Cohen and Tate

User rating of 4.8? yeah right, so much for credibility!

Diabolically stupid reviews for this film go some way to explaining how this rating has eventuated but not all. Gratifying to see a few people with both awareness and understanding, albeit way in the minority.

For the record, this is one brilliant film, barely screened worldwide and buried long ago in video Boot Hill! A dialog-driven film which of course 'lost' the action-freaks probably during the opening reel. An entire movie shot more or less within the confines of an automobile and the interest never wanes (if you're SEEING, not just surface watching). Why is it brilliant? Because it offers the one thing ALL absorbing films do - INTERESTING CHARACTERISATIONS! Even Harley Cross as Travis Knight, the feisty lad under threat of death, contributes immeasurably to the film.

Arguably Baldwin and Scheider's greatest performances as the two hit-men thrown together on a "job" and yet who play by such different rules. Baldwin, the moronic Tate with no scruples, intellect or even taste. Scheider as Cohen the ageing assassin, weary of his lot but despite wanting to "get the job done," still with a thread of decency hanging over his doomed soul.

Extremely suspenseful and in some ways a human study that perchance the Cohen Brothers might have come up with. If you can see nothing in this film I can only wonder what you're missing in the rest of your three score years and ten? 8.5 out of ten, and don't even THINK about arguing!

Anyone who doesn't like this movie is immature and relies on cheap thrills for entertainment. This is a perfect example of making a good movie with a low budget and no extremely well-known actors. On a scale of 1 to 10, this movie is an easy 8 1/2.

This was the film that first marked out for me the name Eric Red as one to watch.Not only a tense,character-driven thriller,but a wonderful ensemble piece to boot,with Alec Baldwin (not a name I knew,but one I've looked out for since) and Roy Scheider (working for that rarity:A filmmaker who understands his strengths and plays to them) providing perfect foils to one another-slipping from comedy to edgy tension and back again without breaking sweat. Don't bother with it if you're after cheap thrills n' spills-give it a try and think of the road movie Hitchcock might have made...

The nine year-old boy Travis Knight (Harley Cross) witnesses the murder of a Houston mobster. His parents and he go to a safe house in Oklahoma protected by three FBI agents under the witness protection program. However one agent betrays the group and the hitmen Cohen (Roy Scheider) and Tate (Adam Baldwin) kill the agents and Travis' parents. They kidnap Travis since a Mafia boss wants to know who killed the other mobster. Along their travel to Houston, Travis finds that Tate is a hotheaded psychopath that enjoys to kill while the veteran Cohen is a calmer professional killer. Travis try to put Cohen against Tate while tries to flee. What will happen to the trio?

The first thing that calls the attention in "Cohen and Tate" is the totally underrated IMDb User Rating. This excellent thriller by Eric Red is supported by a tense storyline well-supported by a magnificent screenplay and top-notch performances of Roy Scheider, Adam Baldwin and the boy Harley Cross. The character Travis Knight is extremely clever and his attitude is probably one of the greatest attraction of this little gem. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "Uma Criança por Testemunha" ("A Child as Witness")

This is a rare film nowadays, and something of a hidden gem. Yes, it is that Eric Red who wrote and directed this picture. Many of his trademarks are here - an innocent boy who gets abducted by a bunch of brutal yet somehow attractive murderous outsiders; a dark, noirish feel throughout the film; and of course, it's a road movie. The film opens with a devastating scene that still has the power to disturb and becomes a roller coaster ride into the nightmarish world of two hit men who kidnap a child witness to a mob murder. Roy Schieder is excellent as the the ice-cold Cohen. But what really elevates this film into myth is the war of wills between Cohen, Tate and the little boy who does his best to drive a wedge between them. If you ever get a chance to watch this undiscovered masterpiece, don't miss it!