie it is right out of the gate.

Within the first three minutes or so, the audience is hit with garish mugging from the actors, cartoon sound effects deployed to heighten jokes, and a pungent pervy tone that wafts right through the screen.

It definitely sets the stage for a film that’s consistently obnoxious and even downright depraved at times.  

The one element that really soured me before the movie even got out of its starting blocks was the relationship between Chan’s private detective and his young assistant.

During the opening scene, City Hunter promises to take care of his dying partner’s 10-year-old sister and swears that he will “never seduce her.” Cut to the next scene where Kaori transitions from being a child to a beautiful woman (played by Joey Wang) in a single, continuous shot, with Chan’s character loudly proclaiming to the camera that such a development is “not fair.”

It would be one thing if this grooming joke was a one off, but the will-they-won’t-they relationship between City Hunter and his adoptive daughter is a romantic thread that’s woven throughout the entire movie.

Basically, Kaori’s whole deal is she’s constantly vying for her adoptive brother/father’s affection, and gets extremely jealous whenever he chases after other women (which is every five minutes or so).

While this back-and-forth is largely played for laughs, the filmmakers never at any point acknowledge that the idea of these two getting together is gross, which is a dark cloud that hangs over the entire picture.

To make matters worse, City Hunter doesn’t really offer up enough exciting action set pieces to offset its busted moral compass.

For most of the movie, any fight scenes that break out are criminally short. Chan and his stunt team never get the chance to build up any momentum before the filmmakers seemingly get bored and switch back to some juvenile comedy skit.

And any fight scene that IS given enough room to breathe is pretty uninspired, where Chan is relying on editing tricks (rather than his raw physicality) to wow the viewer.

This includes a sequence where Chan is chased by a gang of skateboard punks, and it’s pretty obvious that his most impressive moves are being performed by a double. Apparently, stand-ins were used for this scene because Chan suffered a serious ankle injury, which should have been a sign from the Gods that this silly sequence should have been cut altogether.

What could be more galling than a Jackie Chan movie where he doesn’t do all his own stunts? How about a pointless musical number performed by actors who aren’t even in the main cast? Yeah, sure. Why not? Here’s three minutes of that.

Things looked like they were headed in the right direction with the introduction of Gary Daniels as the villain’s main henchman. On paper, Daniels is a great opponent for Chan, given his sharp look and athletic acumen as a competitive martial artist in real life. But when the two finally get together for a big brawl, it turns out to be a giant farce.

Instead of a traditional one-on-one bout, the scene morphs into a deranged video game pastiche, where Daniels and Chan (who is hallucinating) dress up like Street Fighter characters for some reason.

I will commend the filmmakers for committing to the bit, since they went to the effort of using the official music and sound effects from the game, alongside decent replications of the costumes and signature moves of each character. This moment is so surreal that it’s gone on to become more famous than the movie itself, with thousands watching it on YouTube not even knowing it’s connected to City Hunter.

But in the context of the full movie, this scene is staggeringly divorced from the ongoing plot, and it completely wastes a performer like Daniels on some self-indulgent cosplay (or a blatant paid advertisement courtesy of Capcom).  

It isn’t until the movie’s final reel that City Hunter provides a decent showcase of Chan’s abilities without any annoying interruptions.

In this climactic clash with Richard Norton (another real-life martial artist turned actor), the action and comedy is woven together far more naturally, and it at least looks like Chan isn’t hiding behind a bunch of smoke and mirrors to trick the audience (even though a double was reportedly used for Chan here to help save time on production).  

Regretfully, this fun action sequence comes far too late in the film to salvage all the bullshit that came before it.

Said bullshit includes an earsplitting soundtrack, which sounds like it was composed by a cat operating a single Casio keyboard with faulty wiring. When this movie doesn’t sound like a cheap carnival act, the filmmakers pipe in some cheesy guitar licks to try and make Chan’s character into some kind of discount James Bond. It’s all very obnoxious.

The supporting cast (which can often be the saving grace of an overwise middling film) is also severely underutilized, with most of these side players not getting nearly enough screen time to make a good impression.

Besides the one-note villains, the best example of this phenomenon is when actor Leon Lai is introduced as a gambler on the cruise ship who throws playing cards like ninja shuriken. After that stellar introduction, Lai is featured in maybe two other scenes before he’s completely forgotten about, exiting the movie having never interacted with Chan in any capacity.

