Extreme Prejudice (1987)

 Extreme Prejudice (1987)

Two men. One good. One evil. Fighting for the same girl…..does this plotline sound familiar? If so, congratulations! You have witnessed one of the many action films from the 80’s and 90’s with similar taglines…such as the case of Walter Hill’s Extreme Prejudice. The man behind 48 Hrs and The Warriors definitely knows a thing or two about creating exciting action flicks. He takes a familiar storyline and tries to pump it up a notch or two. The thing is…this movie is not all that memorable. It has a good cast, but I have seen this type of film too many times to count…and done better. It certainly is fun in the moment especially watching Nick Nolte channel his inner Gary Cooper, but memories of the movie most certainly will escape your head within minutes of conclusion. In essence, this movie is a child of 1980’s action cinema.

The project got its start in the mid-1970’s under the guidance of John Milius who drafted the original screenplay. He likened the script to a modern Western/espionage thriller involving the drug wars and Texas Rangers (no, not the baseball team). The script fell into the hands of Walter Hill but he passed to make 48 Hrs, also starring Nolte. Hill later circled back to the script and hired Harry Kleiner to do rewrites. Hill took inspiration from Western legends such as Sam Peckinpah. The studio was also hoping the film to be geared into the direction of First Blood, which made a boatload of money. After directors Jonathan Demme and Ted Kotcheff turned out directing duties, Hill took over. As an expert in action films, it was a logical choice for the man. His direction, while solid, did not inspire much, especially when it comes to female characters, most of whom are only pawns.

Texas Ranger Jack Banteen (Nick Nolte) and drug kingpin Cash Bailey (Powers Boothe) used to be best friends as children. Nowadays, they are on opposite ends of the law. The one thing, or person in this case, that are linking the two men together are Jack’s girlfriend, Sarita (Maria Conchita Alonso). She used to be Cash’s former lover. She leaves Jack one day and switches over to Cash as a voluntary hostage, so Jack does not mess with Bailey’s drug operation. To make matters worse, the CIA gets involved when they fund a paramilitary operation headed by Major Paul Hackett (Michael Ironside) to take down this operation.

Nick Nolte worked with Hill in 48 Hrs, so they already had a working relationship. It is somewhat of a surprising casting choice since Nolte had an image to him, certainly not the chiseled Texas Ranger look. As several critics pointed out, the likeness to Gary Cooper has now  been noticed. All things considered, Nolte did a fine job. Powers Boothe also worked with Hill in the past and made a fine foil to Nolte’s character. Rip Torn made an appearance as Nolte’s buddy, Sheriff Hank Pearson. He provided some of the best lines for the movie. Maria Conchita Alonso did what she could with a thankless, underwritten role.

Overall, Extreme Prejudice is a movie you have seen a hundred times. Walter Hill tried to give the story stamina and an extra punch or two. It worked to a degree, as I thought the final showdown was impressive enough. In the moment, the film is fine. But don’t go expecting the next Lethal Weapon. If action movies are your forte, you may find enough to pop the popcorn and enjoy the intense thrills. Oh, I did like Jerry Goldsmith's rousing score!

My Grade: C+