R.P.G.

The "Platoon" friendship between Charlie Sheen and Johnny Depp was strong enough to be repeated in another movie, the unusual short film "R. P. G." where Sheen took directing duties and writing while Depp was the star. A very unusual story, practically purposeless yet it's quite harmless, amusing and with some bits of originality.

I'm not 100% sure of what this was all about but all I know is that involves two low-life characters, a talkative guy played by Clint Howard and the wannabe star played by Depp. The latter is on a desperate mode trying to get his resume photos so he can get acting gigs. All he gets is hearing the former guy bitching about everything and when they arrive at the photo-joint to get the pictures something doesn't go as planned, his pictures disappeared. A maddening and revolted Depp plans his revenge against the place and that involves the film title. That's pretty much the experience here and nothing more.

The bits of dialogue are all strangely conceived, nothing so memorable or so funny, but when the main story kicks in then the movie becomes quite interesting. The finale is the thing we remember the best, it's very cool and spectacular. Considering that emerging people in Hollywood were the ones behind this it's quite an accomplishment, and they prove that low-budget projects does not mean poor quality. There's something special here even though it doesn't have much of a purpose and it leaves a certain openness in the air (probably answered in the 1988 sequel, of which I haven't seen it). It's okay for then beginner stars. 7/10.