James-Remar Movie Reviews

"Rent a Cop"isn't a bad film,and Liza was great.Burt Reynolds does seem tired in the movie.This is when he was having all his health problems.In away,this film is like "The Body Guard." They should have made Liza a famous singer,and have Burt as the Body Guard,and Liza's Sister, Lorna Luft, as the one trying to get rid of Liza.Lorna wouldn't even have to act.Just read her Book about Liza.

Liza struts her stuff in this watchable 'action' movie. A police detective is accused of masterminding a chain of killings. Liza is the damsel in distress and Burt Reynolds is the good cop. Funny 80's wardrobe & soundtrack. Watch out for Dionne Warwick as Beth...

When I realized this was an action movie I said to myself "I have to see this" Liza Minelli as Della Roberts dodging bullets and taking a stabbing (not to mention shooting a gun) was something else, WAY different from other roles. I wasn't really happy with Burt Reynolds performance as Tony Church but we can't win them all. Overall Minelli's performance was just spectacular, (I was a bit surprised hearing her swear) she is truly an actress.

"Rent a Cop"isn't a bad film,and Liza was great.Burt Reynolds does seem tired in the movie.This is when he was having all his health problems.In away,this film is like "The Body Guard." They should have made Liza a famous singer,and have Burt as the Body Guard,and Liza's Sister, Lorna Luft, as the one trying to get rid of Liza.Lorna wouldn't even have to act.Just read her Book about Liza.

Liza struts her stuff in this watchable 'action' movie. A police detective is accused of masterminding a chain of killings. Liza is the damsel in distress and Burt Reynolds is the good cop. Funny 80's wardrobe & soundtrack. Watch out for Dionne Warwick as Beth...

When I realized this was an action movie I said to myself "I have to see this" Liza Minelli as Della Roberts dodging bullets and taking a stabbing (not to mention shooting a gun) was something else, WAY different from other roles. I wasn't really happy with Burt Reynolds performance as Tony Church but we can't win them all. Overall Minelli's performance was just spectacular, (I was a bit surprised hearing her swear) she is truly an actress.

A good plot, interestingly shot in Chicago, but what jams it is the incredibly hot chemistry between (cop) Aidan Quinn and (blind violinist)Madeleine Stowe. Some people just create voluptuous sexual chemistry, and these two do it! Stowe is excellent. Quinn and other cast very, very good. You'll like this film very much. The serial murder angle is even a little different and ok.

Blind musician gets her sight back just in time to witness a serial killer strike. Unfortunately, the lead now suffers from visual agnosia meaning that her mind is no longer used to seeing things and that there is often a delay between the actual event and her mind processing the image. So she doesn't realize she is a witness until several hours after the attack. While the skeptical police work to catch the killer, the death tool mounts and ultimately a mysterious connection is found between all the victims. Now the killer returns to snuff out the one witness who has seen him and lived.
I would have to say that this was average to possibly a little below average except I really enjoy the Irish music that played on the sound-track. This was a very typical 'cop meets semi-helpless woman in distress and believes in her when no one else does' film. I liked it and I liked the music and if you like this sort of movie then this is a movie you will like.

Since first teamed up as boyfriend and girlfriend in the 1985 Richard Dreyfuss/Emilio Estevez comedy 'Stakeout', Madeline Stowe and Aidan Quinn make a huge comeback together in 'Blink'. Madeline Stowe is a young woman in her twenties who undergoes an operation that lets her regain partial vision after being tramatically blinded as a child. While still making the drastic adjustment to a new world, she unfortunately becomes the only witness to a murder. Handsome and cool Chicago police detective John Halstrome's (Aidan Quinn) attraction forces him to defend this witness to his doubting collegues as being credible. He subsequently winds up juggling a steamy affair with Stowe, and decifering true or false whatever she actually sees...and what are mere dellusions brought on by fear and the recent surgery. Two strong-willed and attractive stars make for a very good romantic scenerio, neither could've done better than Stowe and Quinn. The movie I think is a great for Chicagoians, staying true to the city and its make-up especially with it's native star Quinn and his awesome windy city accent. As for the plot, its a thrilling and interesting crime as it begins to unfold, adding touches of fear with scenes of the killer...seen mostly through Stowe's blurry eyes. You really need to see the movie unedited to get the full thrust, which is why I bought it a while ago. You really couldn't see a movie with these two without being able to watch their passionate love sequences, and I always thought watching a really good murder mystery that had frequent commercials was like making love with coffee breaks every ten minuets. Take a look at this great, new-classic thriller with plenty of comedic touches and you wont regret it.

