The Fate and the Furious has now been unleashed, retaining its series’ status as the film world’s most relentless franchise. The film is a desperate, uninspired “effort” that will only further polarize the already much-debated series among its surprising number of fans. If there’s one thing the film does right, however, it’s in employing the services of the one and only Kurt Russell.
Reprising his role as Mr. Nobody, Russell adds his unique level of coolness to the proceedings, reaffirming what a true cinematic badass he really is. His turn in the film inspired me to pay tribute to one of my favorite Russell entries, the ‘80s romantic thriller Tequila Sunrise, which, despite its sun-drenched, ‘80s trappings, still holds up in today’s world.
In Tequila Sunrise, an L.A. narcotics detective named Nick (Russell) suspects that his longtime friend Mac (Mel Gibson), a notorious former drug dealer, may have come out of retirement for the job of a lifetime. However, Mac insists he’s stayed clean, claiming that he’s being set up. Further pitting the two friends against each other is Jo-Ann (Michelle Pfeiffer), a beautiful restaurateur who manages to charm and bewitch both men as the stakes around all three of them begin rising to dangerous levels.
Written and directed by the great Robert Towne, Tequila Sunrise was not without its behind-the-scenes problems. To begin with, producers found themselves doing battle with the studio behind the film regarding the movie’s budget, which resulted in a number of actors entering and leaving the production. Towne also found himself in disagreements with the studio over some of the film’s content, including the fact that the film’s hero was essentially a drug dealer. Meanwhile, the relationship between the director and his leading lady was also strained, with Towne labeling Pfeiffer the most difficult actress he’d ever worked with. This was partly due to his studio squabbles and the trouble he was having getting The Two Jakes (the long-delayed sequel to his most famous hit Chinatown) off the ground. For her part, Pfeiffer developed serious second thoughts about her character and found working with Towne unpleasant, an experience that certainly wasn’t helped by the fact that she was going through a divorce during the making of the film.
Made in 1988, Tequila Sunrise came along at the very time when the neo-noir film movement was in full swing. The film purely exists as one of a handful of thrillers which employed many of the elements which were considered staples of film noir during the 1940s. In a variety of ways, Tequila Sunrise totally feels like a film that could have come out of the 1940s, despite its 1980s sensibilities. Besides the enticing jazzy noir score and the fact that the titular drink keeps popping up from time to time, there’s the sun-drenched L.A. world the film takes place in, which is so very neo-noir in its landscape and atmosphere. Adding to this is the curious way that all of the characters seem to exist in their own L.A., completely shut off from any kind of busy metropolis and populated only by their own issues and conflicts. Meanwhile, Towne makes sure to fill Tequila Sunrise with the kind of explosive scenes which ooze out the best of what noir and neo-noir had to offer. One of the most memorable of these is the moment when the visiting Detective Maguire (J.T. Walsh) all but threatens Nick by claiming his past friendship with Mac is clouding his investigation before leaving. Moments later, a composed Nick goes into Maguire’s office where he and a couple of other officers are listening to recorded tapes of Mac. Nick calmly closes the door, and proceeds to throw a tray of cups filled with hot coffee onto Maguire before launching into a tirade over how his integrity will never be questioned.
Almost as noirish and just as dynamic is the film’s dialogue ,which is so easy to get lost in thanks to Towne’s imaginative use of language. Pick any one scene in Tequila Sunrise and you’ll find a line that’s wholly quotable. “What is it Nick, you need some chapstick or something, because your lips keep getting stuck on your teeth? Or is that your idea of a smile,” Jo-Ann asks smugly to a bewitched Nick trying to get information. “Usually I recommend my men stay away from vodka and stick with scotch and bourbon,” says Nick in a later scene. “So the brass will know they’re drunk and not stupid.” While usually clever, Towne’s dialogue also manages to be deceptively sad as well as true. “Nobody wants me to quit,” Mac says at a crucial moment in the film when referring to his attempts to remain clean. “You know, don’t quit. Don’t get caught. Stay on top long enough for us to knock you off.”
Aside from the dialogue and noir setting, at the heart of Tequila Sunrise is a collection of characters all stuck in their own individual traps. Nick is caught between loyalty to his friend and loyalty to the law, to which he has dedicated his life. His digging deeper into Mac’s goings on has almost as much to do with duty as it does with trying to prove his friend’s innocence. Mac meanwhile is caught between a good life with a decent job, a loving son, and a table at his favorite restaurant with a perfect view of Jo-Ann and the world he left behind. His temptation to go back into the darkness of his former life is stemming from both the high he gets from dealing and the fact that it’s what everyone expects of him. Jo-Ann, meanwhile, a woman who so carefully controls every aspect of her life, having built up an impenetrable emotional wall around herself, now finds herself slowly letting it break away around Mac. For her, the danger is not that she’s fallen for a former drug dealer who has supposedly come back out of retirement, it’s that she’s allowing herself to be vulnerable around him.
The trio of stars in Tequila Sunrise bring everything they’ve got to the roles given to them, and it shows. Gibson is equal parts slick and intense, Russell is cool, yet determined, and Pfeiffer is magnetic and mysterious. They’re greatly supported by Walsh, and especially by Raul Julia in a flashy turn as an informant. But a lot of the reason Tequila Sunrise scores is because of its star power and the sheer talent they bring to the table.
Critical reaction to the film was certainly mixed, with some praising the performances of the starry cast and the technical aspects of the film, while others found the pace uneven and the script convoluted. The audience paid no attention, however, and decided there was much to like about Tequila Sunrise, from its noirish trappings to the chemistry between its charismatic stars, making the film a solid hit.
Most people who remember it have an undeniable soft spot for Tequila Sunrise. The film is more than a hit movie; it’s one of those titles which help to encompass what ‘80s mainstream cinema was like and the different places it could reach. Tequila Sunrise boasts a cast which epitomizes the term “movie star,” showcases a decidedly dark aspect of the decade, and is a quintessential effort from one of the screen’s greatest writers. While the film currently occupies that level of standing between hit movie and bona fide classic, there’s no denying that it’s electricity still exists with each successive viewing and that its power will endure for many years to come.
