Burt Reynolds for the "Miami Vice" generation!
Even though pretty faithfully adapted from Elmore Leonard's book (by no less that Leonard himself!), Burt foregoes the good ol' boy routine to play the mean, tough, down and dirty characters like he did in "The Longest Yard", "Sharkey's Machine" and "White Lightning".
But even though he did everything but sweep the sets afterwards, Burt just doesn't convince as a career criminal trying to settle a score from a drug deal that killed his friend.
Everyone is grim, nasty and vile (stunt-man/actor Dar Robinson comes off best as hit-man Moki - true enough to say he has the best scene!) and with Burt as the lesser of, say, a dozen evils, SHOULD show at least some charisma in the part. But all he does is glower, grimace, threaten and shoot guns. Even love interest Bergen is pretty bland as she plays a character that suggests what would have happened if she never had any "Carnal Knowledge".
The only one who comes off good is Segal, who plays a loud, crass, banjo-playing millionaire who hires Stick (Reynolds) for protection, little knowing he is just a cog in a serpentine plot to get back at drug mack Nestor (Guerra). Segal even goes as far as telling the "What's-the-last-thing-to-go-through-a-bug's-mind-before-he-hits-a-windshield" joke. (Punch-line? Go ask your Dad).
The worst fate, though, is held for Reynolds steadfast Durning, who has to play a druggie that would look more at home at the circus (Charlie, orange-red hair is NOT your style). How does he intimidate people, by daring them not to laugh??
In the end, you just can't help but figure what Michael Mann could have done with something like this. Well, Leonard's stuff is getting made and remade all the time now. Who knows, maybe in a few years....
Three stars, one for the effort, one for Robinson's last scene and one for Murphy, whose career survived to do better things (hello, "Murphy Brown"!).
Don't get stuck with "Stick".
Even though pretty faithfully adapted from Elmore Leonard's book (by no less that Leonard himself!), Burt foregoes the good ol' boy routine to play the mean, tough, down and dirty characters like he did in "The Longest Yard", "Sharkey's Machine" and "White Lightning".
But even though he did everything but sweep the sets afterwards, Burt just doesn't convince as a career criminal trying to settle a score from a drug deal that killed his friend.
Everyone is grim, nasty and vile (stunt-man/actor Dar Robinson comes off best as hit-man Moki - true enough to say he has the best scene!) and with Burt as the lesser of, say, a dozen evils, SHOULD show at least some charisma in the part. But all he does is glower, grimace, threaten and shoot guns. Even love interest Bergen is pretty bland as she plays a character that suggests what would have happened if she never had any "Carnal Knowledge".
The only one who comes off good is Segal, who plays a loud, crass, banjo-playing millionaire who hires Stick (Reynolds) for protection, little knowing he is just a cog in a serpentine plot to get back at drug mack Nestor (Guerra). Segal even goes as far as telling the "What's-the-last-thing-to-go-through-a-bug's-mind-before-he-hits-a-windshield" joke. (Punch-line? Go ask your Dad).
The worst fate, though, is held for Reynolds steadfast Durning, who has to play a druggie that would look more at home at the circus (Charlie, orange-red hair is NOT your style). How does he intimidate people, by daring them not to laugh??
In the end, you just can't help but figure what Michael Mann could have done with something like this. Well, Leonard's stuff is getting made and remade all the time now. Who knows, maybe in a few years....
Three stars, one for the effort, one for Robinson's last scene and one for Murphy, whose career survived to do better things (hello, "Murphy Brown"!).
Don't get stuck with "Stick".