Una rapina tira l'altra

Finally saw this film semi-complete on a local TV station. This may be Pauly Shore's best film due to the script and the supporting cast. The sidekick Harold is one of the best "dumb guy" characters I've seen. Janine Turner as the beautiful local deputy and Ned Beatty in his standard "southern bad guy" role really round out the acting ensemble. The script is just funny enough with enough plot twists to keep it interesting. But mostly what makes this film work is Pauly in a semi-serious role with a Texas accent and a chance to show us that he really can act.

This crime comedy establishes itself as such with two amateur bank robbers using flashcards to remind themselves what to say when they hold up a bank. Then, in one of the most ironic turns of events I've ever seen in my entire life, a more organized duo of robbers make their move after the amateur robbers have gotten more money than expected.

One of the punks, Chuck, is surprisingly successful at hiding the loot in the bank restroom before using a gunshot injury to look innocent.

This fails to impress me due to the questions real life cops are likely to maintain. Although this is set in a small town that might not have heard of stories where criminals injure themselves to look innocent, I for one have heard such stories, at least one of which occurred in March of 1996, by which time Pauly Shore's charisma had become a thing of the past, thanks to Bio-Dome.

Despite proving more watchable at the very least, this movie does nothing to salvage that charisma.

Chuck and Harold are not too bright, but they are about to rob the bank in the small town of Inferno, Texas. Chuck does not believe it is safe for Harold to have a loaded gun. And the two have cue cards to make sure they know what to say to the teller.

Our heroes put on their masks and enter the bank, and to say things didn't go well is an understatement. Something very unusual happens that I won't reveal because it's better if you don't see it coming. Anyway, Chuck finds a great hiding place for the money, and all the guys have to do is find it again. Easier said than done. An additional complication: How can a bank in a town this size have so much money? Something fishy is going on. And then there is Layla, a bubbleheaded cop who helps Chuck when he gets hurt--and seems to like him.

We find out later that Chuck was fired by Moles Huddenel, who owns everything in town and sees to it that no one else can get ahead. 'The curse of Inferno' is that no one can ever leave because no one ever has the money to do so. Chuck was going to buy a plane and start an aviation service in the Caribbean. Moles found out Chuck bought his old broken-down plane, and that's when Chuck got fired. The purpose of the bank robbery was to have enough money to fix up the plane and leave.

Chuck was a different character from others Pauly Shore has played. I would almost say that he showed he could do a dramatic role, except this was a comedy. But that's the way Shore came across. I won't call it good acting, but if you like Shore and loser characters such as his, he was entertaining. Max Perlich did a good job as the nervous and inept Harold. Janine Turner was good as the clueless Layla, who was too beautiful to be a cop. Or maybe she wasn't so clueless.

Ned Beatty was so evil I couldn't stand him. I don't mean I loved to hate the character of Moles. I mean I despised him, period. Probably a good performance.

And Clifford and Vince deserve mention. J. Edgar Hoover would never have put up with these morons in his FBI. Nevertheless, the FBI was involved with investigating the robbery.

There were a lot of laughs here, and plenty of excitement for the type of person who enjoys 'The Dukes of Hazzard' and 'Dumb and Dumber'. It's not for everyone, but I enjoyed it.

Pauly Shore's films typically failed to perform well in the box office, which is not a reliable judge of quality, as his prior films Encino Man, In The Army Now, Jury Duty, Biodome, and Son in Law were iconic 90's movies that are cherished, enjoyed and revered for their nostalgic value and silly comedic elements. However, the fact that "The Curse of Inferno" came out so soon after them is tragic.

After seeing a recent stand up performance, we felt inclined to watch this film, as we had never seen it before, but sadly we felt worse for doing so. It is the sort of movie that you could imagine an actor would make before he ever had any major films under his belt, written by college students with no idea of how to make a successful film. It fails as a comedy as there are only maybe three laughs in the whole movie, his attempt to portray a Texan is sad, and his character is almost totally unbearable. His sidekick character, played by Max Perlich, is completely unbearable.

The acting of Janine Turner is much more convincing, not surprising due to the fact that her parents were native Texans, and she grew up in Euless and Fort Worth. Her rapid fire line delivery in a native Texan dialect adds a much needed injection of authenticity.

The highlight of the film is the acting of Ned Beatty, whose character is intense and believable. Due to his resume, I feel he deserved a better film than what the writers and the people he supported were able to provide.

I actually felt depressed after watching this film. It was that bad. This is one of the most disappointing attempts of a comedy actor to try to portray a somewhat more serious role that I've ever seen.

Let me save you - the real "Curse of Inferno" is having to totally waste 87 minutes of your life on this incredibly dull, not funny, not dramatic, not anything of a film that mind you had a good cast but I am sure even they couldn't tell you why this film even exists... poor Pauly - how we miss ya...