I've been wanting to get to this one for a long time, at least since I reviewed Fast Getaway. The thing with a lot of these early 90s DTV movies is, if they haven't been transferred and distributed onto DVD, they're very tough to find, because they really weren't made to be bought at retail stores so much as to be sold to video rental stores throughout the country, meaning the copies of them available are from those video rental stores selling off their stock.
Fast Getaway II picks up about a year or so after part 1 leaves off. Corey Haim is no longer robbing banks, but rather, working with his business partner, Sarah Buxton, as a consultant to an insurance company, advising banks on how to make their security better. A scary pattern emerges in the wake of their consultations though-- suspicious robberies where nothing is stolen. Haim takes the info to his father, Leo Rossi, serving time in a minimum security facility, and Rossi determines that their old partner, Cynthia Rothrock, is back. But why, and what is she up to? Things only get worse when Haim's pocket knife is stolen and placed at the scene of one of their crimes, leading to him being wanted, and forcing Rossi out of jail and back into action.
This one definitely worked better than part 1, which was all over the place with Rossi having kidnapped Haim when he was young, and then finding his mother-- all kinds of mess. The only odd spot in part 2 came when the FBI agent hunting Haim sexually assaults Sarah Buxton, because it hurt a lot of the levity the rest of the film was going for, and that was really working. Haim was excellent-- one of his better works actually-- and Rothrock and Rossi were very solid as well. This was just a lot of fun.
It's an interesting call as far as Rothrock goes, because she's definitely only a supporting part, but, even more so than in part 1, I like the way her character is presented. Often, Rothrock is shown as undersized and underestimated, having to prove her way and kicking guys' asses who don't take her skills seriously. This was totally different. She's dangerous, not undersized or underestimated, and none of the guys want anything to do with her for fear of what she'll do. It's a very different kind of bad ass from what she is when she's the hero.
Anyone who wants to make the argument in favor of Haim over Feldman in the two Coreys debate would have a strong case right here, because Haim brings it. He's funny, charming, quick, and always hits his mark. This is vintage stuff. According to imdb, he has a lot of out there in the DTV world that I have left to do, so we'll see if I can't get to some of those in the future. This movie has definitely made me hungry for more Haim.
I think I've said in a few other posts that I don't get Leo Rossi. Well, after Fast Getaway II, it looks like I finally do, because he makes plenty of sense here. It feels like, because this is a sequel, and hence the role was now written with him in mind, the part was tailor made for him, which allowed him to shine. I know Mr. Kenner at Movies in the Attic has wanted me to get to more of his Relentless movies, especially part 1, which features Judd Nelson. Hopefully sometime soon, but I know how I am with things like that-- two years from now I'll be doing another Leo Rossi film and saying the same thing. (As it stands, I've done Dead On: Relentless 2, which stars DTVC Hall of Famer Miles O'Keefe.)
Fast Getaway II was shot entirely on location in Tucson, AZ, which isn't the same as Utah and Colorado, but still another Four Corners state. I've noticed that a lot of states lately have been pulling out the welcome wagons for movies to be shot there-- Louisiana, Michigan, and Massachusetts come to mind-- but back in the 90s when this was made, Canada was the ideal location, so to see one shot here in the States, and in a State like Arizona, or Utah and Colorado before it, is really cool. There is a lot more to the US than just New York and LA.
This is a tad expensive used from Amazon, but if you can find it for $5-- including shipping-- I'd pull the trigger. Other than that one weird moment with the FBI agent and Sarah Buxton, this is a great action comedy that really works with all of the actors delivering great performances.
For more info: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0109773/
Hmm, will definitely have to track these Fast Getaway movies down. I think the second one is on Netflix Instant.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I would be interested in your opinion on the Relentless films. The 3rd one has William Forsythe as the baddie.
I had no idea they made a second or third one! The first one was pretty okay from what I remember. And I always liked Haim more than Feldman. Haim just seemed natural to me, while Feldman always looked like he was playing a character.
ReplyDeleteGreat review!
I agree about that "assault" scene, that that disturbed more then any of the "kidnapping" stuff in part 1 actually, because at least that was done in a joking manner so it didn't really bother me, but that one scene in this film just really bothered me because it looked so out of place in what was other wise a light-hearted action-comedy, you just don't put disturbing scenes like that in a film like this, I know it's common for Hong Kong films to have disturbing and comedic scenes mixed together(Meltdown immediately leaps to mind) but somehow it just works better when they do it. Anyways aside from that scene I enjoyed the film overall, another great Leo Rossi film you should check out is Felony, as he's got more a supporting role in that film.
ReplyDeleteHey Ty, good looking out, I can't believe I missed that one-- and I looked Haim up on Netflix too to see what was available, don't know how I missed that Fast Getaway II was on Watch Instantly. Thanks for letting us know.
ReplyDeleteFred, I'm glad you liked it, I think you'll dig Fast Getaway II. As far as the Haim/Feldman debate, I mentioned in the comments of the Lost Boys: The Thirst post that I'm a both guy, but I don't begrudge anyone their personal preference. Haim definitely is great in this, though, so you'll love it if you're a Haim guy.