Scherzare col fuoco

A few years ago I was working at Blockbuster Video and bought this movie brand new for $1.00 on VHS. It was worth it. Most people don't like this movie, but I have a certain fondness for it. I am a huge Elmore Leonard fan and also a Burt Reynolds fan so I liked it. I admit that it has flaws like Candice Bergen's wooden performance. But it has two great acting jobs by Charles Durning and the late stuntman Dar Robinson as the albino hit-man Moke. His performance is truly terrifying. It is terrific when Burt taunts him as Bunny Eyes. Durning is also great as a red haired drug dealer. There are a few good action scenes at the beginning and then at the end. The middle of the film drags. If only the intensity of the beginning could be kept up to the finish this would have been a great film.

The Good Stuff:

Candice Bergen looks gorgeous. Small role by David Reynoso. The late Dar Robinson as the "Albino Hitman". The Albino Hitman falling to his death while emptying his six shooter looks real cool.

The Bad Stuff:

Charles Durning in a blond wig is really hard to take (those crazy looking eyebrows!).

The Verdict:

Typical 80's flick with lots of flashy cars, drug dealers, one colorful hitman, directed by Mr. Reynolds, that even if looking dated manages to entertain.

I agree with Chuck O'Leary from Pittsburg. I loved this movie. In fact, in the mid-80's it was one of the first VHS tape productions that made my sorry old Samsung (1973) look good! I ran the sound in "hi-fi stereo" through my stereo rig and this was my first home theater (don't laugh!). Anyway, the story is good and if you like Burt, well, you have to see the movie. Unfortunately, no DVD out yet, nor any great demand. But, hey, if Green Ice can be released on DVD, can Stick be far behind?

Things to look for on the (eventual) DVD . . . the many fine Florida sunsets. There's lots of "perfect lighting" in this movie, with both exterior and interior shots. The bad guys are sufficiently deserving of your verbal lashing. Finally the soundtrack is very mood inducing but not ornate. Think Miami Vice meets Live or Die in LA. I'd give the movie as a whole, 7 out of 10 stars, especially considering its age.

Oh one last thing, very important. Hit the mute button when Candice Bergman starts to sing. Life's too short. . . .

Veteran star Burt Reynolds directed himself for the fourth time in this okay adaptation of an Elmore Leonard novel. It's definitely minor league in terms of the Leonard adaptations out there, but it entertains adequately. Burt is cast as Ernest "Stick" Stickley, an ex-con who hooks up with old friend Rainy (Jose Perez) and accompanies him on a drug deal gone sour. Stick then becomes determined to exact some revenge on behalf of Rainy, taking on creeps like the dorky Chucky (Charles Durning) and the more genuinely menacing Nestor (Castulo Guerra).

Leonard is credited as one of the screenwriters, but wasn't overly pleased with the final results, since Universal ended up removing a fair bit of his trademark humour and replacing it with action scenes - to make it more "commercially viable". The result is a basically watchable movie that increases in interest and entertainment value as it goes along, and the characters become more engaging. Along the way, we get many lovely shots of Florida locales, and an upbeat score by Barry DeVorzon and Joseph Conlan. The film offers some sex appeal and violence, but shouldn't be too ugly for some viewers to take.

Burt is kind of going through the motions here, even as Stick reconnects with his young daughter (Tricia Leigh Fisher, younger half-sister of Carrie Fisher) and attempts to romance beautiful financial advisor Kyle (Candice Bergen, who does look great). George Segal is fatally annoying as motor mouthed rich dude Barry, a guy who likes to hobnob with the criminal element. Richard Lawson is good as one of Segals' employees. Durnings' performance is likewise good, but he looks so ridiculous with that wig, the false eyebrows, and that wardrobe that it's hard to take him seriously. Guerra offers the standout performance as the true villain of the piece.

But the real reason to watch "Stick" is to see the late, legendary stuntman Dar Robinson in an extended acting role, as a psychotic, albino henchman named Moke. He's a lot of fun to watch, and his final scene is memorable.

The Leonard purist might not be too fond of how this turned out, but it's reasonably enjoyable for Reynolds fans.

Six out of 10.

When I read the novel I had no problem picturing Burt Reynolds as the charming and laconic ex-con. And supposedly Reynolds himself thought he was perfect for the part. Unfortunately, the studio demanded he re-shoot the second half of the picture, basically trading in Elmore Leonard's scam plot for brutal action. There's always something very satisfying about watching Burt kick ass, so even if I was wondering why anyone would want to trade Leonard's smart and funny writing for a run-of-the-mill action script, I still enjoyed the finale of Stick.

Still, the Ernest Stickley from the novel called for the more lighthearted Burt from Semi-Tough, Hooper and Rough Cut. I would have loved to have heard Burt deliver some of the smart-ass lines Leonard wrote for the character in the novel. Also, some scenes just don't make a whole lot of sense now, like Stick wanting to learn about investments from Kyle or the movie pitch scene. Both of these were pivotal in the book, but just go nowhere in the film.

There's a lot of good stuff though. The scene on the balcony is awesome, the scorpions were a nice touch (not in the book!) and I liked the way the murder in the beginning was handled, with Stick's subsequent getaway through the corn field.

If you like Burt Reynolds Stick is certainly worth your time, just don't expect a faithful adaptation.