I would heavily recommend this film to anyone wishing to endure 90 minutes of loud,senseless,cohisionless noise and colour. To anyone else,I will say,avoid it.

This as you probly all ready know is the widescren edition and it is just as good as the origional,acton packed,exellent special effects and a good story line. Kitana makes her return along with Lue Kane to kick but

THAT LUI KANG AND JOHNNY CAGE WENT THIS PLACE TO FIND REPTIL AND THEY FIND HIM AND THEN LUI KANG STARTED TO FIGHT HIM AND LUI KANG WON AND THEN THEY WENT BACK TO THE OUTER WORLD.

Jean Claude usually has some poor taste in the scripts he takes on but The Quest was actually a decent role and movie for him. As usual, Van Damme is pitted against the best fighters in the world and they are all brought to the Forbidden City in a quest to find the best.

A really good point to this movie was that it was really diverse in the martial arts in this movie. There was everything from both styles of Capoiera (Brazilian and Angola), Muay Thai kickboxing, Kung Fu and Karate and of course, how could you go wrong with the occasional brawler?

One thing that really ate as far as the movie was concerned was that there were some corny parts like how Van Damme gets left behind at "Muay Thai Island"? Why didn't they just say he gets left in Thailand, wouldn't that have sounded a little better?

Anyway, for a Van Damme movie it's pretty good and worth a rental. I wouldn't put too much hype into this one because like I said, you're not really watching this one because it's a great story or the acting is so great, it's because the action in this one speaks for itself.

This movie was O.K,he fights in a competition and his friend dies by a big dude.

In "The Quest," Jean-Claude Van Damme directs and stars in this action movie about a street dweller (Jean-Claude Van Damme) who helps out kids that are on the street the best he can. He accidentally gets onboard a freight ship and travels to the Far East. Some people notice his fighting skills and he eventually gets entered in a fighting tournament that features the best fighters from various countries and continents. The fighters range from a sumo wrestler from Japan, a martial arts fighter from China who fights just like a monkey, and a monstrous and intimidating fighter from Mongolia. It's up to Van Damme to try and show everybody that he's the best fighter and have a chance at winning a huge golden dragon that goes to the fighter.

Unlike what Van Damme movies are usually known for, "The Quest" does have a good plot, and it's even directed by Van Damme himself. He should make more movies like this. "The Quest" has a plot, the fighting is exciting, and it's a good movie. I recommend anybody who likes good fighting movies to get "The Quest." You'll be glad you went along on this quest.

There have been many criticisms of this movie: that it favors style over substance, that it has too many conflicting storylines, that it slides all over the place without any real character development. I don't disagree. But, that being said, I still like this movie an awful lot. It is packed with talent from end to end, not just the proclaimed stars of the picture, but other little surprises that turn up from time to time. Look for Tom Waits in a bit part that takes place within the Cotton Club, Laurence Fishburne (credited as Larry) as a stylish and dangerous member of black organized crime, and Jennifer Grey as Nicholas Cage's perpetually dim and semi-clad young wife. Diane Lane is as lovely as can be, and really seems to convey the singleminded amorality of her teenaged character, determined to get some security for herself, and the conflict created when she is forced to confront the growing madness of her keeper, mobster Dutch Schultz, and her love for Gere's character of Dixie Dwyer. The music and dance numbers are as good as you've heard, and the sets and costumes beautiful and believable. I think that one problem with this movie may have been the era in which it was released, when a 2-hour movie was still considered extraordinarily long. It does have the jerky, confusing feel of a movie that's been too heavily cut. Perhaps if it had been made today, audiences would be willing to sit through three hours of the intricate plot development that so complex a story really needs. Let's hope a director's cut is released someday.

All in all, this is worth a look, or several, despite its rather considerable flaws.

