The Taking of Beverly Hills

I saw this movie as a kid and thought how much fun it was. Now as an adult, it's dumb...really dumb...but fun. I'm actually astonished this didn't become a cult, like say..."Revenge Of The Living Dead." I think it still has time.

Boomer Hayes (Ken Wahl) is a star quarterback for a fictitious L.A. team (since L.A. doesn't have a pro football team...why not?). He gets snookered into a benefit for the homeless at a swank Beverly Hills party. Amongst the party-goers is football team's owner and Boomer's boss, Robert Masterson (Robert Davi). Which the minute you see Davi's smarmy face...it's no surprise he'll be up to smarm. Anyway, that's all you need to know going in. Rich and poor. Have and have nots. And that's when the have-nots want the haves. A bizarre conspiracy to take over a business veiled in a heist (sound familiar...I 'aint ruining anything).

They also turn it into a buddy cop movie. Which, oddly enough, is narrated by Matt Frewer...yes, Max Headroom Frewer. His voice over to introduce Beverly Hills is anemic, to be kind, and silly. And odd, since the point of view is from Boomer...I think. But these two go off to try to thwart this crime, even though they are battling an army that is essentially the L.A.P.D.

As dumb action movies of this generation goes, if you've exhausted all your options, THIS movie is a perfect compendium to something like "Action Jackson." It holds zero logic but has a pretty sweet soundtrack. Faith No More's "Epic" or Janet Jackson's "Black Cat" to name a few hits (how did they get these songs is beyond me).

Wahl is fun, but the dialogue is corny (as it should be) and there are some solid moments of male bonding. Overall, on a slow night or if your copy of "Road House" is worn out, check this out.

Not a bad film, a fairly unlikely plot (though it's not alone here!) and what I'd call watchable. However I don't think it does Ken Wahl justice as he's a good, natural actor which this part doesn't give him the scope to display. I was surprised to see Ken with a pretty unflattering hairstyle (and brown haired too!) and hear his less than deep voice in this. Would hardly have recognised him in fact. Sadly a good actor can't save a mediocre script and nothing-special direction.

I remember when I walked into the video store when this movie first came out and how excited I was to see it. I had been such a great fan of Die Hard and I have always been a fan of the one good guy against a billion bad guy type of movies. Well, I am sorry to day that this movie is bad. The plot is extremely unrealistic. The special effects are elementary and the acting is very, very, very bad. But it is still fun to watch one guy go up against an army. If you are a real fan of the genre then I would suggest renting this. If you are a so-so fan or less. Find sometihng worth while.

What started out with a promising premise (for the time) turned into little more than an excuse to string together a few hit songs interspersed with some halfway decent action sequences.

Make no mistake though, it's still a fun movie to watch, it's just a shame it wasn't a bit more solid. If it had been, then maybe it could have been built out into a Die Hard-like franchise with Boomer Hayes getting into more and more unlikely situations.

As it is, though, you could do worse for a switch-off-your-brain actioner. Ken Wahl is decent enough in the lead role, Branscombe Richmond is predictable as a somewhat unhinged hitman, Robert Davi puts in some good work as the mastermind behind the heist, and Lee "Mr Boddy" Ving is...there? Matt Frewer deserves better though, and Harley Jane Kozak feels like an afterthought...

With all the remakes and reboots and reskins being made at the moment, I'd like to see this get a remake on the condition that whoever took it on put a bit of actual effort into it, though.

This movie will insult your intelligence. Mindless action movie or not. This is a 4 year olds dream of a hero fantasy that makes no sense and it's not even enjoyably bad. It's bad bad.