The only actor who escapes this project with any kind of dignity is 90s Hong Kong bombshell Chingmy Yau, who plays an undercover cop tasked with taking down the bad guys alongside Chan. Unlike all the other women in the film, Yau’s character is treated with some respect by the writers, since she’s allowed to be sexy, funny, and a competent ass kicker all at the same time. This comes to a head in the film’s finale, when Yau and Chan take out a legion of goons by engaging in a dance that combines impressive acrobatics with deadeye marksmanship.

However, these quality nuggets can’t distract from the crushing reality that Chan (the star of the film) is just not cut out for this kind of material.

While he is normally a master of combining action and comedy, his appeal as a performer has always involved stringing together daredevil stunts and action sequences where it seems like he’s seconds away from grievous injury or death.

Hardy any of that tactile quality is present in City Hunter, where any trace of a human element is usually hidden behind broad gags that wouldn’t be out of place in a Three Stooges short or Wile E. Coyote cartoon.

Plus, try as he might, Chan struggles to thread the needle playing a character who is an outright scoundrel and deviant.

His natural boyish charisma just doesn’t mesh well with scenes involving him drooling over attractive women and gleefully gunning down henchmen.

Maybe his performance was poisoned by my familiarity with his broader filmography, where he usually plays a morally upstanding hero who is sexually non-threatening.

But this role in City Hunter really called for a performer with more of an edge, backed by some writing that doesn’t solely trade in broad stereotypes.

Some may defend Chan’s exaggerated performance as being closer to the source material, but I don’t think that’s even true. Based on what I’ve seen from the broader City Hunter franchise (which is mostly the 1989 animated film subtitled .357 Magnum), the general tone is more of an even mix of comedy and serious drama. While City Hunter may act like a horny dufus a lot of the time, he’s at least shown to be intelligent and well-mannered when the situation calls for it.

In the 1993 live action film, meanwhile, Chan’s version of the character is a total boob 100 per cent of the time, which is more of a creation of writer/director Wong Jing. And unfortunately, Chan wasn’t able to surpass such a bad creative vision, which is probably why he reverted back to his usual uncomplicated screen persona for the rest of the 1990s and 2000s.

Despite this career trajectory, his brief detour into moral depravity for 1993’s City Hunter remains a fascinating oddity in his career, since I don’t recall him playing a character like this ever again.

And hey, we should always celebrate actors (or artistic people of any stripe) when they decide to venture outside of their comfort zone, since it usually breeds creativity and gives the audience something new to chew on.

But here, Chan’s big creative swing just doesn’t really work on any level, unless you’re in that rare subset of people who always wanted to see him dress up like Chun-Li for some reason.

If you’re a member of that hyper-specific group, then this movie might just be a home run.

Verdict:

4/10

Corner store companion:

Kit Kat Mix-Ups (because this snack mixes chocolate and Graham Crackers far better than this film combines action and comedy)

Fun facts:

-Release date(s): January 14, 1993 (Hong Kong), March 20, 1993 (Japan)

-Box office: $14.6 million

– Tsukasa Hojo’s City Hunter manga was serialized in the pages of Weekly Shōnen Jump magazine between 1985 and 1991. The manga was quickly adapted into an anime series that produced 140 episodes (and several standalone animated movies) from 1987 to 1991.

-Outside of this 1993 film, the City Hunter manga has been adapted numerous times in live action, including Hong Kong’s Saviour of the Soul (1991), France’s Nicky Larson et le parfum de Cupidon (2018), and Netflix’s City Hunter (2022).  

-Internet film critic Movie Bob theorizes that actor Stephen Chow (Shaolin Soccer, Kung Fu Hustle) was originally slated to star in this adaptation of City Hunter given his close relationship with director Wong Jin at the time. However, I couldn’t find any other independent source to verify this claim.

-Richard Norton’s firearm of choice in this film is the Auto 9, the same modified Beretta 93R wielded by Peter Weller in the Robocop series.

-A English dubbed version of this movie can be watched in its entirety on the Shout! Studios YouTube channel.

Bulletproof (1996) review-a complete misfire

When people talk about the widening gap between film critics and average movie-goers, I feel like Adam Sandler was a harbinger of things to come.

For nearly three decades now, Sandler has been a consistent punching bag for critics, who find the majority of his comedies low-brow, lazy, and juvenile.

