Loose Cannons (1990 film)

Last updated
Loose Cannons
Loose cannons poster.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Bob Clark
Written by Richard Christian Matheson
Richard Matheson
Bob Clark
Produced by Aaron Spelling
Alan Griesman
Starring
Cinematography Reginald H. Morris
Edited byStan Cole
Music by Paul Zaza
Distributed by TriStar Pictures
Release date
  • February 9, 1990 (1990-02-09)
Running time
94 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$15 million
Box office$5.5 million [1]

Loose Cannons is a 1990 American action comedy film written by Richard Matheson, Richard Christian Matheson and Bob Clark, who also directed the film. The film stars Gene Hackman as a hard-nosed cop who is teamed up with a detective with multiple personality disorder, played by Dan Aykroyd, to uncover a long-lost Nazi sex tape, featuring Adolf Hitler, which would jeopardize the political future of the German chancellor-elect. The theme song features vocals by Katey Sagal and Aykroyd.

Contents

Upon release by Tri-Star Pictures on February 9, 1990, the film was a critical and financial bomb, bringing in only $5.5 million worldwide on a $15 million budget.

Plot

A film is found that features young German officer Kirk von Metz sleeping with Adolf Hitler. Years later, von Metz, running for chancellor of West Germany, arranges for anyone who has seen the film to be murdered. The killings take place in the Washington D.C. area, and Metropolitan Police officers MacArthur "Mac" Stern and Ellis Fielding are sent to investigate the crimes.

Ellis suffers from a dissociative identity disorder stemming from a disastrous undercover drug sting, which is aggravated when he is confronted with violence. This results in several episodes where he blacks out and assumes the personalities of popular culture characters, including Popeye, Captain Kirk and the Road Runner.

Mac and Ellis attempt to track down the film through pornographer Harry "The Hippo" Gutterman, who informs them that to do so they need to get to New York City. They decide to take a train, but first must evade a team of FBI agents led by Bob Smiley, who must shield von Metz from embarrassment by intercepting the film before it goes public. They all meet up at Washington's Union Station, where Mac and Ellis trick Smiley and his team into boarding the New York-bound train they originally intended to take, while they jump off and hop onto one on the opposite track bound for Cleveland instead. While on board that train, Mac notices another undercover team that has been trailing them, which is revealed to be led by Rebecca "Riva" Lowengrin, a Mossad agent assigned to the Embassy of Israel in Washington, D.C.

After surviving a helicopter attack on the train by Nazi sympathizers, Mac, Ellis and Gutterman jump off a bridge into a river and eventually make their way to New York. En route, Ellis confides in Mac his fear that if another episode occurs it could prove irrevocable, which would make him a dangerous liability, and wishes to return to the Benedictine Monks who originally looked after him during his recovery. Mac, however, reiterates his belief in Ellis and shows him that he is strong enough to persevere, move forward and recover; that the past is irrelevant and that the present and the future are what matter. Consequently, Ellis regains his courage and the will to fight. Mac finds the film in a locker on one of the upper levels of Grand Central Terminal and, during an exchange of gunfire with more Nazis, throws the film to Riva, who has just arrived on the main concourse below. It is screened that same evening during a speech that von Metz delivers. Mac, Ellis and Gutterman all suffer gunshot wounds and, as the movie ends, are seen recuperating in the same hospital. Mac jokes to Ellis that he is converting to Judaism that evening in order to move to Israel to join the Mossad but is uncomfortable about undergoing circumcision. Ellis catches on to the humor and points out that the reason that they work together so well as partners is because technically, Mac is crazier than he is.