I think the biggest problem is the casting. Richard Gere and Diane Lane did a wonderful job together in the recent film Unfaithful but in Cotton Club they seem more like big brother and precocious little sister. Gere plays a Hollywood actor and he is just too smooth with his little moustache and greased back hair--one moment he is smooching with Diane Lane, the next moment he is onstage playing trumpet, the next hes talking tough to a ruthless killer. Its like hes supposed to be some kind of Harlem Renaissance Man. I think at this phase in his career Gere was not so popular because people perceived him as being kind of conceited and this role just seems crafted for a guy who adores himself. Nowadays he comes across as a much more appealing type of fellow but then the self love was just annoying. Diane Lane was a wonderful child actress but in this role she is not a child anymore and not quite a woman yet either. The awkwardness of the Gere-Lane relationship hurts the film considerably. Plus when your lead just isn't Al Pacino or Robert DeNiro and its a mob picture you feel disappointed. Gere is not a mob guy, he's too sophisticated to play mob roles, and he knows it.

Additionally what happens on-stage at the Cotton Club really takes us out of the drama that is happening off-stage. By the time each musical number ends you almost forget what the film is about. There are so many characters(Bob Hoskins, Fred Gwen, Nic Cage, Joe Dallesandro) saying so many things and yet no one character ever grabs our attention and so its hard to care what each character is plotting to do. Its possible to watch this film and not really know who the main character or what the main plot line is. The writing is that obscure. Even if you figure out its a film about Gere and Lane it doesn't help much because they just don't seem right for each other anyway. As a result we have no one and no thing to root for. Beneath the flash of the costumes the film just has no heart and soul. Its like a glossy magazine with pretty faces but no substance.

That said the film is a wonder of cinematography and choreography. One wonderful scene toward the end of the film has Coppola cutting between Gregory Hines tapping and a particularly lurid murder scene. This is the kind of thing Coppola did so well in Godfather--mixing life and death in an operatic way--but here the great camera work seems kind of empty because the characters have failed to really make their mark on our imaginations.

Perhaps in the future Coppola will release an extended version of this film which will make the story clearer. Until then I would recommend this film only if you want a strictly visual entertainment.

It's great to finally have this movie on video in the widescreen format. However, I am disappointed that the deleted scenes which were advertised here and on MGM's official website are not on this DVD. It would have been nice to view them but I guess MGM decided not to release them at the last minute (perhaps a special edition DVD is in the works in the near future) or Coppola didn't allow MGM to release them. Perhaps he's planning to extend this film like he did with Apocalypse Now. Anyway, despite the missing deleted scenes, it's great to see this film again in its original aspect ratio with the theatrical trailer which ironically has brief moments of scenes that were deleted from the film.

I bought this film hoping for a biography of Wild Bill Hickock. The first ten minutes, which presents a short series of vignettes of his experiences, plus a few flashbacks throughout the story, was as close as I came to my wish. This muddled piece of filmmaking supposedly focuses on the last few days of Hickock's life before his shooting by Jack McCall. The only reason I gave this movie two stars is the performance by Jeff Bridges, simply the best portrayal of Hickock to date, only to be wasted. Had they used Bridges to give a life story of the best shootist of the West, they could have patted themselves on the back for a great achievement in Westerns. If you like 'quirky' or 'camp' films, by all means this is for you. But for historical enlightenment--skip it. The only other good thing I can say about this movie is the portrayal of Calamity Jane as more of a soiled dove than a Doris Day. The real Jane was a 'camp follower' and sometimes hooker. My best recomendation--if you must see it, rent it for the sake of seeing Jeff Bridges in one of his better performances.

Unlike the other reviewers, I can't vouch for the historical accuracy of this film. What I can say, however, is that I thoroughly enjoyed Bridges' portrayal of the rough and tumble Wild Bill. I lost the sense that I was watching an actor at work behind the moustache, twin pistols and gruff mannerisms that Bridges brings to the character. I found the central conflict of a very tough and manly man coming to terms with his own legacy poignant and interesting. I recommend giving it a look-see, and I plan on buying it when it comes out on DVD.