At the same time, Sandler’s brand of humour has endeared him to the broader movie-going masses, who ensure that most of the films released under his production company (Happy Madison Productions) turn a profit.

This success even carried through into the streaming era, with Sandler signing a lucrative multi-picture deal with Netflix in 2014 that was extended in 2017 and 2020.

Despite this long-standing divide between critics and fans, the two groups at least found some common ground in terms of their dislike for Bulletproof (1996), an R-rated action comedy that Sandler starred in (alongside Damon Wayans) just as his career was really taking off.

While the film’s reviews are predictably dismal, it also bombed at the box office, only generating $22.6 million (worldwide) out of a $25 million budget.

Even the film’s director Ernest Dickerson wasn’t happy with the final product, telling DVD Talk in the mid-2000s he wishes he could “just erase that whole experience” from his memory.  

Having now seen Bulletproof for myself, it’s easy to see why few remember it fondly.

Not only is this film a complete misfire both in terms of action and comedy, but it also features some truly shoddy filmmaking that’s shocking to see in a major Hollywood release.

Because of this, I imagine that Sandler fans in 2024 will struggle to find something to like in Bulletproof, since even they have standards.   

In Bulletproof, Sandler stars as a hood named Archie, who steals cars and smuggles drugs on behalf of crime kingpin Frank Colton (James Caan).

Unbeknownst to Archie, his best friend and business associate Jack is an LAPD cop working undercover to bring down Colton’s operations from within.  

Jack finally reveals his identity to Archie during a police raid on one of Colton’s warehouses, resulting in Archie accidently shooting his best friend in the head before escaping.

After somehow recovering from this grievous injury, Jack is tasked with bringing Archie into custody so that he can testify against his boss.

The rest of the movie basically turns into an elaborate trust building exercise, where Archie and Jack must squash their personal beef and work together to stay one step ahead of Colton’s hitmen.

Based on this premise, the film has a lot of potential and instantly calls to mind underrated  action-comedy classics like Midnight Run (1988) and Bird on a Wire (1990).

Unfortunately, Bulletproof lacks all the key ingredients that made those movies work, including a sharp script, well-choreographed chase scenes, and palpable chemistry between the two leads.

The most glaring omission from this recipe here is the rapport (or lack thereof) between Sandler and Wayans.

A lot of the film’s glaring weaknesses could be forgiven if the pair were at least believable as former best friends who gradually rebuilt their relationship throughout the narrative.

But the back-and-forth between Sandler and Wayans is consistently stiff and lifeless, almost like the duo rehearsed to shoot a Super Bowl commercial rather than a feature film.

It also doesn’t help that their individual performances are pretty weak.

Wayans ends up looking the worst out of the two, since he’s tasked with tackling a dual role as an undercover cop.

As Sandler’s criminal associate, Wayans adopts this ludicrous “street” accent that’s supposed to make him sound tough, but he just comes across as one of his sketch characters from In Living Color.

Once he sheds that identity, Wayans is similarly unconvincing as a strait-laced police officer, who lacks the commanding presence necessary to sell the film’s dramatic beats.  

Sandler doesn’t fare much better, since his performance in Bulletproof is indistinguishable from the wise-cracking characters he played in films like Happy Gilmore (1996) or Big Daddy (1999).

Perhaps that approach was intentional, to satisfy the fanbase Sandler had cultivated through his pure comedies and stand-up career, but it doesn’t it doesn’t jive with the movie’s harder edge.

Admittedly, there is some appeal in watching Sandler tackle some R-rated material, like yelling “gross, right in the fucking eyeball” after he shoots a bad guy in the head.

But that novelty quickly runs out its welcome, and all you’re left with is an unfunny script that never transcends lazy middle-school jokes related to bodily functions and implied gay sex.

The film’s action sequences suffer from the opposite problem.

Dickerson and his team show no shortage of ambition, since they stage several set pieces that feature plenty of carnage and vehicular mayhem.

Unfortunately, the filmmakers obviously bit off more than they could chew, since these scenes are poorly shot and clumsily slapped together in the editing room.

This incompetence is on full display during an airplane crash sequence early on, where Dickerson doesn’t even attempt to hide Sandler and Wayans’ stunt doubles as they leap to safety.

