Fast Getaway

My review was written in July 1991 after watching the film on RCA/Columbia video cassette.

A pleasant, unpretentious action picture, "Fast Getaway" will appeal to video fans tired of overblown, hyped-up cinema. Typical of medium-range indie product today, pic had only brief regional test ruins this spring before its ancillary release.

Drive-ins are the natural home for this amoral romp depicting the misadventures of an itinerant gang of bank robbers that include Leo Rossi and his son Corey Haim.

Plot is set into motion when dissension spits up the quartet, leaving Cynthia Rothrock and Len Lerner with a grudge against Rossi and fils. They fink to the cops, and Rossi is caught. Haim's real mother (Marcia Strasman) claims the youngster but poses as an old friend of his dad's rather than coming clean with her true identity.

Haim's reuniting with his dad (he breaks him out of jail) and gradual return to a nuclear family are the subplots to a pic heavy on chases and stunts.

Debuting feature director Spro Razatos brings a background of stunt direction that pays off in several exciting sequences, notably a scene of our heroes hanging off a bridge far above a river.

Acting by the principals is fine, with Rossi and Haim a comfortable team and martial arts star Rothrock giving a good showcase combining her high-kicking violent streak with sex appeal. Beautiful young actress Shelli Lether is a find as the neighbor who ends Haim's lingering virginity.

A rather entertaining (to me anyway) Corey Haim movie from 1991. It is a movie that is fast as the pace is fast as is the run time for this picture. So you do not have to invest a whole lot of time in this adventure, but to me it was a fun adventure. There is a gang of criminals that plan their heists to perfection. Everything is split second timing and the getaways are also to the letter. Well there are four members in this gang and as so often is the case there is a split as certain members get greedy and think they should get a bigger cut. So off goes two of the members leaving Corey Haim and his dad's character on their own and you find out quickly that the female and other guy in the gang are not nearly as effective without the other two. The brains of the outfit is the Corey Haim character and without him the other two are lost, so near the end of the film they kidnap him and force him to plan heists for them. The film is rather good, the cast is rather funny. Corey is good as the brains and I thought the guy playing his dad was rather good too as I loved the scene where they were falling off the bridge. Cynthia Rothrock plays the female of the gang and as I usually do not care for her in other movies she is okay here. She usually takes on this super guys in movies and once I saw a movie where she gets hit by this humongous guy dead on and she barely flinched, sorry not going to happen. She may be good at karate, but if she were to be hit as hard as it was depicted in that movie she would be unconscious on the ground. Here though she only takes on normal dudes and I figure she could handle them. There would later be a sequel to this film, but I did not enjoy that one at all.

Watching this movie for the second time in maybe ten years, I would say that it really isn't that bad! There were certain lines in the movie that made me cringe, but Corey Haim and Leo Rossi made it work to their advantage. I wish the character of Lorraine would have had more screen time because she was a natural and meshed well, in my opinion, with Nelson (Haim) and Sam's (Rossi) personality. Corey's movies especially, the ones that went straight to video in the 90s would have been something I would have enjoyed in my pre teens to early teens, but you can't deny that he had a talent and charm that made him the kind of actor that you wish would have made it today. (It makes me sad how he went from Lucas to this because he was so good and he could have had more opportunities exploring complex characters, but that's another story...) Corey always finds chemistry with the people he plays opposite whether it is a love interest, a brother (ex. Firstborn, The Lost Boys), or in this case, a father/son relationship. Anne Hathaway said that Nicholas Galitzine could have chemistry with a lamp, I'd say Corey Haim did it first.

If a viewer sat to watch this without knowing anything of it, not even the year it was released, 'Fast getaway' reveals its nature as soon as it begins. We're treated to slightly dulled cinematography, a hot-headed teen protagonist, a father-son dynamic, light and ham-handed but sometimes unconvincing humor, and needless crass sexism in the dialogue and scene writing. None of these are exactly points in the movie's favor, and at no time could it be confused for anything but B-grade fare - while enjoyable, it's never robustly, actively engaging. Yet a little uncomplicated, cheesy action comedy has never hurt anyone, has it?

In fairness, the stunts and action sequences - mostly chase scenes - are done very well, and duly entertaining. Though we're treated to some tropes and predictable story beats, there are dashes of cleverness scattered throughout. Relegated to a small supporting role, it's nonetheless fun to watch Cynthia Rothrock turn up the playful smarm as conniving criminal conspirator Lilly, and there's minor gleeful energy in seeing her play opposite Ken Lerner as Lilly's notably less witty partner, Tony. Yes, Rothrock's martial arts skills are employed only to the same purposefully gauche ends, but that's no major fault. 'Fast getaway' will never be remembered for world-class acting, but the cast at large do a good job of embracing the spirit of the modest (if too often juvenile) romp.

Even bearing in mind the gawky, deliberate flavors that the film maintains, James Dixon's screenplay is a little overbearing at points. Even putting aside noted strains of sexism, the dialogue and scene writing is outright crude in some instances (boys will be boys, dontcha know, hyuk hyuk). The narrative is pretty unremarkable, not especially feeling any different from a slew of similar titles we've all seen at one time or another, and the same is true of the characters as written. The feature's technical craft, or rounding details like costume design, hair and makeup, and so on, are done well such as they are, but don't specifically inspire. 'Fast getaway' mostly occupies a familiar and well populated cinematic space, and it's hard for much about it to stand out.

Still, though definitely flawed, I can't say I didn't have a good time. The action is concretely ramped up at the climax, lending to a satisfying air of tension and suspense. Marcia Strassman lends a measure of welcome sincerity in her supporting role as Lorraine. All in all, I think my expectations were met rather squarely, if not in the ways I anticipated. It's nothing anyone ever needs to go out of their way to see, but if you're a particular fan of someone in the cast it's passable enough. Moreover, this is the type of picture to put on if you want something amusing but unsophisticated to help pass the time. I can't fathom any reason for 'Fast getaway' to earn a notably strong recommendation, but it's good enough as it is.

Corey Haim is so obnoxious in this film. I mean, he's by and large a terrible actor. No range whatsoever. But his character is so annoying here. And when he keeps saying "Pop" to his dad every few lines... it's like nails on a chalkboard. The whole movie is a waste of time. Some of the action was decent, but barely. No wonder it went straight to video when it was tested for audiences, and everyone hated. The directing is awful. No sense of tone, pacing, acting, humor, tension. It plays so flat and lazy. Save 90 mins of your life, and spend it staring at a wall... that would be a better use of time.