James Butler "Wild Bill" Hickok was shot dead from behind in a Deadwood, South Dakota saloon holding what is now known as the "Deadman's Hand" of aces and eights. This 1995 film from director Walter Hill ("The Long Riders") is not so much about the infamous death or even the storied life of "Wild Bill" (Jeff Bridges) but more the man's death wish. The film is an exploration of the legend and not the recreation of history; Jack McCall (David Arquette, in a very controlled performance of his usual edgy little creep), the dirty low-down snake who plugged Wild Bill from behind, does so in this film version because the famous gun-fighter lawman broke the hat of Jack's mother (Diane Lane). In "fact" Jack told the miner's jury in Deadwood that found him not guilty that his brother had been gunned down by Hickok who had promised to shoot McCall if he saw him. It was only after McCall kept bragging about killing Hickok once too often that Federal lawmen arrested him; before he was hung McCall claimed he had been hired by others to do the deed.

The screenplay by Hill is based on the book "Deadwood" by Pete Dexter and the play "Fathers and Sons" by Thomas Babe. In the film's climax McCall and a gang of thugs have gotten the drop on Wild Bill. Inexplicably, the thugs wait for McCall to decide whether or not he has the guts to shot Hickock. At one point Wild Bill offers to shoot himself, just to stop the stupid arguments. Charlie Prince (John Hurt), Wild Bill's educated English friend (and the narrator of the film) says: "Let him do it. He's been trying to kill himself his entire life." This line sounds like it unlocks the entire meaning of the film, but that is only if you take it at face value. "Wild Bill" shows a man playing by the rules of the game, and if he is incapable of loving any woman beyond the moment he is with her, even Calamity Jane (Ellen Barkin), it is not like the West is the land of romance.

The collision of Hickok and McCall is the backbone of the film, which reduces the other events in Wild Bill's life to two sets of flashbacks. In color we get the gunfights on which the Hickok legend was born, such as shooting wheelchair bound Will Plummer (Bruce Dern) while tied to a saloon chair, as well as the failed attempt to perform on stage in New York City with Buffalo Bill Cody (Keith Carradine). But there are also high contrast black & white sequences that are supposed to indicate significant moments in his life of a spiritual or personal nature. These might make him aware of his mortality and his character flaws, but these do not translate into a death wish.

Wild Bill Hickok sat down in a chair with his back to the front door of the saloon because it was the only open spot in the poker game (the gambler in the seat he wanted refused to give it up). That ironic element in the most famous death in the history of the Old West is jettisoned in this film, replaced instead with the rather paradoxical idea that his downfall was due to an uncharacteristic act of sentimentality on his part. In the end, "Wild Bill" comes down to a series of dazzingly brutal gunfights through which Bridges snarls his way. These are scenes that emphasize the choreography of the violence for effect rather than spraying a lot of blood all over the place. In the end, all you have to do is count the number of bullets that come out of his six-shooters to remind yourself this film is Hollywood invention. The final irony is that "Wild Bill" is undone by the very death scene that made Hickok immortal.

I bought this film hoping for a biography of Wild Bill Hickock. The first ten minutes, which presents a short series of vignettes of his experiences, plus a few flashbacks throughout the story, was as close as I came to my wish. This muddled piece of filmmaking supposedly focuses on the last few days of Hickock's life before his shooting by Jack McCall. The only reason I gave this movie two stars is the performance by Jeff Bridges, simply the best portrayal of Hickock to date, only to be wasted. Had they used Bridges to give a life story of the best shootist of the West, they could have patted themselves on the back for a great achievement in Westerns. If you like 'quirky' or 'camp' films, by all means this is for you. But for historical enlightenment--skip it. The only other good thing I can say about this movie is the portrayal of Calamity Jane as more of a soiled dove than a Doris Day. The real Jane was a 'camp follower' and sometimes hooker. My best recomendation--if you must see it, rent it for the sake of seeing Jeff Bridges in one of his better performances.

Unlike the other reviewers, I can't vouch for the historical accuracy of this film. What I can say, however, is that I thoroughly enjoyed Bridges' portrayal of the rough and tumble Wild Bill. I lost the sense that I was watching an actor at work behind the moustache, twin pistols and gruff mannerisms that Bridges brings to the character. I found the central conflict of a very tough and manly man coming to terms with his own legacy poignant and interesting. I recommend giving it a look-see, and I plan on buying it when it comes out on DVD.

