27 comments on “Harley Davidson and The Marlboro Man – Episode 102”
Cristiona on said:
Nice shout-out to Tango and Cash, too. Actually, something else the trench coat goons made me think of was Equilibrium.
This really is a sort of forgotten gem. I didn’t watch it until a few years ago, and was amazed at how much I enjoyed it. Not only does it have a great name, but it’s a lot of fun, too. While I love post-apocalyptic cheese, there’s also something to be said for a good dystopian future movie too. This was sort of post-apocalypse without the actual apocalypse.
And you were completely right about the on-screen chemistry. So many movies and shows think that referencing stuff that supposedly happened before is enough, but you really need the actors to sell it. They really pulled it off here, and you really did believe that these two were long time friends.
Tango and Cash is a movie that should have been huge. I still don’t understand why so many disliked it when it came out. I think perhaps there was a backlash against the over the top action films that were dominating the box office. People called it stupid but it’s frikkin genius compared to Transformers 2.
Equilibrium! Talk about a movie the studio had no idea what to do with. Such a cool movie and done very well. It didn’t even get a wide release because the stupid studio had no idea who to market it towards. Um…how about people who aren’t stupid?
Rourke and Johnson played so well together. They were totally setting this up for a franchise, its a shame it never happened. Oh well, at least we got one movie out of it.
I thought like most people at the time without knowing anything about the film just looking at the film poster that Equilibrium was a cheesy Matrix rip-off.
Yeah, I blame marketing. They were pushing it as such and all that does is give the audience false expectations. Why is it so hard to just present the movie as it is instead of trying to make it something it isn’t?
I would put Fight Club as a dramatic psychological thriller. The as close a genre as I can get it, it kind of defies just one thing.
I didn’t grow up during the ’80s so I appreciated the history lesson about Mickey Rourke, as only exposure to him has with stuff like Sin City, The Wrestler, Iron Man 2 and the Expendables. Its hard to believe that there was a time when he didn’t look like a burlap sack of potatoes that had been stung by bees.
Also got a good laugh out of your use of the cover of “Left Behind” as a way to conceal the actress’ bare butt. Clever play on words there.
Speaking of word play, I can believe in characters with product names like Harley Davidson, Jack Daniels and Virginia Slims more than I can something like “Ford Lincoln Mercury” from “The Postman”.
Rourke was the 80s version of Brad Pitt. He was in very popular, very well liked, and very handsome. My wife is in love with the “pre surgery” Rourke. She never knew him from back then until I introduced her to all his old classics. (lol burlap sack of potatoes)
Thanks! Sometimes it is tough to find things to censor the body parts, other times not so much. This was one of those times. 🙂
another awesome review! I’ve always had a fondness for this flick, love Marlboro’s old boots backstory and their payoff in the climactic last scene. mentioning Robert Ginty made me think of another good candidate for a goodbadflick review 1989’s Out On Bail. just a suggestion i know that theres literally millions of others deserving too
Nice review. I think you and I might be the only two guys to ever give this movie even a moderately positive review. And even then I only gave it 4/10. I dug the way the future world was set up.
Thanks! 4/10? No way! This is 8/10 for me. I’d put this right up there with the big boys of action movies. It definitely has more heart than 90% of action flicks released these days.
I do wonder if the “July 5th” was supposed to indicate it was an alternate earth. They never referenced anything like that again so it was unclear if that was the case or if it was just a mistake.
First saw this movie on a lark. Didn’t know anything about it but liked the blurb on the back of the box. I agree that it’s a really good movie. I like that there is obvious back story without the need to constantly provide it. This is just one chapter in their lives.
Exactly. They managed to show these characters had a history without having to constantly reference things or beat you over the head with explanations. Very well constructed and perfectly set up for sequels.
I just came back from my first Stargate Convention in Chicago this past weekend. What normally is Sunday night viewing for me did not happen – I was too busy mingling with the niche nerds of the world, which was a blast. Plus, I got to have my picture taken with three of the ladies of Stargate Atlantis (I feel I fit in nicely with them in the photo), and had a hillarious “engagement” photo taken with Michael Shanks…only to have Joe Flanigan ready to punch poor Michael.
Enough of that.
These buddy-buddy action movies were pretty commonplace during this era. When I was 8 years old, this movie had very badass names. I was fascinated by the idea of the title, and at that age, I was convinced it was about motorcycles and cigarettes. The only other title that could possibly sound cooler is the erotic movie “A Woman, Her Men, and a Futon.” Look it up if you’ve never heard of it. The first time I heard that title, around the same time as this movie, it was hysterical.
Awesome, cons are always a good time. Hopefully they didn’t charge an arm and a leg for the autographs and pictures.
Oh jeez, A man a woman and her futon. I was a big Melrose Place fan at the time and rented that because it had Grant Show and Jennifer Rubin. It was so corny, I’m not sure what I was expecting.
That’s 2 episodes in a row featuring wrestling. Besides Big John Studd, MIcky Roarke was at Wrestlemania a few years ago. Great episode, thanks for featuring a movie I have never even thought of watching before. I love the show, and appreciate the exposure to new pix.