The only time the film really nailed that 90s action feel was during a quick shootout in the third act, when Sandler and Wayans encounter some goons in a suburban kitchen.

For whatever reason, the filmmakers decided to significantly up their game for this 60-second scene, tying it together with smooth camera movements, juicy blood squibs, and Sandler’s only funny quip in the movie (“I think they’re eating fajitas!”).

It’s almost like the studio hired Robert Rodriguez for an afternoon of uncredited consulting work, where he was able to impart his tricks of the trade to a crew that was clearly in over their heads.

But momentary flashes of competence can’t make up for the film’s other technical shortcomings, including its atrocious sound.

If you clicked on the above clip, you’re sure to get an earful of the ambient techno diarrhea that’s meant to serve as the film’s score.

Not only does the music sound like a toddler hitting a Casio keyboard at random, but the mixing is also all over the map.

During the movie’s climax, the music is so low it’s nearly inaudible, almost like the filmmakers left it in the final cut by accident.

And then there’s the movie’s spotty ADR, where the characters’ dialogue is piped in seemingly at random.  

At one point, the filmmakers even neglected to dub in one of Wayans’ lines, resulting in an awkward moment where he mimes his dialogue with no sound.

Some may tilt their head at my attempt to critique the mise-en-scène of a goofy Adam Sandler comedy, which isn’t meant to be taken seriously.

While that may be true, I feel some baseline professionalism must be maintained in even the zaniest of film projects, and Bulletproof fails to clear that low bar.

This is especially true given that Bulletproof is standing in the shadow of much better buddy action movies starring stand-up comedians, with Eddie Murphy having found great success with this formula over a decade ago with 48 Hrs. (1982) and Beverly Hills Cop (1984).

However, the film’s worst sin is how painfully unfunny its script is, with virtually all attempts to pull a chuckle out of me landing with a dull thud.

One of the few exceptions to this dismal trend takes place during a climactic fist fight between Wayans and Caan, when the latter nonchalantly removes his toupee before throwing hands.

Does this gag sully the dignity of a legendary actor like Caan? Definitely. But that’s kind of why it works, and I wish the film took more chances like this rather than fall back on jokes that were already worn out by the mid-90s.

Admittedly, this same criticism could be levied at a lot of Sandler’s other comedies, even though most of those projects were financially successful and well-liked by fans.

So why is Bulletproof largely forgotten these days?

My guess is that the R rating turned a lot of people away, with most of Sandler’s other projects falling into that PG-13 sweet spot.

Another factor is that this movie was presented as more of a vehicle for Wayans, who was given top billing as his career was much better established at that point.

But whatever the reason, Sandler wouldn’t let this little bump in the road stall his career.

Over the subsequent 28 years, he went on to churn out dozens of films that have cumulatively grossed over $3 billion worldwide, making him one of the most successful comedians in Hollywood.

He even used this industry clout to (occasionally) flex his dramatic chops, seeking out projects with heavyweight directors like Noah Baumbach, Paul Thomas Anderson, and the Safdie Brothers.

Because of these career detours, some of which resulted in industry awards, I get the sense that critics have softened on Sandler these days, or are at least willing to ignore his comedies now that they’re all relegated to Netflix.

While critical re-evaluation is always welcome (and necessary) in today’s increasingly hostile film discourse, this exercise can only go so far.

No amount of historical hindsight could convince me that Bulletproof is worth recommending to anyone other than diehard fans who are compelled to consume every one of Sandler’s films in a marathon rewatch.

Even in this case, these folks may want to skip Bulletproof anyway, since its sheer awfulness may sour the rest of Sandler’s early filmography by association.   

Verdict:

2/10

Corner store companion:

Maltesers (because they look good on the outside, but there’s nothing going on under the surface)

Fun facts:

-Release date: Sept. 6, 1996

-Budget: $25 million

-Box office: $22.6 million (worldwide)

-Sandler nabbed a “Worst Actor” Razzie nom for his performance in this film and Happy Gilmore. He ultimately lost this award to the dream team of Tom Arnold and Pauly Shore, who starred in a number of comedies throughout 1996. Bulletproof was also represented at the 19th Stinkers Bad Movie Awards, with Caan being nominated for “Worst Supporting Actor.”

