Wisdom - Dynamit und kühles Blut

"Wisdom" is one of those strange films that is never sure what it wants to be. Young Emilio Estevez comes to the realization that he will never be a success so he decides to become a criminal, a criminal for the people. He aids farmers by destroying records in small-town banks, becoming a sort of Robin Hood figure. His girlfriend Demi Moore is also along for the ride. Obsessed detective William Allen Young will stop at nothing to bring the youths to justice, while the general public is indifferent until Moore has to shoot a police officer. Now the stakes get higher and everything will soon come to a head. Estevez shows his lack of writing and directing experience here. He has some good ideas, but never does execute them in effective ways. The fact that he is not much of an actor does not help either. Everyone else struggles with the direction and screenplay as well. All in all "Wisdom" is not terrible, but its ending basically takes away from the few good things about the film's first 105-minutes. 2 stars out of 5.

I think alot of people knew from the get-go this movie wasnt going to be a award winning movie, but I don't think the movie was horrible. It certainly wasn't Emilio or Demi's finest work but for being the age Emilio was when he wrote and directed this movie, he didn't do that bad of a job. As far as the critics go with this movie: In my opinion they weren't going to be kind with this movie no matter how it good it was because of Demi and Emilio's "Brat pack" status.

why is this movie not on DVD?

and why when i ask if they've seen it do people look at me like i've got three heads?

and why have most of the IMDb comments ripped into it? its great!!OK its no empire strikes back or shawshank redemption but it does the job.good story,good soundtrack,demi moore,what else do you want? i have no doubt that some pretentious English lit grad budding movie reviewer is gonna shoot me down but it ticks all my boxes,if you've not seen it check it out, good old 80's semi post brat pack action pack fun!! that is of course my opinion, you are entitled to yours also.

I had the pleasure of being Demi Moore's stand-in and photo double for this film, after auditioning against 325 other young actresses for the "role." Normally, you don't have to audition for that crew job, but since this film was Emilio's directorial debut, he wanted to be able to look through the camera lens to "see" what he and Demi would (more or less) look like. The job of the photo double and stand-in is to do all of the takes where you can't really see the stars' faces (drivebys, long distance shots, etc. - yes, I was the one he had slung over his shoulder running in the school parking lot after Karen was shot), as well as to sit in for lighting and sound checks. It was, to put it the most succinctly, like running away and joining the circus!

Notwithstanding some of the legitimate criticisms of the film in other reviews, from a personal standpoint I have to say that Emilio was a total gentleman, and was especially respectful to all of the crew. He thanked the actors after every take and at the end of the day, and he never went into his trailer for meals - he always sat with the crew. The very first day on set, he asked if I had my SAG card, and when I told him I only had my AFTRA card, he wrote in a line for me so that I was eligible to join SAG (they ended up using the shot in the trailer). Emilio didn't have to do that, but it was the kind of thoughtful gesture that he showed others on a regular basis.

Emilio was also well aware of the trust placed in him, being such a young man with a considerable film budget, and he was surrounded by many Hollywood veterans who were equally patient and understanding (Robert Wise, Bernie Williams, to name a few).

While this may not be a true "review" of the film, I thought those of you who had written here might enjoy knowing some of the "behind the scenes" thoughts from someone who was there for the whole shoot. Personally, I enjoyed every moment of the experience, I learned a lot, and I will always be grateful to Emilio for his generosity of spirit and kindness. He was a class act, every step of the way.

Only 13 years before this movie was made, in 1973, the father of Emilio Estevez (Martin Sheen) starred in the brilliant classic "Badlands", which has a similar storyline. This 1986 movie "Wisdom" is nowhere near as impressive as that seventies classic though, but "Wisdom" is definitely still worth a watch. Especially the acting is great. So if you like(d) Emilio Estevez and Demi Moore in the past, this movie is definitely worth a watch. Back to the eighties!

The story is simple. Emilio Estevez and his girlfriend Demi Moore, steal from the rich (the corrupt banks) and give to the poor (the American farmers). Will they get away with this Robin Hood kind of crime?

The good: the acting is really good. It's a lighthearted story, with a few subtle jokes and a few puppy love romantic scenes, but it's most of all a thrilling and suspenseful bank robbers movie, with lots of hold ups and chases.

Any bad? It's a bit silly now and then, credibility wise. It has got that eighties sound, with the silly synthesizer music. But overall these faults are minor. This is one heck of a charming action movie. Definitely a forgotten movie, that is worth more attention. Still quite enjoyable after 30 years.