I saw that Wrestlemania. Actually, I’ve seen every Wrestlemania for the past 10 years or so. While I don’t watch wrestling anymore, it is a tradition that I get together with my brother in law every year and we eat hot wings, pizza, and watch Wrestlemania. It’s a great night.
1)Bride Wars. . .out twat each other? I found a new phrase.
2)’I can break bottles with my ass’. I’m single so if I just pretend that voice is not yours, I’m kind of turned on!
3)Here is another part of the ‘they don’t make movies like this anymore’ concept. . .the opening titles. Man, I love opening credits that had fonts like the one in this movie.
4)Speaking of Expendables, did you see the carnage that was the second one? Man, what a thing of beauty
5)Don Johnson was bad ass as a dick in Tin Cup. So I got to give him some love there in his movie career. Plus, he was in that movie where Patricia Arquette wears that hot blonde wig. . .I dig the wig. . .Goodbye Lover, is that it?
6)I actually haven’t seen this movie so I enjoyed the review. I’ve always wanted to watch it and when I was 9 or 10, all of us talked about it though none of us ever saw it! Great review. . .this one is going in the mental movie queue.
2) yikes, I’ll have to see if I can get my wife to do female voice overs from now on 😛
3) I miss the old openings. Now, they just don’t have that coolness that they used to.
4) Not yet but soon
5) I liked Tin Cup a lot! It shows how much of a good movie it is because I could give a rats ass about golf but I was right up in there with the film. Yep, Goodbye Lover. I had such a crush on Patricia Arquette in True Romance. She still looks good but sometimes is a bit…thick. (I’ve always had a thing for skinny girls…not sickly skinny, healthy skinny)
6) Totally track this one down, you should be able to find it cheap or get it from Netflix. So worth it. 🙂
Let me know if/when you see it I’m curious to get your opinion!
Great pick; I must have rented this movie about 15 times when I was a kid. Solid action flick, awesome chemistry with the leads, and a kickass title, I put this one right up there with Stone Cold in the “Damn, Why Wasn’t That A Hit???” category.
follow:
Nice shout-out to Tango and Cash, too. Actually, something else the trench coat goons made me think of was Equilibrium.
This really is a sort of forgotten gem. I didn’t watch it until a few years ago, and was amazed at how much I enjoyed it. Not only does it have a great name, but it’s a lot of fun, too. While I love post-apocalyptic cheese, there’s also something to be said for a good dystopian future movie too. This was sort of post-apocalypse without the actual apocalypse.
And you were completely right about the on-screen chemistry. So many movies and shows think that referencing stuff that supposedly happened before is enough, but you really need the actors to sell it. They really pulled it off here, and you really did believe that these two were long time friends.
Tango and Cash is a movie that should have been huge. I still don’t understand why so many disliked it when it came out. I think perhaps there was a backlash against the over the top action films that were dominating the box office. People called it stupid but it’s frikkin genius compared to Transformers 2.
Equilibrium! Talk about a movie the studio had no idea what to do with. Such a cool movie and done very well. It didn’t even get a wide release because the stupid studio had no idea who to market it towards. Um…how about people who aren’t stupid?
Rourke and Johnson played so well together. They were totally setting this up for a franchise, its a shame it never happened. Oh well, at least we got one movie out of it.
I thought like most people at the time without knowing anything about the film just looking at the film poster that Equilibrium was a cheesy Matrix rip-off.
http://www.imdb.com/media/rm4126777088/tt0238380
Would you consider Fight Club a buddy movie?
Yeah, I blame marketing. They were pushing it as such and all that does is give the audience false expectations. Why is it so hard to just present the movie as it is instead of trying to make it something it isn’t?
I would put Fight Club as a dramatic psychological thriller. The as close a genre as I can get it, it kind of defies just one thing.
Bless you for your Syndicate reference.
Yes! Thank you for noticing! I just had to put that in there it was too perfect.
I didn’t grow up during the ’80s so I appreciated the history lesson about Mickey Rourke, as only exposure to him has with stuff like Sin City, The Wrestler, Iron Man 2 and the Expendables. Its hard to believe that there was a time when he didn’t look like a burlap sack of potatoes that had been stung by bees.
Also got a good laugh out of your use of the cover of “Left Behind” as a way to conceal the actress’ bare butt. Clever play on words there.
Speaking of word play, I can believe in characters with product names like Harley Davidson, Jack Daniels and Virginia Slims more than I can something like “Ford Lincoln Mercury” from “The Postman”.
Rourke was the 80s version of Brad Pitt. He was in very popular, very well liked, and very handsome. My wife is in love with the “pre surgery” Rourke. She never knew him from back then until I introduced her to all his old classics. (lol burlap sack of potatoes)
Thanks! Sometimes it is tough to find things to censor the body parts, other times not so much. This was one of those times. 🙂
I do like The Postman but yeah, that was forced.
another awesome review! I’ve always had a fondness for this flick, love Marlboro’s old boots backstory and their payoff in the climactic last scene. mentioning Robert Ginty made me think of another good candidate for a goodbadflick review 1989’s Out On Bail. just a suggestion i know that theres literally millions of others deserving too
Thanks! They actually gave some character development to the two, so they weren’t just cardboard heroes.
