Out of Bounds

Predictable '80s actioner. Everything is set up as if it's underlined. We see Anthony Michael Hall practicing with his knife, so we know it'll come into play. Jeff Kober is good as the guy pursuing Hall. HIS motivations and actions are the only ones that make any sense, and he's the bad guy! Somebody gave me the video as a birthday present because I'm a huge Kober fan. If you are too, go watch AUTOMATIC (1994) or your box set of KINDRED instead.

It's pretty bad, that's for sure. At one point, the lead character runs from the cops, jumps on the back of a motorcycle and points a gun at the rider and tells him to get us out of here, and the guy instantly does, and helps him elude the cops. And then they bond!

This movie is practically a parody of 80s action movies, with Anthony Michael Hall's presence being the icing on the cake. However, Hall does do a fine job with the material he's given.

The movie tries to balance the main character's folksy farm upbringing charm with a zany LA revenge/caper plot and it doesn't work.

It doesn't look cheap at all, it looks like they dropped some bucks on this, with some complex stunts, lots of speaking roles, quite ample extras and a lavish appearance. But at the same time, it looks they trimmed this to bone in editing, probably thinking they had a turkey.

Crazy and unlikely as it may sound, there might be a more interesting cut that could have happened. It makes you wonder why they even bothered with the Iowa scenes, setting up Daryl's mother and father. Even Daryl's brother seems barely worth setting up, considering they talk briefly then he's dead.

It does have striking music I'd never heard before, particularly Cities in Dust. And they did succeed in the goal of showing LA in a different way than other films.

A pretty silly film, "Out of Bounds" begins as a teeny-bopper

style of movie that would suit John Hughes' tastes, and ends

like how a Charles Bronson vigilante film would be. Anthony

Michael Hall plays Darryl Cage, an Iowa teen who travels to L.A.

to visit his brother, only to have his duffel bag accidentally

switched with a bag belonging to a dope runner. What follows is

a frantic yet unbelievable streets of the city of angels. Hall

is a likeable actor (in my book, he's a lot cooler than Leo

DiCaprio!), but I wasn't used to seeing him in a gritty action

film like this. He's too much of a pretty boy to look ind

Farm boy Daryl Cafe leaves behind a life on the farm with his feuding parents, for one in The Big City with his brother, expecting a better life, things instantly go wrong when he picks up the wrong bag at the airport.

First off, credit to the film's pacing, it doesn't give you a slow, tedious buildup, it's essentially straight into the action, it's a fast paced, man on the run, in strange surroundings film.

The script isn't great, some of the dialogue is flat, some of the situations are absolutely crazy, you'll be scratching your head wondering if it's reality or not, if you're aware that you're watching a crazy thriller, you may just get some enjoyment from it.

The acting is actually really good, Anthony Michael Hall is great as Daryl, one thing he will do, is put you on edge, I think you get a sense of the character's stress levels. I adored Jenny Wright, she was a bundle of fun.

7/10.

Anthony Michael Hall is way Out of Bounds on a trip to Los Angeles. Fresh off the farm from Iowa, he picks up Jeff Kober's travel bag by mistake. Kober gets Hall's change of wardrobe and Hall gets over a million dollars in heroin.

I don't think Jeff Kober has ever played a good guy in any of the films or television shows I've ever seen him in. He's succeeded Lyle Bettger in playing a lovely variety psychotics and in this case he's one psychotic drug dealer looking for his stash.

Kober murders Hall's brother and his wife who Hall was staying with when he learns where he's staying and to top it all off, LAPD detective Glynn Turman is thinking Hall did the deed. Some trigger happy cops nearly kill Hall and he's off and running looking for the only other person he knows in Los Angeles, a waitress played by Jenny Wright who he met on the plane out from Iowa.

Farm boy Hall is in one hostile environment as he tries desperately to survive and clear himself.

Anthony Michael Hall was still in his brat pack period when he did Out of Bounds. He portrays the resourceful, but vulnerable Iowa kid very well.

But the acting honors of this film go to Jeff Kober. A really unsung and underrated performer, Kober always delivers the goods when he's a bad guy. In fact one day I'd like to see try doing comedy for a change.

Till then Kober will keep you on the edge of your seat when you watch him in Out of Bounds.