Cast

J. T. Walsh was originally cast as Grimmer, completing two days of filming, before Dan Aykroyd learned he had been in the cast of the John Belushi biopic Wired . He reportedly had Walsh fired over his participation in the other film, which Aykroyd had opposed. [2]

Reception

Box office

The film was released on February 9, 1990 and grossed $2,239,830 on its opening weekend, ranking #5 at the box office. Its widest release was 1,214 theaters. It only played in cinemas for two weeks, where it grossed $5,585,154 worldwide. On a budget of $15 million, the film ended up a box office flop. [1]

Critical response

Loose Cannons received universally negative reviews from critics, and has been declared one of the worst films in the early 1990s. It has a rare 0% rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 18 reviews. [3] Audiences surveyed by CinemaScore gave the film a grade "B−" on scale of A to F. [4]

Vincent Canby, in his review for The New York Times , stated: "Mr. Hackman and Mr. Aykroyd deserve much better. They really do. Each gives a thoroughly professional performance that is consistently undercut by the direction of Mr. Clark." [5]

Variety stated that "Dan Aykroyd's dexterous multipersonality schtick is the only redeeming feature of this chase-heavy comedy." [6] Hal Hinson commented that "Hackman mostly just stands around watching Aykroyd run through his exertions with the look of a man who has something unspeakable on the sole of his shoe" in his review for The Washington Post . [7] Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert gave the film a "Two Thumbs Down" vote on At the Movies , and called it "the cop-buddy comedy that hits new lows in an undistinguished field." [8] [9]

In May 2013, Calgary Police investigated after footage from the film was found in a landfill by a worker, who mistook it for evidence of an actual murder. It was later noticed that Aykroyd was in the frame, and the police contacted his agent who, after some searching, stated that it was a section from this movie. TMZ reported that after the incident Aykroyd said, "The movie should have been left in the landfill where it belongs." [10]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gene Hackman</span> American actor (born 1930)

Eugene Allen Hackman is a retired American actor. In a career that spanned more than six decades, he received two Academy Awards, two BAFTA Awards, four Golden Globes, a Screen Actors Guild Award, and the Silver Bear. Hackman's two Academy Award wins included one for Best Actor for his role as Jimmy "Popeye" Doyle in William Friedkin's acclaimed thriller The French Connection (1971) and the other for Best Supporting Actor for his role as "Little" Bill Daggett in Clint Eastwood's Western film Unforgiven (1992). His other Oscar-nominated roles were in Bonnie and Clyde (1967), I Never Sang for My Father (1970), and Mississippi Burning (1988).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dan Aykroyd</span> Canadian and American actor (born 1952)

Daniel Edward Aykroyd is a Canadian and American actor, comedian, screenwriter, and producer.

<i>Mississippi Burning</i> 1988 American crime thriller film by Alan Parker

Mississippi Burning is a 1988 American crime thriller film directed by Alan Parker and written by Chris Gerolmo that is loosely based on the 1964 murder investigation of Chaney, Goodman, and Schwerner in Mississippi. It stars Gene Hackman and Willem Dafoe as two FBI agents investigating the disappearance of three civil rights workers in fictional Jessup County, Mississippi, who are met with hostility by the town's residents, local police, and the Ku Klux Klan.

<i>Feeling Minnesota</i> 1996 film by Steven Baigelman

Feeling Minnesota is a 1996 American crime comedy film written and directed by Steven Baigelman. It stars Keanu Reeves, Vincent D'Onofrio, Cameron Diaz, Tuesday Weld, Dan Aykroyd, and Delroy Lindo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gene Siskel</span> American film critic (1946–1999)

Eugene Kal Siskel was an American film critic and journalist for the Chicago Tribune who co-hosted a movie review television series alongside colleague Roger Ebert.

<i>Celtic Pride</i> 1996 film directed by Tom DeCerchio

Celtic Pride is a 1996 American sports comedy film written by Judd Apatow and Colin Quinn, and directed by Tom DeCerchio. It stars Daniel Stern and Dan Aykroyd as Mike O'Hara and Jimmy Flaherty, two passionate Boston Celtics fans, and Damon Wayans as Lewis Scott, the Utah Jazz's All-Star shooting guard.

