Tango & Cash (1989)

 You know, I truly miss the style of 80s action films. Somehow, it seems as though they don't make these as they used to. Sure, times change and so do conventions and whatnot, but there is something thoroughly enjoyable about those over-the-top, testosterone fuelled, one-liner injected silliness from that era that makes those films stand out. 

Could it also be nostalgia? Probably. But it does seem as though nowadays, the 'fun'-factor seems to be forgotten in favour of more serious overtones. Except stuff that has The Rock in it. Those always seem to find a link to the glory days.

Anyway: this one is a lot of unabashed fun, even if it makes absolutely zero sense and is so over the top, it almost comes out at the other end. 

Stallone is Ray Tango, a suave police officer who doesn't need the job for the money, but does it for the thrill of the hunt. Kurt Russell is Gabe Cash, a blue collar version of a police officer who relies more on his bravado than anything else. But these two have been stopping a lot of money and weapons from reaching their destination. This is not to the liking of mobsterboss Yves Perret (Jack Palance), who cooks up an elaborate scheme to have these two thrown in prison, where he hopes they will meet their demise. 

Why not kill them outright? Because that would make martyrs out of them and they need to be shamed and ostracized. 

Well, things don't go according to plan and though both cops are put in jail, they manage to bond and work together, so now Palance has double the trouble on his hands in what all leads to a ridiculous finale, complete with oodles of explosions, shootings and fisticuffs. 

Yes, exactly what you would expect.

The story is perfunctory but it's the back-and-forth between Stallone and Russell that works, even though (according to various sources) they didn't get along that well on set. You would never know it, truth be told, so that's professionalism for you. It's fun to see Stallone as a squeaky clean stockbroker with a gun and Kurt Russell is always great, especially when he's allowed to just go with it all. 

You will also see a young Teri Hatcher as Stallone's sister Catherine, who has a dance scene that makes no sense except to cater to teenage boys' fantasies, but she is plucky and fun. 

But who really steals the show, are the villains. You will recognize James Hong in a smaller role, but it's Jack Palance and his henchman Brion James that take the cake. James sports a ridiculous, semi-Cockney accent, but if you want a fun villain, you could never get a better actor for the part. He chews the scenery every chance he gets and it is glorious. But he, like everyone else, is completely outdone by Jack Palance, who cranks it up to 11 and you can just tell he is having a blast by being this megalomaniacal bad guy, who enunciates his lines as if he were a Shakespearean evildoer. He would later do this again in Tim Burton's 'Batman', but he gets a lot more screentime here and it is almost a shame he doesn't get any more. 

You also get an unnecessary battle in a quarry with an armoured RV, complete with mounted minigun. Does it have any relevance to the plot? No. Does it make sense? No. Is it a lot of explosions and unabashed fun? Absolutely.

Don't expect anything deep or complicated, it is what it is: a highly enjoyable and predictable buddycop film, with plenty of oneliners, explosions, overacting and oiled up muscle-action. But it is so irresistible, it's hard not to like this a lot.