– Ernest Dickerson went to film school alongside Spike Lee and served as a cinematographer on several of his early projects. These collaborations include She’s Gotta Have It (1986), School Daze (1988), Do The Right Thing (1989), and Jungle Fever (1991).  After trying his hand at directing feature films, Dickerson has been mostly focused on directing television for the last two decades. His TV credits include work on Treme, Bosch, Dexter, and The Walking Dead.

-“Bulletproof” serves as the title for a number of other films, including a 1988 action movie starring Gary Busey and a 2020 documentary on gun violence in American schools. “Bulletproof” is also the name of a British police procedural that ran between 2018 and 2021.

-A direct-to-video sequel to Bulletproof was released in January 2020, 24 years after the original film was released. It featured none of the original cast, with actors Faizon Love and Kirk Fox filling in for Wayans and Sandler, respectively.

The Cowboy Way (1994) review-saddle up for some mediocrity

Despite what you might have heard, fish-out-of-water comedies are not easy to put together, especially when elements like class are involved.

Push too hard in one direction and you’re an elitist prick making fun of poor people. Go too far in the other direction and you come across as an uncultured swine whose worldview is severely limited.

But throughout the 1980s and 1990s, Hollywood directors managed to take that potentially volatile formula and wring some genuine hits out of it, like Crocodile Dundee (1986) and City Slickers (1991).

While the plot of these movies vary, a lot of the same elements are always at play, where the filmmakers try to find some common ground between urban and rural communities, all the while playing the differences up for laughs.

Even though Gregg Champion’s The Cowboy Way (1994) checks a lot of those same boxes, it just didn’t resonate with audiences the same way, garnering poor box office returns and an even less impressive critical reception (currently holding a 21% on Rotten Tomatoes).

And after viewing it for the first time almost three decades later, it’s easy to see why this action-comedy isn’t fondly remembered by movie-goers, since the script never rises above the emotional maturity of a Saturday-morning cartoon.

Kiefer Sutherland and Woody Harrelson star as the eponymous cowboys; two life-long friends and rodeo stars who travel from New Mexico to New York City to rescue their missing friend and his daughter.

Once the pair arrive in the Big Apple, they discover that their friend has gotten mixed up with some human traffickers who aren’t squeamish about tying up loose ends.

And just like the movie’s title suggests, Sutherland and Harrelson must use their rugged nature to save the day, even though they spend way more time fighting with each other than the bad guys.

That exhausting back-and-forth dynamic is part of why The Cowboy Way doesn’t work for me, since I didn’t really buy the central relationship between the two leads.

With very few exceptions, they spend the entire runtime of the movie at each other’s throats, arguing over everything from past misdeeds to how they should navigate the strange concrete jungle of New York.

Not only did this constant bickering get annoying after a while, but it seriously made me question why these two men have been friends their entire lives if they can’t stand one another.

I get that character-based conflict is the lifeblood of any good “buddy cop” movie, but in this case the filmmakers pushed it way too far and didn’t provide any real levity between the two until the very end of the movie.

Plus, establishing this level of hostility between Harrelson and Sutherland seems like a lazy way to manufacture conflict, especially since the duo are going up against a literal human trafficking ring.  

The script also fails when it comes to delivering on the fish-out-of-water comedy, since a lot of the jokes are entirely surface-level.

Admittedly, this “east meets west” premise had a lot of potential, since the push and pull of modernity and traditionalism is a classic American story that has already served as the foundation for a lot of memorable westerns.

But the best material that the writers of The Cowboy Way could come up with out of this set-up is on the same level as a struggling stand-up comic.

In other words, a lot of this film’s humour stems from simple cultural misunderstandings or Sutherland and Harrelson gawking at a bunch of New York City weirdos.

It’s not like this brand of comedy is automatically dead on arrival, but the parade of snooty waiters, quirky shopkeepers and high-fashion models on display all seem like cardboard cutouts.

The one exception to this trend is Ernie Hudson, who plays a NYPD Mounted Unit officer who helps the titular cowboys get a lay of the land.

Outside of acting like a real person for a change, Hudson’s horseback lawman also serves as a nice bridge between the urban-rural divide that dominates the movie on a thematic level.

Unfortunately, the filmmakers don’t seem interested in meaningfully exploring that idea beyond this one side character, opting instead for inane side-plots like when Harrelson accidently becomes the new face of Calvin Klein.

A lot of this could be forgiven if maybe the villains were at least interesting, but The Cowboy Way comes up short in that respect as well.

