THE REWATCHABLES · May 10, 2022
A 1987 action / comedy directed by Tony Scott, covered in the complete Rewatchables archive.
ON THIS EPISODE
FROM THE CONVERSATION
WHY IT WORKS
WHAT DID NOT WORK
SCENES THEY KEPT COMING BACK TO
The opening hit on Bogomil is praised as a strong action setup.
About 24 minThe car stop and disguise reveal are singled out as a cool, memorable robbery beat.
About 24 minAxel’s bogus inspection and takeover of a house under construction is one of the funniest bits.
About 24 minThe gun-club scene, including Monique and Unique and the screen-shooting, is treated as a classic Eddie bit.
About 32 minThe strip-club encounter with the fake Gerald Ford is remembered as a hilarious running gag.
About 32 minThe apartment scene has strong visual comedy and a nice low-key detective feel.
About 32 minThe cross-cut robbery sequence and the late-arriving cement truck are praised as peak 80s action-comedy nonsense.
About 32 minThe robbery trail leading to the Playboy Mansion is cited as one of the most 80s sequences in the film.
About 32 minThe horse-track robbery and cross-cutting are highlighted as one of Tony Scott’s best action moves in the film.
About 32 minWHERE THEY DISAGREED
Bill SimmonsNo; the first film is better, but the sequel may be more rewatchable.
Chris RyanAgrees the first is better, but finds the sequel slicker and more consistently entertaining.
Bill SimmonsIt should have gone further into action and probably been longer.
Chris RyanIt is entertaining as a hybrid, but the action side is especially strong.
Bill SimmonsAdd Rosewood/Taggart spinoffs or move the characters to Detroit.
Chris RyanAgrees a Rosewood/Taggart project or more character additions would have helped.
Calls it a flawed but very enjoyable sequel that he has loved for decades.
Opening minutesAgrees the movie works as a slick, action-heavy sequel with strong rewatch value.
Opening minutesArgues that much of the movie is built around Eddie walking in and doing a bit, which makes it fun.
Opening minutesSees the film as an early, glossy Tony Scott movie with strong action sequences.
Opening minutesFinds the behind-the-scenes chaos fascinating and part of the fun of the movie’s legacy.
Opening minutesTreats Nielsen as a uniquely memorable 80s action villain with strong screen presence.
About 32 minLists the racetrack robbery as one of the movie’s strongest action sequences.
About 32 minSays the fake-inspector house scene is one of the best comic sequences.
About 24 minArgues they are effectively co-leads and could have sustained a spinoff or TV series.
About 8 minLikes the concept but wishes it were more expansive and more crimes were included.
About 40 minSays the first film is better, but the sequel may be more rewatchable because it is sleeker and has fewer dead spots.
About 24 minFrames Murphy’s stardom as nearly impossible to recreate today because of how huge and culturally central he was.
About 16 minSays the franchise should have added more characters and evolved rather than just repeating the same nucleus.
About 1:12Says the sequel works because it is short, energetic, and easy to watch without overthinking.
Opening minutesThinks Ebert’s one-star review was too harsh, though he understands the critique of the sequel’s looseness.
About 16 minThe production and the movie’s style are framed as emblematic of 80s excess, with rewrites, indulgence, and a loose sense of control.
Opening minutesThe film functions as a showcase for Murphy’s improvisation and ability to invent scenes around a premise.
Opening minutesThey contrast the first film’s more seamless blend with this sequel’s more jagged combination of action and comedy.
Opening minutesThe episode dwells on how huge Murphy was and how little access audiences had to stars in that era.
About 16 minBrigitte Nielsen is discussed as a memorable, imposing villain whose presence defines parts of the movie.
About 32 minThe movie was reportedly rewritten dozens of times and not finalized until three weeks before production.
Opening minutesProduction reportedly went from a 10-week shoot to 20 weeks, with extra post-production time and budget overruns.
Opening minutesMurphy allegedly arrived on set with an entourage including relatives and friends in a huge trailer.
About 8 minMurphy reportedly bought a Ferrari and fought over keeping it after the movie.
About 16 minShakedown was reportedly meant for Glenn Frey before Bob Seger recorded it.
About 32 minThe license plate 2GAT123 was described as a recurring L.A. production easter egg.
About 1:12The film was the first movie ever filmed at the Playboy Mansion.
About 1:12The gun-club scene and some villain beats were apparently improvised or expanded on set.
About 32 min · medium confidenceBrigitte Nielsen’s personal/romantic connections are discussed as unusually broad and 1980s-specific.
About 32 minA deleted laser hallway scene exists online and was considered worth keeping by the hosts.
About 1:12 · medium confidenceUsed as the first film comparison point and source of several characters and tonal differences.
Opening minutesMentioned in relation to Tony Scott’s career trajectory and the style he brings to the sequel.
About 8 minReferenced as another 80s action movie and for its shared cast/performance style with Brigitte Nielsen.
About 16 minUsed as a comparator for Eddie Murphy’s earlier work and his comic style.
About 16 minMentioned as another Eddie Murphy hit from the same era.
About 16 minReferenced as one of the Murphy films they have not yet covered.
About 16 minUsed to illustrate Murphy’s massive 1987 output and cultural presence.
About 16 minUsed as an example of the late-80s action sequel trend Ebert may have been reacting to.
About 16 minMentioned as an example of 80s TV-to-film style and as a tonal comparison for the soundtrack/action feel.
About 24 minReferenced as a later example of a production starring an action star who can reshape the action around himself.
About 16 min · medium confidenceReferenced as a modern parallel for an alphabet-themed crime story done at a higher level.
About 1:12Referenced in a joke about long pee scenes and 1987 comedy timing.
About 1:12 · medium confidenceReferenced in a joke about long pee gags and 1987 comedy absurdity.
About 1:12 · medium confidenceReferenced indirectly when discussing the era and movie-music crossovers, though not central to the episode.
Opening minutes · low confidenceUsed as a modern comparison for production chaos, star control, and action set-piece rewrites.
About 16 minA recurring idea that the sequel is basically structured around Eddie Murphy entering a scene and improvising a character bit.
Opening minutesThe hosts keep joking about the alphabet-based robberies and how the killer should have committed more lettered crimes.
About 40 minThe fake inspection of the house under construction becomes a quote-heavy recurring joke.
About 24 minThey repeatedly laugh at the idea of former President Gerald Ford appearing at the club.
About 32 minRosewood’s apartment is treated as a comic collage of peace-and-gun excess.
About 32 minScott is personified as an action-movie showoff, especially in the city deposit robbery and racetrack scenes.
About 32 minThey return to the idea that seeing Eddie Murphy in a film was a major event in the 1980s.
About 16 min“It's like throwing out an old sweater”Opening minutes
“No right angles. This thing's round as a donut.”About 24 min
“What about my daughters, Monique and Unique?”About 32 min
“I said, where do you want to go?”About 32 min
“I'm going deep, deep, deep, deep undercover.”Opening minutes · medium confidence
MAKE IT A MOVIE NIGHT
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ON THE MIC
Bill SimmonsThe Rewatchables
Chris RyanThe RewatchablesREWATCH FAVS
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