Chasers

I'll admit, when I first saw this film, in 1994, I thought it was sophomoric, with overripe performances, a brain-dead plot, and an extremely gratuitous sex scene tossed in to show off Erika Eleniak's considerable assets. However, seeing it again, recently, I came to realize this was actually a send-up of the 'good ol' boy' comedies of the seventies, the kind of 'B' movies Roger Corman produced, when he introduced directors like Ron Howard. As such, it's very enjoyable, and certainly worth another look!

The premise is that of an old-fashioned service comedy, with wheeler-dealer William McNamara and put-upon pal Crispen Glover pulling off one last big score before McNamara's discharge. Unfortunately, the scam goes awry as the young con artist is 'recruited' to assist grizzled vet 'Rock Reilly' (Tom Berenger, spitting out dialogue with a whiskey-soaked growl) in a prisoner transfer. The prisoner turns out to be the luscious Erika Eleniak, and as she quickly makes the first of several escape attempts, you get to see: a) exciting new uses for feminine hygiene products; b) the redneck charm of the countryside between Charleston and North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina; c) some great cameos by Dean Stockwell, Seymour Cassel, Gary Busey, Marilu Henner, Fredric Forrest, and Hopper, himself (sporting a bulbous nose and a blow-up sex toy!); d) the famous Eleniak nude love scene, followed by McNamara chasing her, naked, after she runs, again (he shows more skin than she does); and e) the obligatory happy ending, as Berenger proves he has a 'heart of gold', and that 'love (or a healthy lust, anyway!) conquers all'.

Is this a classic? Are you kidding? Then again, neither were the Corman films...but as a tribute to the genre, 'Chasers' is fun, and a terrific 'kick off the shoes, pop some popcorn' flick!

Navy officials Berenger and McNamara are assigned to escort prisoner Eliniak to start serving time but their trip doesn't go all that smoothly.

Despite the presence of the terribly annoying William McNamara, Chasers is really an O.K. way to spend less than two hours. Obviously it's not as good as 1973's The Last Detail but it has it's moments. Tom Berenger and Erika Eliniak compensate for McNamara and deliver good performances but the array of good cameos are sorely misused. Gary Busey and Crispin Glover provide a few chuckles but Dennis Hopper, Dean Stockwell and Marilu Henner have nothing to do here.

Still, if you're in a forgiving frame of mind and keep your expectations low this film quite alright.

Lowbrow humor to spare in this low-budget knock-off of "The Last Detail." Undemanding fun...Hopper's direction is loose and raunchy (he also scores in a brief role as a horny traveling lingerie salesman) and Tom Berenger is great as a gruff, crusty military man stuck performing a transport detail with a scheming, wet-behind-the-ears private in tow. Don't expect a classic and you might be pleasantly surprised. Hardly a classic for the ages, but still quite enjoyable if you enter with lowered expectations. Plenty of clichés, but a few memorably funny sequences and some funny lines make it worth watching. Eleniak's considerable physical charms on full display don't hurt either.

Dodger bee bert used to rate movies less on their over all quality than on the principle of whether the movie achieved what it set out to. In this category i would categorically say "yes". A fairly solid cast rounds out this light fare and is able to elevate it above it's designation as a b-movie. A Tom Berenger vs Gary Busey scene is a hidden gem. Erika Eleniak does more than fill the roll of eye candy. Slightly more than cameos by Hopper, Glover, Stockwell, Bush, Cassel, and Forrest keep things moving and throw a bit of unexpected spice into the movie. McNamara manages in spite of true bona fides to carry the whole thing on a bit of pie eyed charm without devolving into saccharin crap. Is this movie going to rock your world? No will it be 90 minutes or so of decent entertainment? Check for yourself. I vote yes.

Is this your typical women in chains navy transport love story? Maybe, hell, you know how the formula works by now, pretty woman is introduced in to a picture, someone has to fall in love with her.

I think this film does follow some typical story lines, but that doesn't say anything about the content. There are great scenes with Crispen Glover, Dennis Hopper, and Gary Busey, although short. Some things didn't make sense, such as the need to get in to random fights, but it is entertaining to watch, the fights were actually well done.

This is definitely a comedy foremost, but it does have a lot of good feel to it. The humor is well balanced, you won't hurt your stomach on this, but you will keep a smile.

There is a little bit of steamy action, so not one for the kids.