The Guilty Pleasures: “Ricochet”
Ricochet (1991 | Rated R)Flickchart Ranking: #3835 |
It’s right around the time that John Lithgow and Jesse Ventura equip themselves with phone book armor and huge metal rods to have a death-stick prison-fight to determine who the true “Aryan Warrior” is that I realized, sweet lord this movie is bringing the ruckus. It wasn’t the first scene of awesome and it definitely wasn’t the last but it perfectly encapsulates what makes this crazy little movie one of the most memorable action movies around.
Here’s the story in a nutshell. Denzel Washington’s awesomely named character “Nick Styles” publicly humiliates John Lithgow’s “Earl Talbot Blake” while arresting him during a carnival. So Blake goes to jail and spends his time there plotting the best way to “kill Styles’ life.” Not kill “Styles” mind you but to kill his “life.” It’s a major distinction and means the rest of the film is a cat and mouse game with Blake doing everything he can (including raping Styles and giving him an STD) to ruin his life. Along the way, we’re presented with scenes that get consistently crazier and crazier and some of the most ridiculous one-liners put to film.
Lithgow’s one-liners really are what sets this movie apart. I apologize but there’s really no way to get around how horribly filthy these are. I guess you can do some visual earmuffs past the next three boxes if you’re easily offended. Here’s a small selection:
“Pork, back off or else she’s gonna need a paper bag over her head when her boyfriend f**** what’s left of her!”
Prison Guard: “The Parole Board’s ready Blake. I hope you remembered to floss.”
Blake (Lithgow): “I did. With your wife’s pubic hair.”
Parole Board: “Mr Blake, what will you do if you get out of prison?”
Blake: “Well, I guess Mr. Chairman, that first I’d pay a visit to your house.”
Parole Board: “To Thank Me I suppose?”
Blake: “No. To f***your wife. And your daughter. Hell, maybe even your dog.”
Those classic bits of writing comes to us from the amazing pens of Steven E. de Souza (Die Hard, 48 Hrs, Commando, The Running Man) and Fred Dekker (Night of the Creeps, Monster Squad) and through Russell Mulcahy’s (Highlander, Razorback) lens. Everybody is on the absolute top of their game here, making sure the screen is consistently filled with unique people, places, situations and things.
Ricochet maintains a twisted sense of humor throughout, despite getting really dark in places. There are times, like when Denzel pulls a gun on a clown while wearing a robe, where it’s almost as bizarre as The Wicker Man remake but actually manages to be a good movie. It truly is unique and is not a film you’ll easily forget.
Early Denzel Washington has some wild charisma here too. Besides being ridiculously good looking (and naked!), he just seems like the kinda guy you want protecting your city. You can tell he’s going to be an absolute star and the movie comes at a very interesting point in his career as it’s the last movie before he made Malcolm X and Philadelphia and became DENZEL.
The final reason this movie just won’t leave my head is the incomparable Ice-T. I’m an unabashed Ice-T fan. There’s something about his flow and how he carries himself that I just can’t resist. The writers make sure almost every line he spits references some of his greatest hits, including the requisite “F*** the police.” He also provides a really solid theme song for the movie.
So, where does it rank on my Flickchart?
Right now it’s sitting pretty a #53 out of the 1914 movies I’ve seen. The only action movies ahead of it are The Road Warrior (#5), They Live (#9) and Die Hard (#47) and it’s four spots ahead of Tango and Cash. I consider Ricochet to be a modern masterpiece but that 30% overall win percentage seems to say otherwise. Which I guess is what makes it my “Guilty Pleasure.”
Check out the really slick trailer:
Looking for another guilty pleasure to watch? Give Denzel’s 1989 film The Mighty Quinn a try. He plays a Jamaican cop, complete with accent. It’s not on the same level as Ricochet but still a solid watch. Ice-T’s Surviving the Game, also starring Rutger Hauer and Gary Busey, is a great twist on the “Most Dangerous Game” story.
I so abhor this choice for a guilty pleasure that I pasted my comment from facebook here too!! How is this a guilty pleasure? Ricochet is a forgotten gem not a guilty pleasure! Something like Virtuosity would be a guilty pleasure or having “Dancing Queen” by Abba on your ipod… Maybe you should check what defines a guilty pleasure?
@Feehily
ABBA isn’t really a guilty pleasure, either. They’re one of the biggest, most successful bands of all time. “Dancing Queen” is a hugely popular song. Now, when it comes to watching their videos or their movie or Mamma Mia!… that’s different matter.
Ricochet is a pretty crazy movie. I probably saw it 50 times on cable when I was younger, and I would say that it’s not for everybody. It is actually pretty great, though, from what I remember. Lithgow is hilarious. I might rewatch it this weekend just to refresh.
@KingofPain
Abba are primarily successful amongst women and gay men, a heterosexual man would not openly admit to liking Abba. So…
yeah. They may like them but only privately or while drunk. Hence the Guilty Pleasure label I have bestowed upon them.
Ricochet is great, it is a phycological thriller with acting chops spewing out of it from all angles. If you don’t like I imagine there is something wrong with you or you are 3 years old :p
@Feehily
I am heterosexual and I do like ABBA. In fact, what heterosexual male wouldn’t find Agnetha and Frida scorchingly attractive? Even one of the guys from KISS (I forget who it was now) admits that ABBA was a good group. KISS is an heterosexual band, wouldn’t you say? How many groupies did those guys get their hands on?
Here’s my thinking on why Ricochet is a Guilty Pleasure, as I said in the last line. I consider a guilty pleasure to be something everybody else thinks pretty much sucks. For a movie to have 30% Flickchart wins on less than 10,000 rankings, it means people generally don’t like it. It has its fans obviously but so do all guilty pleasures.
I love it but if you described a movie with Ice-T and an Aryan Brotherhood, Phonebook-armored prison fight, wouldn’t a “normal” person instantly dismiss it as trash?
I would consider one of the previous Guilty Pleasure posts, Point Break, to be a legitimately great movie too and nowhere near a guilty pleasure but the logic here is what the “whole” would consider a guilty pleasure.
Also, ABBA is for Everybody. I drive my wife crazy watching Mamma Mia at least once a month…
Ha! My wife has driven me crazy watching Mamma Mia! several times. (Just kidding. It’s not terrible; I’m just not a big musical fan in general…) ;)