mwidunn-95-631875 Review of Jake Speed

Jake Speed (1986)

Lies Somewhere between "So-Bad-It's-Good" and "Just Bad" . . .

[1/10 · 31 May 2020]

An attempt to emulate "Romancing the Stone" with Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner -- but, without the storyline, direction, chemistry, or acting chops to pull it off. Surprisingly, there are some estimable acting names amongst the credits. But, Wayne Crawford is not one of them. Crawford, who also co-wrote the script, made the horrible mistake of casting himself as the lead, thinking that he could carry the role of a hunky, affable rogue, who spends his time acting out adventures for -- well -- nobody in particular just so he can pump out another book chronicling his escapades. He couldn't. The script, which Crawford also had a hand in, is also terrible. Every scene seems like it is in search of an idea. Since none is ever forthcoming from the writers, they just give up and jump to the next scene. Like, whatever . . . You can see how mixed up this movie is just by looking at its promotional poster. First, I had to really look hard to finally understand that the character is being depicted as stepping out of a Jake Speed pulp fiction novel. Second, there is the hookline: "More than a myth. Less than a legend. And a bit too big for his boots". So, I guess, Jake Speed is somewhere in the middle when it comes to heroism: something more than mythical, but not legendary . . . and, not really up to the task. Uh, yeah -- no. I cannot decide about this movie: Is it so bad it is good? Or, is it just terrible? I guess, it comes down to whether I would want to sit through it again, which is "no". If you want to see a movie about a hunky, affable rogue, set in Africa, with shooting and explosions, then I would recommend Matthew McConnaughey's "Sahara". It also had its flaws -- and, it bombed miserably at the box office -- but, you will not feel like you want a part of your life back.