Florida Straits

This is one of my favorite films, and it's almost unknown.

It's Raul Julia at his best, and Fred Ward doing an excellent job.

I was surprised when I recognized Daniel Jenkins and remembered his role in "O.C. & Stiggs", another favorite of mine.It's also almost unknown.

Take a look at this one if you have a chance, and have an hour and a half of enjoyment.

It's creative, imaginative, and full of unexpected surprises.

Oddly enough, I think this is a film that is totally without females actresses. Except for Raul's "love of his life".

The scene where Raul changes into his all white attire in order to look his best when he meets his lost love is a cinemagraphic tour-de-force.

The storyline for this old-fashioned action adventure tale is proper raw material for a successful production, and should benefit from having an accomplished director and cinematographer, but a confused point of view and too often fatuous dialogue undermine it. The Florida Straits form that sector through which Cuban expatriates flee toward the United States, and the work opens in 1981 as Major Carlos Jayne (Raul Julia) is depicted as one of a group released from a Cuban prison after 20 years for taking part in the Bay of Pigs catastrophe, all members of which are being welcomed by family, except for the mysterious Jayne. The other featured players are introduced through the gambit of a high-stakes poker game, observed by Jayne, wherein Mac (Daniel Jenkins) wins half of a charter fishing boat owned by Lucky (Fred Ward), and soon Jayne has cooked up a plan whereby the three will return to Cuba for prizes: a lost love for Jayne, and a fortune in gold for the others. A glorious exploit beckons to the trio but they soon discover many obstacles to the success of their expedition, including Fidel Castro's military forces, hostile guerrillas and mercenaries, and harsh jungle terrain. A lack of dramatic continuity is the principal demerit here, for when Julia's role is to the fore, an opportunity is taken to mine his romantically affecting circumstances, but when the characters portrayed by Ward and Jenkins are bantering, their buffoonish wisecracking becomes wearisome. Director Mike Hodges and cinematographer Dennis Lewiston are quite originative at times, the tuneful thematic score by Michel Colombier is appropriate and the costume design under the aegis of Moss Mabry is very fine; however, the film's failure to maintain a textual bearing lays it low.

With Raoul Julia and Fred Ward starring in "Florida Straits", one would imagine that the result would exceed average. The first half build up to the actual Cuba treasure hunt is far better than the jungle adventure that follows. The banter between Julia, Ward, and young Daniel Jenkins is entertaining, but subsides as the film progresses. Julia's motivation for the mission is a romantic reunion with a lost love, while Ward and his partner are only interested in finding a cache of hidden gold. Needless to say, things do not go exactly as planned, with the Cuban Military always in pursuit. Unfortunately the ending is so preposterous, it's a real shame, because for a TV movie this had far more potential than what is realized. - MERK