The fact that Adam Baldwin was in this movie was by itself enough of a reason for me to have ordered it from Amazon. But even better is that he is just one of several great actors in this film. Baldwin does an outstanding job as Mr. Tate, who at first just seems young and reckless, as Mr. Cohen implies, but gradually goes into full-on psycho mode, a transition that is very subtle and believable. Roy Scheider also does an excellent job, portraying Mr. Cohen's insecurities, and eventual despair.
I very, very much enjoyed the back-and-forth dynamic between the title characters, and what fascinated me is how the situation into which they were forced shaped their relationship and attitudes toward each other. Mr. Cohen is an experienced hit-man for the mob, all business, and resents the fact that the much younger Mr. Tate has been sent to help him with a job. Mr. Cohen sees this as the first nail in his coffin: his days as a hit-man are numbered, and the mob doesn't have a very good retirement plan.
The job the two are sent to do is to kill two witnesses & the FBI agents who guard them, and to kidnap the son and take him to Texas for questioning. At first, the job seems to have gone off rather well, and Cohen & Tate are on their way to Texas with the kid, Travis, stowed in the backseat of their car. However, Mr. Cohen criticizes Mr. Tate as being overzealous, and using too many bullets where just one would do. Then Mr. Tate turns on the radio, and we discover that Travis' dad, whom Mr. Cohen shot, was not actually murdered, and is able to give a statement about what happened. This bad news sets off a whole chain of misfortunes for Cohen & Tate, and their ideologies clash as they try to figure out how to best finish their original job of taking the boy back to Texas.
At one point in the movie, Cohen & Tate are laughing at some joke like two old buddies, and I really wonder what their relationship could have been in different circumstances. The pair really could have made a great team, but what separates them is Mr. Cohen's initial view of Mr. Tate as a rival, and the fact that Travis pits them against one another, in an attempt to escape from the hit men. And that's where the movie gets sticky for me. The kid who plays Travis is an excellent actor, but I find the character himself rather annoying, not to mention the plot line that a kid could manipulate two adult hit men in such a way that they would actually fight each other to the death is just completely incredible. I would have enjoyed this movie much more had the story not revolved around Travis.
I very, very much enjoyed the back-and-forth dynamic between the title characters, and what fascinated me is how the situation into which they were forced shaped their relationship and attitudes toward each other. Mr. Cohen is an experienced hit-man for the mob, all business, and resents the fact that the much younger Mr. Tate has been sent to help him with a job. Mr. Cohen sees this as the first nail in his coffin: his days as a hit-man are numbered, and the mob doesn't have a very good retirement plan.
The job the two are sent to do is to kill two witnesses & the FBI agents who guard them, and to kidnap the son and take him to Texas for questioning. At first, the job seems to have gone off rather well, and Cohen & Tate are on their way to Texas with the kid, Travis, stowed in the backseat of their car. However, Mr. Cohen criticizes Mr. Tate as being overzealous, and using too many bullets where just one would do. Then Mr. Tate turns on the radio, and we discover that Travis' dad, whom Mr. Cohen shot, was not actually murdered, and is able to give a statement about what happened. This bad news sets off a whole chain of misfortunes for Cohen & Tate, and their ideologies clash as they try to figure out how to best finish their original job of taking the boy back to Texas.
At one point in the movie, Cohen & Tate are laughing at some joke like two old buddies, and I really wonder what their relationship could have been in different circumstances. The pair really could have made a great team, but what separates them is Mr. Cohen's initial view of Mr. Tate as a rival, and the fact that Travis pits them against one another, in an attempt to escape from the hit men. And that's where the movie gets sticky for me. The kid who plays Travis is an excellent actor, but I find the character himself rather annoying, not to mention the plot line that a kid could manipulate two adult hit men in such a way that they would actually fight each other to the death is just completely incredible. I would have enjoyed this movie much more had the story not revolved around Travis.