Amigos até a Morte

(1992) A Taste For Killing PSYCHOLOGICAL THRILLER

Strictly-by-the book, and made-for-TV movie now available for rental centering on a couple of yuppie teenagers by the names of Cary Sloan (Henry Thomas) and Blaine Stockard III (Jason Bateman) arranged by their wealthy lawyer parents to work on an oil rig during the summer before getting their law degrees. Boss then assigns them to take orders from the foreman who resents them the most because he's well aware about their easy going lifestyle and for the way they got the job in the first place. And it was during this time they're befriended by a co-worker named Bo (Michael Biehn)who's really a psychopath. The movie then dwells on blackmail and extortion tactics made by Bo. The character played by Jason Bateman gets more dumber each time as the movie progresses, therefore his character becomes less credible. Bomb.

You know how it is when you start somewhere new: you very quickly make a "friend", who you soon regret meeting and spend the rest of your time trying to avoid. That's an embarrassing social situation, but it's a lot easier than the stuff that happens to the two students in this film, struggling to fit into the macho world of the oil rig. They make a mysterious ally in enigmatic co-worker Michael Biehn. Then he reveals his true colours, and they aren't too pretty.

The first 10 minutes is all setup and chat but from the 20 minute mark every event leads to another. Its very suspenseful and you'll want to keep watching till the end.

I managed to catch this film when it was on TV late at night on a channel no one watches at a time when people should be sleeping. Now this was several years ago so it shows that a film has something for it to be remembered several years on.

Two youths employed on an oil rig make friends with one of the other workers. On a visit on shore to a local bar, they have a run in with another worker who gets killed. This leads Michael Biehn's character to blackmail the two youths.

This is where the film gets good. There is a lot of tension between the youths as they try to keep everything a secret and their enemy who is invading every part of their lives. This part of the movie is great and is one of the few films that has left me wanting to know what is going to happen next.

Its sadly other parts that don't work. There's a sex scene thrown in for no real good reason but the main problem I had with the movie was the ending.

The director seems to have gone away from the tense psychological drama that was going on and decided that an action movie was what should be really going. So much so that the ending feels rushed and incomplete.

Its still a reasonable movie and worth a watch if its on TV and there's nothing else to watch. I give it 6/10.