Blue City

I knew nothing beforehand about this film. I only watched it because Ally Sheedy was in the cast. This was one of the poorest films I have seen in a long time. In my opinion, the only actor who really put anything into his part was Paul Winfield. I like Ms. Sheedy no matter what film she's in, ever since I first saw her in War Games. Judd Nelson was inappropriate as the hero. The plot became more preposterous as the film went on, so that by the end nothing that happens surprises the viewer. The actions which the hero did were totally over the top, and he got away with all of them!! All in all, a film to avoid.

Totally lifeless would be a good way to describe "Blue City". Despite the presence of several interesting character actors, the leads Judd Nelson and Ally Sheedy drag everything down with their lifeless performances. The only reason to waste 83 minutes on this unfocused lightweight material is to watch Scott Wilson in the role of an opportunistic bad guy, and the late Anita Morris at her sexiest. Beyond that, the script is severely underdeveloped, especially in regards to motivation for all the mayhem. In the end, the viewer is left with many dangling unanswered questions, and a real sense of W.T.F. Think made for cable or direct to video quality. ................................................................................................................................................ MERK

What's good about this flick? The gorgeous Anita Morris plays Nelson's stepmother and the woman oozes sex appeal. A wonderfully smarmy performance by Paul Winfield as a corrupt police chief. David Caruso acts circles around his co-star Judd Nelson. Some really nice shots of the coastline while Nelson rides his hog down the interstate. Ry Cooder's bluesy score is just a treat to listen to and captures the atmosphere of the settings.

What's bad about it? Ally Sheedy and Judd Nelson aren't trying at all; they look like they're here for the paycheck and nothing more. They exhibit no chemistry in any of their scenes together, and Nelson looks like he's reciting all of his lines in the least interested manner possible, and Sheedy looks as though she'd rather be anywhere else in the world. Unfortunately, these two performers are probably the reason why most people would want to see this movie. I say skip it and see them in St. Elmo's Fire or better yet The Breakfast Club.

Billy Turner (Judd Nelson) returns to his hometown of Blue City, Florida. The family black sheep promptly starts a bar fight and expects to be bailed out by his mayor father. He is surprised to learn that his father had been murdered. Police Chief Luther Reynolds (Paul Winfield) is not eager to solve the case despite claiming to be his friend. The obvious suspect is his father's slimy business partner Perry Kerch (Scott Wilson) who is also now sleeping with his stepmother Malvina Kerch-Turner (Anita Morris). Billy recruits his former school friend Joey Rayford (David Caruso) to help force a confession out of Perry who had done Joey wrong previously. Joey's younger sister Annie Rayford (Ally Sheedy) helps and falls for Billy.

Director Michelle Manning produced The Breakfast Club and Sixteen Candles before taking her shot. There's nothing wrong with taking a shot when you get a chance, but there is no doubt that this shot completely missed the mark. First, Judd Nelson is wrong for the role. He's supposed to be hard, but I don't buy it. He is still the guy from Breakfast Club. In a way, Ally Sheedy suffers from something similar. She has no romantic chemistry with Judd. Looking back at her career, she never really had a great romance. Her best may be WarGames and those characters are not staying together. Above all that, I can't buy that nobody is willing to give Billy an alternate suspect. Perry could have thrown him a red herring, guilty or not. A mayor would have multiple enemies. After the dog track incident, Perry would force Luther to gin up some charges for the boys. The story really doesn't make much sense and it's hard to buy the hardboiled Brat Pack.

Good performances by Nelson & Sheedy and a twist in the end give this film a good bit of quality. Don't listen to the naysayers, there are many more films higher rated than this which are much worse. Worth a watch.