The Rookie (1990)

Eastwood on automatic pilot but...

Clint Eastwood on automatic pilot is a lot better than some peoples best films, so make no mistake this may be the worst film ever that he directed himself but its still pretty good. In fact for me it would have been 3.5 stars.

Its really a Dirty Harry film under another name, and with a decent cast including the always watchable Charlie Sheen its an easy way to pass an hour and a half. There are a couple of laugh out loud moments, especially the seat belt gag.

Of course the reason to watch the film is the man himself. Aged 61 when this was made he was still in top shape and is effortlessly cool throughout the film. Some of the dialogue isn't as good as that in the classic Dirty Harry films but there's still enough laconic lines for the Eastwood fan to get by on.

So its no classic by Eastwood standards, but as comedy/cop/thrillers go, which also happens to star a living legend, its a dam sight better than you might expect given it rather poor reputation. September 27, 2008

Mercifully Forgotten

Clint Eastwood has always been one of the biggest movie stars in the world and it's not that we always want to see him do the same things over and over again...but he doesn't have a very good track record when it comes to comedy. If you've suffered through BRONCO BILLY or PINK CADILLAC, you know what I mean. They work about as well as playing Dirty Harry in a clown suit.

From what I could stomach of THE ROOKIE, it's the same thing. I think most of it was meant to be a comedy. I think. If it was meant as a comedy, THE ROOKIE puts EVERY WHICH WAY BUT LOOSE into the Classics category of comedies.

And after 20-some years of Charlie Sheen, it's obvious he got where he did because of his father. In his biggest roles, PLATOON and WALL STREET, he's the new recruit, the empty suit, the fresh-faced nobody who barely shows up on film. Oddly enough, he's shown more life in his hooker-cluttered party life and repellent divorce from Denise Richards--but not as a character we could ever care about. After reading Sheen's incredibly ugly texts about hoping that Denise dies like her "bald mother" (she was fighting cancer), I'm even less impressed by anything such a jerk does in film or television.

To be honest, I'd completely forgotten about this piece of junk until I remembered feeling embarassed for Clint during the scene where he cusses for a TV news reporter. Painful.

August 20, 2008

A lot better (and different) than its reputation suggests....

I had pretty low expectations going into this film (the reviews have been generally negative), but I was surprised how much I liked it, and surprised by its tone. It has a reputation of being the 6th Dirty Harry movie in disguise, which is not true. Sure, Clint's character, Nick, has many similar qualities to that of Dirty Harry, but this film is a lot different than the Dirty Harry films.

The film is rather dark, both literally and figuratively. The film takes place mostly at night in dark interiors, and aside from a few one liners from Eastwood, Sheen, Julia, and a few select cops, it's a mostly serious film. It's also pretty violent, and not really in a cartoonish way. There's a scene in a bar where Charlie, looking for information about Clint (who has been taken hostage), spits a fireball in a bartender's face, beats up several patrons, beats up one guard dog and shoots another (even though we don't see the bullet hit the dog), and burns the place down. Sheen's girlfriend in the film (played by Lara Flynn Boyle) is nearly strangled in a pretty savage scene. It does have a light ending, but overall, it's pretty brutal. If it does have to be compared to any Dirty Harry film, it can be compared to Sudden Impact, the fourth Dirty Harry film and the only one directed by Eastwood himself. That's the darkest of the Dirty Harry films, both aesthetically and literally.

Many thought the film was overlong (running 121 minutes), but it wasn't. There aren't any superfluous scenes in it. They're needed to give background information on Sheen and his character. It has some great action scenes in it, especially the first chase scene (also shot at night). The film does have a few problems, though. Julia's accent flucuates a bit (even though it's not an awful accent), some of the dialogue is silly, and some of the minor performances (particularly that of the Lieutentant) are overdone. If you like Eastwood (as I do), this is worth checking out at least once, maybe twice. If not, you can skip it. July 3, 2008

Hey! This is a good film!

I don't understand why there are so many slams against this movie posted here...this is a very exciting, action-packed film! Maybe these critics aren't Charlie Sheen fans or sumpin'...but this film kept me riveted all the way thru it!

Clint's character, cop Nick Pulovski, has hints and traces of Dirty Harry Callahan, so fans of that series should enjoy this film; Charlie Sheen is the rookie detective who Clint gets stuck with as his new partner - Clint's old partner, played by Hal Williams ("Smitty" the cop on the old SANFORD & SON tv show) gets offed by Raul Julia (who plays an exceptionally evil criminal) and Raul's girlfriend/female alter ego, played by Sonia Braga (who looks INCREDIBLE!!!). These two and their goons run an auto theft ring (and perform a few murders along the way), all the while being stalked and staked out by Clint and Charlie. The film begins with an outstanding chase sequence on the freeway, with lots of crashes, blood and bullets.

Sheen has a wonderful scene where he gets his revenge against the patrons of a seedy bar...he loses control, beats the snot out of all of 'em, shouts curses thoughout, sets the place on fire and shows these chumps a thing or three! The ending in the airport terminal is a film climax I always look forward to...it's very satisfying for the viewer (sorry! can't reveal it!). Raul Julia is great throughout the film but here he shines, especially right up to the last second (you'll see what I mean when you watch it). There are so many cool scenes in this film but I can't reveal 'em all! By the way, guys...the scene where Sonia Braga seduces a shackled Clint borders on S&M, fer sure...it's hot stuff!

Also, Tom Skerritt portrays Sheen's millionaire father, in a role that's considered small, but he's great as always...he shoulda had more to do here.

So, in closing, don't pay attention to the negative criticism...if you are a Clint Eastwood fan or a fan of cop/crime films, I think you'll like this outing. Try it for yourself just to satisfy your curiosity!

February 10, 2007

not real sure why clint made this mess

clint and charlie sheen are not a very good pair in clints missfire of and action movie.
clint is the old cop,charlie is the new(surprise) and they are hunting car jackers in this sad little action movie. clint is off screen as much as he is on screen,and sheen just can't carry a movie like this himself. really just a waste of time. May 19, 2006

More reviews at Amazon.com ...