<i>Frantic</i> (film) 1988 film by Roman Polanski

Frantic is a 1988 American-French neo-noir mystery thriller film directed by Roman Polanski and starring Harrison Ford and Emmanuelle Seigner. Ennio Morricone composed the film score. Although a commercial failure, the film was a critical success, and has since gone on to become somewhat of a cult classic, with Morricone's score being hailed as one of his best.

<i>North</i> (1994 film) 1994 American comedy drama adventure film

North is a 1994 American comedy-drama adventure film directed by Rob Reiner. The story is based on the 1984 novel North: The Tale of a 9-Year-Old Boy Who Becomes a Free Agent and Travels the World in Search of the Perfect Parents by Alan Zweibel, who wrote the screenplay and has a minor role in the film.

<i>Babys Day Out</i> 1994 film by Patrick Read Johnson

Baby's Day Out is a 1994 American adventure comedy film directed by Patrick Read Johnson and written by John Hughes, who also served as producer. Starring Joe Mantegna, Lara Flynn Boyle, Joe Pantoliano, and Brian Haley, the film centers on a wealthy baby's abduction by three criminals, his subsequent escape and adventure through Chicago while being pursued by the criminals.

<i>The Adventures of Ford Fairlane</i> 1990 action comedy film directed by Renny Harlin

The Adventures of Ford Fairlane is a 1990 American mystery action comedy film directed by Renny Harlin and written by David Arnott, James Cappe, and Daniel Waters based on a story by Arnott and Cappe. The film stars comedian Andrew Dice Clay as the title character, Ford Fairlane, a "Rock n' Roll Detective", whose beat is the music industry in Los Angeles. True to his name, Fairlane drives a 1957 Ford Fairlane 500 Skyliner in the film.

<i>Doctor Detroit</i> 1983 film by Michael Pressman

Doctor Detroit is a 1983 American comedy film directed by Michael Pressman with writing by Bruce Jay Friedman, Carl Gottlieb, and Robert Boris. The film stars Dan Aykroyd, Howard Hesseman, Lynn Whitfield, Fran Drescher, and Donna Dixon, with a special appearance by James Brown. It was the first film Aykroyd made after the death of John Belushi, and the first one in which he is not sharing top bill with other actors. Aykroyd and his co-star Dixon married soon after the film's release.

<i>French Connection II</i> 1975 film by John Frankenheimer

French Connection II is a 1975 American neo-noir action thriller film starring Gene Hackman and directed by John Frankenheimer. It is a sequel to the 1971 film The French Connection, and continues the story of the central character, Detective Jimmy "Popeye" Doyle, who travels to Marseille in order to track down French drug-dealer Alain Charnier, played by Fernando Rey, who escaped at the end of the first film. Hackman and Rey are the only returning cast members.

<i>The Great Outdoors</i> (film) 1988 film by Howard Deutch

The Great Outdoors is a 1988 American comedy film directed by Howard Deutch, written and produced by John Hughes, and starring Dan Aykroyd and John Candy with supporting roles by Stephanie Faracy, Annette Bening, Chris Young, Lucy Deakins, and Robert Prosky. The film is about two families spending a vacation at a fictional resort town in northern Wisconsin. Before The Great Outdoors appeared in theaters, Aykroyd, Candy, and Young portrayed their roles during the end credits of She's Having a Baby where they are among the people that pitch the idea names for the baby son of Jake and Kristy.

<i>Dragnet</i> (1987 film) 1987 comedy film directed by Tom Mankiewicz

Dragnet is a 1987 American buddy cop comedy film directed and co-written by Tom Mankiewicz in his directorial debut. Starring Dan Aykroyd and Tom Hanks, the film is based on the radio and television crime drama of the same name. The screenplay, both a parody of and homage to the long-running television series, was written by Aykroyd, Mankiewicz, and Alan Zweibel. The original music score is by Ira Newborn.