Dylan McDermott’s main bad guy is suitably menacing but lacks any sort of depth, while a talented actor like Luis Guzmán gets even less to do as a generic henchman.

These characters also represent the movie’s larger problem with tone, since the severity of their respective fates don’t line up with the filmmakers’ intentions.

For example, Guzmán’s character is subjected to genital mutilation in the later half of the movie when the “good guys” need to extract information from him using a baby cow.

While the acting and cinematography in this scene suggest a comedic tone, it’s hard to detach yourself from the unmistakably grizzly nature of what’s happening on screen.

Meanwhile, McDermott’s demise (SPOILERS) at the end of the film is gut-bustingly hilarious, even though I’m sure that’s not what the director was going for.

Here’s a free tip for any would-be directors out there: if you’re going to replace one of your actors with a dummy for a “serious” death scene, make sure you don’t linger on that shot for almost 10 whole seconds.

Despite all these glaring flaws, Harrelson and Sutherland still manage to keep the movie afloat through their sheer charisma alone.

The pair have natural chemistry despite being saddled with a poor script, and do come across as being believable modern cowboys instead of Hollywood actors playing dress-up.

It’s also refreshing to see Sutherland play a character who is way more calm and level-headed, although my praise may be a byproduct of me watching all nine seasons of 24.

But outside of these two appealing leads, The Cowboy Way never really capitalizes on its premise, with the fish-out-water element serving as window dressing and nothing more.

By the time the credits roll, all you really learn about being a cowboy is that you need to shoot first and ask questions later, which is how most 90s action heroes operate anyway.

If you’re looking for a more cerebral take on what it means to be a cowboy in the present day, you’d have better luck reading the novels of Cormac McCarthy or even watching modern professional wrestling.

Verdict:

5/10

Corner store companion:

Pull N’ Peel Twizzlers (because you can use it to fashion your own lasso … partner)

Fun facts:

-Release date: June 3, 1994

-Budget: $35 million (estimated)

-Box office: $20,280,016

-After finishing his work on The Cowboy Way, director Gregg Champion worked in television for the rest of his career, helming episodes for series like The Magnificent Seven (1998-2000) and made-for-TV movies like The Last Brickmaker in America (2001).

–Surprise cameo: Allison Janney briefly pops up midway through the film as a nameless NYPD computer operator who helps the main characters locate their missing friend.

–Musical highlight: “Good Guys Don’t Always Wear White” by Jon Bon Jovi (plays over the end credits)

Bird on a Wire (1990) review-the perfect Mel Gibson movie

Mel Gibson is definitely one of those public figures who is going to have an * permanently affixed to his career from now until the end of time.

While I don’t have time to go into the actor’s relationship with alcohol abuse, religious fanaticism and outright bigotry, suffice it to say that these transgressions have dogged his otherwise pretty impressive career in the movie business.

Hell, even with all these controversies in mind, I still teared up watching Hacksaw Ridge back in 2016, which is a testament to Gibson’s talent behind the camera (in addition to his acting chops in front of it).

While Bird on a Wire (1990) isn’t as fondly remember as some of Gibson’s other projects (Braveheart, Lethal Weapon, Mad Max), it’s still a great showcase for the actor’s natural charisma, so much so that it will make you briefly forget that he once called a female cop “sugar tits.”

The plot of Bird on a Wire revolves around Rick Jarmin (Gibson), an FBI informant who is trying to adjust to life in the witness protection program after testifying against some corrupt DEA agents (Bill Duke and David Carradine).

But when those criminals finally track Rick down, they immediately swear revenge and seek to put him in the ground.

This situation is made even more complicated when Rick randomly runs into his ex-fiancé Marianne (Goldie Hawn), who previously thought that her old flame had died in a plane crash.

From there, Bird on a Wire turns into a chase movie, where Gibson and Hawn must race across the north-eastern United States to meet up with an old FBI handler who can provide the pair with some protection.

And in that respect, the film mostly succeeds, due in large part to the natural chemistry between the two leads.

Gibson and Hawn really sell you on the idea that they are old lovers reuniting under extreme circumstances, without getting bogged down in the endless bickering that can sink other on-screen relationships.

This core dynamic between the pair is also blended seamlessly into the film’s many action sequences, where each daredevil stunt is punctuated by a zingy one-liner or well-timed physical gag.

