- 1991movierewind
Episode #71: Harley Davidson and the Marlboro Man
Listen to Episode 71 of the Podcast here while you enjoy the show notes.
SUMMARY - Harley Davidson and the Marlboro Man are two rebellious troublemakers and lifelong friends. When they learn that their favorite bar is being forced to close down unless they come up with 2.5 million dollars, they gather up a crew to rob the bank that wants to take over the property. Things don’t go as planned and they uncover a massive drug operation that puts giant targets on their backs.
Screenplay by Don Michael Paul; Directed by Simon Wincer, and released on August 23, 1991.
FILM DISCUSSION
Our introduction into our two manly men lead characters are filled with nudity and fights. Harley stops a gas station robbery.
Marlboro Man is hustling pool at a strip joint and gets into a brawl.
The goal when they meet up is to save this bar by stealing from the bank that is leasing the property.
It's a good cast of characters even if they don't have any specialties, or tons of dialogue.
Vanessa Williams is also there being under-utilized.
Honestly, most of the women in this movie exist only to be eye candy.
The exception is Marlboro Man's part-time lover and cop that provides some exposition and character development
The action in the movie is shot well. There is a nice fast-paced chase scene through tight corridors.
A couple explosions and plenty of gunfire
During the episode, we question whether this movie inspired The Matrix at all.
I mean...come on.
We know it certainly rips off Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, possibly verbatim in one scene.
Still, it was an interesting movie that could have been a lot better with a tighter script
Awards Talk: The Stinkers Bad Movie Awards nominated this for worst film of the year. We can think of several that were worse, though.
TRUE CRIME & POP CULTURE
This week our true crime segment talks about the abusive relationship between Mickey Rourke and Carre Otis.
First, be sure to check out of our favorite podcasts, You Must Remember This:
And below are a few additional resources that were used.
As for pop culture: What was on TV August 23, 1991? Well, this site will tell you.
Moving to music, here are your Billboard 100 Bottom 5 songs as of August 24, 1991
100. Hey Stoopid - Alice Cooper
99. Losing My Religion - R.E.M.
98. When The Lights Go Out - Gerardo
97. Dirty Love - Thunder
96. How Can I Ease The Pain - Lisa Fischer
RANKINGS & RATINGS
Nikki 1-5 star scale - 2 out of 5
Jon 0-4 star scale - 1 1/2 out of 4
Would you watch it again? - Strong action and a good scenario don't fully counteract a poor script. But this would be fun to watch again during a midnight screening with a crowd. Or we wouldn't be opposed to a reboot since the concept is strong and there was a lot of missed potential in this movie.
If you want to watch Harley Davidson and the Marlboro Man, as of this recording in June 2022, it’s available on HBO Max, Cinemax, Digital Rental, VHS, DVD. Check your local listings.
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