<i>Wired</i> (film) 1989 film by Larry Peerce

Wired is a 1989 American biographical film of comedian and actor John Belushi, directed by Larry Peerce. It was based on the 1984 book of the same title by Washington Post journalist Bob Woodward, and adapted for the screen by Buckaroo Banzai creator Earl Mac Rauch. It stars Michael Chiklis in his film debut as Belushi. Wired was both a critical and a commercial failure. The film has yet to be released on DVD or Blu-ray, and the videocassette originally released by International Video Entertainment is out of print.

<i>Heart Condition</i> (film) 1990 film by James D. Parriott

Heart Condition is a 1990 American comedy film starring Bob Hoskins, Denzel Washington and Chloe Webb. Denzel Washington stars as Napoleon Stone, a lawyer, and Bob Hoskins stars as Jack Moony, a police officer. The two rivals compete in the same work force area in their community to help bring down drug rate. Their goal would be to find the mysterious men that shot and killed Napoleon Stone.

<i>Nothing but Trouble</i> (1991 film) 1991 film by Dan Aykroyd

Nothing but Trouble is a 1991 American black comedy horror film written and directed by Dan Aykroyd in his directorial debut, based on a story by his brother Peter, and starring Chevy Chase, Dan Aykroyd, John Candy, and Demi Moore. It tells the story of two yuppies and the clients of one of them who are taken to court for running a stop sign in the bizarre, financially bankrupt small town of Valkenvania, which is dominated by a 106-year-old judge. Tupac Shakur made his acting debut as a member of the rap group Digital Underground.

Annabel Jankel, also known as AJ Jankel, is a British film and TV director who first came to prominence as a music video director and the co-creator of the pioneering cyber-character Max Headroom and as co-director of the film adaptation of Super Mario Bros. She is the sister of musician and songwriter Chaz Jankel, who is best known as a member of new wave band Ian Dury & The Blockheads, as well as the aunt of DJ and record producer Lewis Jankel, better known by his stage name Shift K3Y.

<i>Lucky Lady</i> 1975 film by Stanley Donen

Lucky Lady is a 1975 American comedy-drama film directed by Stanley Donen and starring Liza Minnelli, Gene Hackman, Burt Reynolds and Robby Benson. Its story takes place in 1930 during Prohibition in the United States.

<i>Postcards from the Edge</i> (film) 1990 film by Mike Nichols

Postcards from the Edge is a 1990 American comedy-drama film directed by Mike Nichols. The screenplay by Carrie Fisher is based on her 1987 autobiographical novel of the same title. The film stars Meryl Streep, Shirley MacLaine, and Dennis Quaid.

References

  1. 1 2 "Loose Cannons (1990)". Box Office Mojo . IMDb . Retrieved January 3, 2021.
  2. ↑ Easton, Nina J.; Mathews, Jack (April 13, 1989). "Another Chapter in the Strange Odyssey of 'Wired'". Los Angeles Times .
  3. ↑ "Loose Cannons". Rotten Tomatoes .
  4. ↑ "LOOSE CANNONS (1990) B-". CinemaScore . Archived from the original on 2018-12-20.
  5. ↑ Canby, Vincent (February 9, 1990). "Reviews/Film; Hackman and Aykroyd in 'Loose Cannons'". The New York Times . Retrieved January 7, 2017.
  6. ↑ "Loose Cannons". Variety. January 1, 1990. Retrieved February 27, 2020.
  7. ↑ Hinson, Hal (February 9, 1990). "'Loose Cannons' (R)". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on April 14, 2014. Retrieved February 27, 2020.
  8. ↑ "Siskel & Ebert 1990-Loose Cannons, Sweetie (2of3)". YouTube. Retrieved 2012-06-18.
  9. ↑ Siskel & Ebert 1990-The White Girl, Recap, End Credits (3of3). Archived from the original on 2020-12-04. Retrieved 2012-06-18– via YouTube.
  10. ↑ "DAN AYKROYD HOMICIDE CASE Opened Over Crappy Movie". TMZ. 31 May 2013. Retrieved 2013-06-01.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.