In fact, Bird on a Wire is chock full of laugh-out-loud jokes even when the pace slows down, which is a testament to how well Gibson and Hawn play off of each other.

The film also gives Gibson some room to show off his range as an actor, since the plot requires him to adopt a variety of characters as he backtracks through his previous identities in the witness protection program.

Admittedly, the part of the movie where Gibson has to briefly slip back into his life as a gay hairdresser is a little cringey (even attracting the ire of GLAAD), but he still commits to the bit and makes it convincing.

However, some of the writing surrounding Gibson’s character is a little suspect.

While Rick Jarmin is presented as a cinematic everyman, he actually adopts the characteristics of a Mary Sue (or Gary Stu) who is inexplicably good at everything.

Throughout the course of the movie, Rick proves himself to be somewhat of a savant, who is naturally gifted at: hairdressing, automotive repair, carpentry, motorcycle riding, sharp shooting, piloting airplanes and triggering female orgasms.

Plus, all the peripheral characters never really comment on Rick’s genius-level intellect throughout the movie’s runtime, which only draws attention to this disconnect between the writing and the filmmaker’s intent.

That being said, Hawn’s character is treated far worse by the screenwriters, since she spends most of the movie screaming her lungs out and being useless.

Her performance actually reminded me a lot of Kate Capshaw from Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom; a blond damsel who only exists to be in distress and get bailed out by the rugged male hero.

What’s especially disappointing is that the writers set her up as a smart and gutsy lawyer at the beginning of the movie, and I assumed that that quality was going to come in handy at some point later in the film.

But as soon as she meets up with Gibson, Hawn’s character quickly devolves into a brainless idiot, who never rises to the challenge or uses her intellect to get one up on the bad guys.

It’s not like I expected her to turn into Lisbeth Salander or something, but some kind of tangible character arc would have been welcome.

In fact, a great template for this character already existed in Robert Zemeckis’ Romancing the Stone (1984), where Kathleen Turner’s sheltered city slicker successfully adapts to life as an adventurer in the Columbian rainforest.

But I guess the screenwriters of Bird on a Wire never saw that film, since Hawn’s character continues to wear her high heels even after being chased by gun wielding thugs for several days.

Despite all this shoddy writing, Gibson and Hawn still manage to keep the film afloat through their natural chemistry alone, encouraging the audience to keep watching to see if their characters successfully reconcile in the end.

Coupled with director John Badham’s firm grasp of how to balance action and comedy, Bird on a Wire offers a fun escape for roughly two hours, even if it kind of falls apart in the third act.

But maybe this is the best kind of movie to sum up Gibson’s career, more so than the projects that have resulted in Oscar wins or major box office returns.

After all, Bird on a Wire is fun, charming, and easy on the eyes, even though it does harbor some major character flaws right beneath the surface.

To me, that seems to be an accurate summation of Gibson’s reputation in Hollywood at this point, even though the final chapters of his controversial career have yet to be written.

So while Bird on a Wire is far from perfect, it’s probably the perfect Mel Gibson movie, in the sense that you actively enjoy it against your better judgement.

Verdict:

7/10

Corner store companion:

Chef Boyardee ravioli (because you enjoy it, even though it contains some problematic ingredients)

Fun facts:

-Release date: May 18, 1990

-Budget: $20 million (estimated)

-Box office: $70,978,012 (US), $138,697,012 (worldwide)

-The title from this movie is taken from a 1969 Leonard Cohen song “Bird on the Wire.” A cover version of this single, composed by The Neville Brothers, was included on the film’s official soundtrack.

-The second unit director of Bird on a Wire was none other than Rob Cohen, who would go on to spearhead major action blockbusters like xXx (2002) and The Fast and the Furious (2001) years later.

-According to IMDB, the gigantic zoo exhibit featured in the climax of Bird on a Wire was the largest studio set ever built in Vancouver at the time. Much of the movie was shot in and around the British Columbia city.

-Before directing Bird on a Wire, John Badham is probably best known for helming Hollywood hits like Saturday Night Fever (1977) and Short Circuit (1986).

-The end credits for this film scroll up instead of down for some reason.

-Musical highlight: “Aquarius” by The 5th Dimension (this 90s synth cover of the famous medley by The 5th Dimension was arranged by composer Hans Zimmer and plays at the very beginning of the film).