Never saw Out on Bail, I’ll check it out.
Nice review. I think you and I might be the only two guys to ever give this movie even a moderately positive review. And even then I only gave it 4/10. I dug the way the future world was set up.
Thanks! 4/10? No way! This is 8/10 for me. I’d put this right up there with the big boys of action movies. It definitely has more heart than 90% of action flicks released these days.
I do wonder if the “July 5th” was supposed to indicate it was an alternate earth. They never referenced anything like that again so it was unclear if that was the case or if it was just a mistake.
First saw this movie on a lark. Didn’t know anything about it but liked the blurb on the back of the box. I agree that it’s a really good movie. I like that there is obvious back story without the need to constantly provide it. This is just one chapter in their lives.
Exactly. They managed to show these characters had a history without having to constantly reference things or beat you over the head with explanations. Very well constructed and perfectly set up for sequels.
So I guess Burbank was the good part of Los Angeles, California in 96.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zYnZLjR9x_0&t=1m30s
HAHAHAHAHA
Oh Demolition Man, why is there only one of you.
I watched it quite young and liked it. Although back then I thought that Marlboro and Harley Davidson were just the cool names of those guys 🙂
In a way, you are kind of right 🙂
Hi Cecil!
I just came back from my first Stargate Convention in Chicago this past weekend. What normally is Sunday night viewing for me did not happen – I was too busy mingling with the niche nerds of the world, which was a blast. Plus, I got to have my picture taken with three of the ladies of Stargate Atlantis (I feel I fit in nicely with them in the photo), and had a hillarious “engagement” photo taken with Michael Shanks…only to have Joe Flanigan ready to punch poor Michael.
Enough of that.
These buddy-buddy action movies were pretty commonplace during this era. When I was 8 years old, this movie had very badass names. I was fascinated by the idea of the title, and at that age, I was convinced it was about motorcycles and cigarettes. The only other title that could possibly sound cooler is the erotic movie “A Woman, Her Men, and a Futon.” Look it up if you’ve never heard of it. The first time I heard that title, around the same time as this movie, it was hysterical.
In all, a great review!
Awesome, cons are always a good time. Hopefully they didn’t charge an arm and a leg for the autographs and pictures.
Oh jeez, A man a woman and her futon. I was a big Melrose Place fan at the time and rented that because it had Grant Show and Jennifer Rubin. It was so corny, I’m not sure what I was expecting.
Thanks!
That’s 2 episodes in a row featuring wrestling. Besides Big John Studd, MIcky Roarke was at Wrestlemania a few years ago. Great episode, thanks for featuring a movie I have never even thought of watching before. I love the show, and appreciate the exposure to new pix.
Thanks!
I saw that Wrestlemania. Actually, I’ve seen every Wrestlemania for the past 10 years or so. While I don’t watch wrestling anymore, it is a tradition that I get together with my brother in law every year and we eat hot wings, pizza, and watch Wrestlemania. It’s a great night.
Awesome job my friend.
1)Bride Wars. . .out twat each other? I found a new phrase.
2)’I can break bottles with my ass’. I’m single so if I just pretend that voice is not yours, I’m kind of turned on!
3)Here is another part of the ‘they don’t make movies like this anymore’ concept. . .the opening titles. Man, I love opening credits that had fonts like the one in this movie.
4)Speaking of Expendables, did you see the carnage that was the second one? Man, what a thing of beauty
5)Don Johnson was bad ass as a dick in Tin Cup. So I got to give him some love there in his movie career. Plus, he was in that movie where Patricia Arquette wears that hot blonde wig. . .I dig the wig. . .Goodbye Lover, is that it?
6)I actually haven’t seen this movie so I enjoyed the review. I’ve always wanted to watch it and when I was 9 or 10, all of us talked about it though none of us ever saw it! Great review. . .this one is going in the mental movie queue.
Will
Thank you!
1) hehe, use it as much as you like 🙂
2) yikes, I’ll have to see if I can get my wife to do female voice overs from now on 😛
3) I miss the old openings. Now, they just don’t have that coolness that they used to.
4) Not yet but soon
5) I liked Tin Cup a lot! It shows how much of a good movie it is because I could give a rats ass about golf but I was right up in there with the film. Yep, Goodbye Lover. I had such a crush on Patricia Arquette in True Romance. She still looks good but sometimes is a bit…thick. (I’ve always had a thing for skinny girls…not sickly skinny, healthy skinny)
6) Totally track this one down, you should be able to find it cheap or get it from Netflix. So worth it. 🙂
Let me know if/when you see it I’m curious to get your opinion!
Great pick; I must have rented this movie about 15 times when I was a kid. Solid action flick, awesome chemistry with the leads, and a kickass title, I put this one right up there with Stone Cold in the “Damn, Why Wasn’t That A Hit???” category.
Young and hot Kelly Hu FTW
Just saw her in something recently and she’s still hot!