John Moss (James Woods) is a tough cop on a case to hunt down a killer in New York City known as “The Party Crasher”. John conducts a rude interview on national television which is seen by one of the hottest young actors in Hollywood, Nick Lang (Michael J Fox). Nick is inspired to get to know the real John Moss and wants to know everything about being a real cop to perfect his next big screen performance.
Now, Nick gets to go undercover, working side by side with the most hardened and toughest cops in New York City. Needless to say, John is not happy about being forced to have a big-shot actor for a partner and pretending to be a cop. John must play nice with his new partner while trying to catch one of New York’s dangerous criminals known as The Party Crasher (Stephen Lang).
I choose to review this film because it’s one of my guilty pleasures from the ’90s. I still remember watching this film on VHS with my family for the 1st time when it came out, and we were all laughing at the witty (and yes, some crude) dialogue delivered by both James Woods & Michael J Fox.
The best part of this film is the back-and-forth dialogue that was well-written and well-delivered between both James Woods and Michael J Fox. I love the chemistry that is shown between the two actors. It’s fun to see how they help each with their work and assist each other with their personal lives.
As Nick (Michael J Fox) is an actor, the film also makes excellent jokes about how actors are spoilt brats and Nick, in selected moments, resembles a puppy dog, whereas John (James Woods) doesn’t fear death and is one seriously angry man. In case you haven’t got the message, these two are a perfect balance for a comedy duo.
While the leads are the biggest strength, the villain is odd. The villain here, in a nutshell, is purely a crazy man. As a villain, he’s very light in the dialogue department and comes across as a dangerous, insane man rather than a big villain who should be feared. The actor who plays “The Party Crasher”, Stephen Lang, became more successful later in his career when he is returning to play the main villain in Avatar.
Overall, this is easily one of my favourite buddy cop-style films from the ’90s. To this day, I’ve never been disappointed by the strength and the humorous chemistry that is shown by both actors, James Wood and Michael J Fox. The villain is the weaker part of the film, but thankfully he’s given little screen time. If this is a film you’ve missed and never watched it, perhaps give it a go, as I enjoy it and have no problems recommending it. Watch it if you enjoy films such as “Rush Hour”.
7.3/10
13th May 2023
Written by Peter Walkden
WALKDEN ENTERTAINMENT
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