1989 was in many ways a magical year. This was the year when Mötley Crue released their album Dr. Feelgood, that became one of their most popular albums ever. This was also the year when Corey Feldman and Corey Haim released their comedy License To Drive, that became a comedy classic for many teenagers during the late 80´s. 1989 was also the year when British rock band Queen released their album The Miracle, that became a hit album worldwide. I also remember the year of 1989 especially, because this was the year when Jean-Claude Van Damme released his classic martial arts movie Kickboxer ( one of his better films in his career ). Of course we have to mention that 1989 was the year when British rock/pop band Tears For Fears released their biggest selling studio album ever called The Seeds Of Love. I remember that the single Sowing The Seeds Of Love was playing on the radio constantly, and was also a big hit in Sweden. In many ways, 1989 had a lot to offer to everyone, no matter what kind of music you liked, or what kind of movies you enjoyed. One of the reasons why i think this year is important, is because this was the year when legendary action actors Sylvester Stallone and Kurt Russel teamed up together in the action movie Tango & Cash. A film that actually failed at the box office, even though these 2 big Hollywood stars were included. Maybe the audience went to see Indiana Jones And The Last Crusade ( i can´t deny this is a good sequel to the Indiana Jones trilogy ) in Cinemas instead. Still, it was clear that Tango & Cash was released at the right time, for fans of Sylvester Stallone. The mixture of big guns, fighting and comedy made this film entertaining. I did not see Tango & Cash in Cinema back then, since i was not allowed to see it because i was only around 13 years old. So i had to wait and see it on VHS from one of the rental stores in town. The problem was that back in these days, every violent film was cut really bad because of censorship. Most violent action films on VHS in these Days were cut so badly, the plot did not make any sense. And Tango & Cash was also cut, luckily not as heavy as Van Damme´s classic 1989 movie Cyborg. So it was first when i got the uncut DVD from America i could enjoy this film with all the violence. Since it is 30 Years this year since Tango & Cash was released in theatres , i decided to take a look at the film again, to see how i feel about this film after so many years. Is this a film that still make you want to tango, or does this film make you feel ill for the wrong reason ?
Bevery Hills LAPD Lieutenant Raymond " Ray " Tango ( Sylvester Stallone ) and Lieutenant Gabriel "Gabe " Cash ( Kurt Russel ) have earned themselves a reputation for disrupting crime lord Yves Perret ( Jack Palance ) smuggling operations. Perret is tired of losing money, and something needs to be done about Tango & Cash. Suddenly he comes up with an idea, if he could stage a crime scene, to make the evidence connected to Tango & Cash, they will most likely be thrown in jail. While Ray and Gabe arrive what seems to be a crime scene, they don´t know that they have been tricked into a trap. As FBI arrives to the crime scene, it seems that Tango & Cash are behind the murder. They are taken to Court, where an audio tape seems to have them both speaking about the killing ( that they both know is false ). They are sentenced to prison, knowing they did not do this. Will Tango & Cash get out and make justice prevail ?
Looking at this film 30 years later, i realize why this film is still a fun ride. Is the dialogue cheesy ? Yes. Is the haircuts very 80´s ? Yes, as it should be. What about the action scenes, do they still work ? Of course they do, since Tango & Cash is not in any way a serious action film. There are some funny scenes in this film, and both Sylvester Stallone and Kurt Russel were a perfect match for a film like this. If a film like this would have been made today, i don´t think it would have been as entertaining as this film is for us who grew up in the 80´s. There are parts of this film that reminds me of Lethal Weapon, but this film has way more violence and action scenes. So let´s talk about the characters for a bit. Let´s start of with Sylvester Stallone as Lieutenant Raymond " Ray " Tango, a cop who take his position seriously. He wants to follow the law, and he knows how to play the rules. Stallone does a good job with his character, and use his well known dialogue ( that we have seen in plenty of Stallone classics ) in a positive way. Kurt Russel as the funny Lieutenant Gabriel " Gabe " Cash, is the one who deliver the most funny scenes in this film. He is rough as well, but maybe a bit more vulgar than Ray. When Stallone and Russel go full in as a team, this is where the film becomes fun. Let´s get into some other fun characters. Legendary actor Jack Palance ( who can forget him in classics such as Chato´s Land, Without Warning and the cult slasher Alone In The Dark ) plays the evil Yves Perret, who is tired of Tango & Cash messing up his smuggling operations. Palance is perfect as this evil crime lord, and he knows how to deliver dialogue that fits with his character. Legendary actor Brion James ( who have done a number of classics such as Blade Runner, 48 Hours and one of my personal favourites called The Horror Show ) as the evil character Requin, is a perfect choice for a film like this. Brion have always done a really good job playing bad people, and he does this really well in Tango & Cash as well. Actress Teri Hatcher ( who most of you probably remember from the TV series Louis & Clark: The New Adventures Of Superman ) looks amazing. I would not say her performance is anything you will remember, but shes not completely terrible either. Director Andrei Konchalovsky ( who directed the Cannon films classic Runaway Train ) have made an action comedy that will most likely entertain people many generations ahead with Tango & Cash. If you love 80´s movies that go on the buddy cop theme like 48 Hours, i think you will enjoy this one as well. Tired of the shitty Fifty Shades franchise ? I suggest you let Tango & Cash wipe out all the Fifty Shades influences with their big guns, and their muscles. Finally a solution to a problem i have been thinking about.
Rating: DDD
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