James Butler "Wild Bill" Hickok was shot dead from behind in a Deadwood, South Dakota saloon holding what is now known as the "Deadman's Hand" of aces and eights. This 1995 film from director Walter Hill ("The Long Riders") is not so much about the infamous death or even the storied life of "Wild Bill" (Jeff Bridges) but more the man's death wish. The film is an exploration of the legend and not the recreation of history; Jack McCall (David Arquette, in a very controlled performance of his usual edgy little creep), the dirty low-down snake who plugged Wild Bill from behind, does so in this film version because the famous gun-fighter lawman broke the hat of Jack's mother (Diane Lane). In "fact" Jack told the miner's jury in Deadwood that found him not guilty that his brother had been gunned down by Hickok who had promised to shoot McCall if he saw him. It was only after McCall kept bragging about killing Hickok once too often that Federal lawmen arrested him; before he was hung McCall claimed he had been hired by others to do the deed.

The screenplay by Hill is based on the book "Deadwood" by Pete Dexter and the play "Fathers and Sons" by Thomas Babe. In the film's climax McCall and a gang of thugs have gotten the drop on Wild Bill. Inexplicably, the thugs wait for McCall to decide whether or not he has the guts to shot Hickock. At one point Wild Bill offers to shoot himself, just to stop the stupid arguments. Charlie Prince (John Hurt), Wild Bill's educated English friend (and the narrator of the film) says: "Let him do it. He's been trying to kill himself his entire life." This line sounds like it unlocks the entire meaning of the film, but that is only if you take it at face value. "Wild Bill" shows a man playing by the rules of the game, and if he is incapable of loving any woman beyond the moment he is with her, even Calamity Jane (Ellen Barkin), it is not like the West is the land of romance.

The collision of Hickok and McCall is the backbone of the film, which reduces the other events in Wild Bill's life to two sets of flashbacks. In color we get the gunfights on which the Hickok legend was born, such as shooting wheelchair bound Will Plummer (Bruce Dern) while tied to a saloon chair, as well as the failed attempt to perform on stage in New York City with Buffalo Bill Cody (Keith Carradine). But there are also high contrast black & white sequences that are supposed to indicate significant moments in his life of a spiritual or personal nature. These might make him aware of his mortality and his character flaws, but these do not translate into a death wish.

Wild Bill Hickok sat down in a chair with his back to the front door of the saloon because it was the only open spot in the poker game (the gambler in the seat he wanted refused to give it up). That ironic element in the most famous death in the history of the Old West is jettisoned in this film, replaced instead with the rather paradoxical idea that his downfall was due to an uncharacteristic act of sentimentality on his part. In the end, "Wild Bill" comes down to a series of dazzingly brutal gunfights through which Bridges snarls his way. These are scenes that emphasize the choreography of the violence for effect rather than spraying a lot of blood all over the place. In the end, all you have to do is count the number of bullets that come out of his six-shooters to remind yourself this film is Hollywood invention. The final irony is that "Wild Bill" is undone by the very death scene that made Hickok immortal.

I bought this film hoping for a biography of Wild Bill Hickock. The first ten minutes, which presents a short series of vignettes of his experiences, plus a few flashbacks throughout the story, was as close as I came to my wish. This muddled piece of filmmaking supposedly focuses on the last few days of Hickock's life before his shooting by Jack McCall. The only reason I gave this movie two stars is the performance by Jeff Bridges, simply the best portrayal of Hickock to date, only to be wasted. Had they used Bridges to give a life story of the best shootist of the West, they could have patted themselves on the back for a great achievement in Westerns. If you like 'quirky' or 'camp' films, by all means this is for you. But for historical enlightenment--skip it. The only other good thing I can say about this movie is the portrayal of Calamity Jane as more of a soiled dove than a Doris Day. The real Jane was a 'camp follower' and sometimes hooker. My best recomendation--if you must see it, rent it for the sake of seeing Jeff Bridges in one of his better performances.

Unlike the other reviewers, I can't vouch for the historical accuracy of this film. What I can say, however, is that I thoroughly enjoyed Bridges' portrayal of the rough and tumble Wild Bill. I lost the sense that I was watching an actor at work behind the moustache, twin pistols and gruff mannerisms that Bridges brings to the character. I found the central conflict of a very tough and manly man coming to terms with his own legacy poignant and interesting. I recommend giving it a look-see, and I plan on buying it when it comes out on DVD.

James Butler "Wild Bill" Hickok was shot dead from behind in a Deadwood, South Dakota saloon holding what is now known as the "Deadman's Hand" of aces and eights. This 1995 film from director Walter Hill ("The Long Riders") is not so much about the infamous death or even the storied life of "Wild Bill" (Jeff Bridges) but more the man's death wish. The film is an exploration of the legend and not the recreation of history; Jack McCall (David Arquette, in a very controlled performance of his usual edgy little creep), the dirty low-down snake who plugged Wild Bill from behind, does so in this film version because the famous gun-fighter lawman broke the hat of Jack's mother (Diane Lane). In "fact" Jack told the miner's jury in Deadwood that found him not guilty that his brother had been gunned down by Hickok who had promised to shoot McCall if he saw him. It was only after McCall kept bragging about killing Hickok once too often that Federal lawmen arrested him; before he was hung McCall claimed he had been hired by others to do the deed.

The screenplay by Hill is based on the book "Deadwood" by Pete Dexter and the play "Fathers and Sons" by Thomas Babe. In the film's climax McCall and a gang of thugs have gotten the drop on Wild Bill. Inexplicably, the thugs wait for McCall to decide whether or not he has the guts to shot Hickock. At one point Wild Bill offers to shoot himself, just to stop the stupid arguments. Charlie Prince (John Hurt), Wild Bill's educated English friend (and the narrator of the film) says: "Let him do it. He's been trying to kill himself his entire life." This line sounds like it unlocks the entire meaning of the film, but that is only if you take it at face value. "Wild Bill" shows a man playing by the rules of the game, and if he is incapable of loving any woman beyond the moment he is with her, even Calamity Jane (Ellen Barkin), it is not like the West is the land of romance.

The collision of Hickok and McCall is the backbone of the film, which reduces the other events in Wild Bill's life to two sets of flashbacks. In color we get the gunfights on which the Hickok legend was born, such as shooting wheelchair bound Will Plummer (Bruce Dern) while tied to a saloon chair, as well as the failed attempt to perform on stage in New York City with Buffalo Bill Cody (Keith Carradine). But there are also high contrast black & white sequences that are supposed to indicate significant moments in his life of a spiritual or personal nature. These might make him aware of his mortality and his character flaws, but these do not translate into a death wish.

Wild Bill Hickok sat down in a chair with his back to the front door of the saloon because it was the only open spot in the poker game (the gambler in the seat he wanted refused to give it up). That ironic element in the most famous death in the history of the Old West is jettisoned in this film, replaced instead with the rather paradoxical idea that his downfall was due to an uncharacteristic act of sentimentality on his part. In the end, "Wild Bill" comes down to a series of dazzingly brutal gunfights through which Bridges snarls his way. These are scenes that emphasize the choreography of the violence for effect rather than spraying a lot of blood all over the place. In the end, all you have to do is count the number of bullets that come out of his six-shooters to remind yourself this film is Hollywood invention. The final irony is that "Wild Bill" is undone by the very death scene that made Hickok immortal.

The movie handled this touchy topic well enough for it's time period, but now it feels very dated. There are some nice moments, such as when the straight cop finds out what it's like to be on the other end of the prejudice spectrum, from the inside. However, it really annoyed me that all the gay charactes were portrayed as complete stereotypes: drama queen or leather daddy. There seems to be nothing in between.

The movie patrners deals with two men being assigned as "Partners". Their boss needs these two men to find out about killings in the gay communty.The two partners as played by Ryan O' Neal(The Main Even) and John Hurt(Rob Roy,King Ralph).

The partners go live in the gay community to find the killer. They befriend some gays , start putting the pieces together. One of the cops(O'Neal) poses for a gay magazine and befriends the gril in charges of the magazine.This in too almost blows the two partners cover. John Hurt tells the boss but the boss tells him to not bother him. The suspense build up as the two partners find out who the killer is. The ending is sad for a comedy(one of the partners is shot and killed). In a way this movie was breaking ground for many gay mainstream movies of today such as "In and Out" and "Three to Tango". I know there's other too numerous to count!If you like John Hurt and Ryan O' Neal either buy or rent this movie tonight !It will change your POV on the gay communty and the way we humans treat others who are different than ourselfs!

A straight cop hooks up with a gay associate and they pose as a homosexual couple to crack down the murder of a prominent gay. Offensive and quite silly at times, but provides many laughs and offbeat characterizations. Not one to miss!