IMDb RATING
6.1/10
5.8K
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A rookie cop goes undercover and infiltrates a car thief ring.A rookie cop goes undercover and infiltrates a car thief ring.A rookie cop goes undercover and infiltrates a car thief ring.
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I hate to praise Charlie Sheen, but I must.He played this role so perfectly, that I forgot I was watching a movie. I know that's a cliché by now, but it applies.
You know the plot from the other reviews. Boyish undercover cop infiltrates a mechanic shop and befriends the owner, whom he is assigned to tail. That's because he is a suspected car thief and murderer.
Think "Point Break" here, only 4 years earlier. A charismatic bad boy, sucks a peer into his criminal world, and the peer is actually in law enforcement.
If you love 80s movies set amidst the glitz of 80s L.A., with fancy cars and classic obscure 80s dance tunes thrown in, you will love this one.
I couldn't help envying the adventure that the D.B. Sweeney character was having. Nothing exciting ever happens to me. He gets introduced to the world of "the rich and aimless," gets a brother-like best friend who gives him money and lavish gifts, and he falls in love with a beautiful rich girl.
There were a couple of authenticity problems I have to mention. The Sweeney character was supposed to be a 22 year old rookie, yet he was working undercover. Wouldn't that be a bit advanced for him? He was not a detective. But I guess they had to use him, because of his mechanical acumen with Porsches.
Also, in order to get hired as a Porsche mechanic, wouldn't he have to show that he passed certification classes? Having just worked on some old cars in his driveway, would he really be skilled enough to work with professional foreign car mechanics, without taking any courses?
The Randy Quaid character was a little comic-bookie, or over-the-top angry, but I guess they had to establish the tension between him and the rookie.
The final showdown will again remind you of "Point Break." Enjoy it. This is definitely a guy's movie.
You know the plot from the other reviews. Boyish undercover cop infiltrates a mechanic shop and befriends the owner, whom he is assigned to tail. That's because he is a suspected car thief and murderer.
Think "Point Break" here, only 4 years earlier. A charismatic bad boy, sucks a peer into his criminal world, and the peer is actually in law enforcement.
If you love 80s movies set amidst the glitz of 80s L.A., with fancy cars and classic obscure 80s dance tunes thrown in, you will love this one.
I couldn't help envying the adventure that the D.B. Sweeney character was having. Nothing exciting ever happens to me. He gets introduced to the world of "the rich and aimless," gets a brother-like best friend who gives him money and lavish gifts, and he falls in love with a beautiful rich girl.
There were a couple of authenticity problems I have to mention. The Sweeney character was supposed to be a 22 year old rookie, yet he was working undercover. Wouldn't that be a bit advanced for him? He was not a detective. But I guess they had to use him, because of his mechanical acumen with Porsches.
Also, in order to get hired as a Porsche mechanic, wouldn't he have to show that he passed certification classes? Having just worked on some old cars in his driveway, would he really be skilled enough to work with professional foreign car mechanics, without taking any courses?
The Randy Quaid character was a little comic-bookie, or over-the-top angry, but I guess they had to establish the tension between him and the rookie.
The final showdown will again remind you of "Point Break." Enjoy it. This is definitely a guy's movie.
I will preface this by saying I am an '88 Porsche 930 Turbo owner here. That's the silver car in the chase scene with the Camaro. Biased opinion I'll admit. I think this movie pretty much holds it's own as far as the story line goes. I love it, being a Porsche fanatic.
D.B. Sweeney is perfect in this role. Outside of Platoon, I think this is the best Charlie Sheen.
But, let's face it. The star of this movie is the drop dead sexy Porsche 911!
"The Fast And The Furious" completely stole from this movie. They substituted hopped up Hondas and Mazdas for the Porsches.
If you are looking for my opinion, watch this movie. If you want a good story line, great driving scenes, this is your movie.
If you are a Porsche fan, you probably have already watched this 100 times like me!
D.B. Sweeney is perfect in this role. Outside of Platoon, I think this is the best Charlie Sheen.
But, let's face it. The star of this movie is the drop dead sexy Porsche 911!
"The Fast And The Furious" completely stole from this movie. They substituted hopped up Hondas and Mazdas for the Porsches.
If you are looking for my opinion, watch this movie. If you want a good story line, great driving scenes, this is your movie.
If you are a Porsche fan, you probably have already watched this 100 times like me!
Despite starring Charlie Sheen, who has been hot for the past several years from starring in a top-rated sitcom, "No Man's Land" seems to have been all but forgotten. In fact, I have NEVER seen this movie broadcast on television - I had to rent this over the Internet to see it.
Before seeing it, I thought that maybe since the movie was rated "R", that's why I had never seen it on television. But to my surprise, the "R" rating for this movie seems a bit harsh. There's no nudity, no (onscreen) sex, there are only a few utterances of the harshest swear words (which could easily be overdubbed), and the limited violence on display could easily be shown on a television drama. The movie feels more like a PG-13.
The above is a big clue as to why I felt this movie didn't work. It's lacking grit - it feels bland and without passion. At times it feels like it was made for television. It's not only with the direction, but with the performances as well - none of the actors here seem to be very enthusiastic, and the only thing colorful about them is Randy Quaid's weird hairstyle.
One positive thing I can say about the movie is that unlike other '80s movies, this one hasn't dated that much. But that is not enough to save the movie.
P.S. - MGM's DVD of the movie is pretty bad. Not only is the movie presented full-frame, and using what seems to be an older print not made especially for this DVD, the colors frequently seem off somewhat.
Before seeing it, I thought that maybe since the movie was rated "R", that's why I had never seen it on television. But to my surprise, the "R" rating for this movie seems a bit harsh. There's no nudity, no (onscreen) sex, there are only a few utterances of the harshest swear words (which could easily be overdubbed), and the limited violence on display could easily be shown on a television drama. The movie feels more like a PG-13.
The above is a big clue as to why I felt this movie didn't work. It's lacking grit - it feels bland and without passion. At times it feels like it was made for television. It's not only with the direction, but with the performances as well - none of the actors here seem to be very enthusiastic, and the only thing colorful about them is Randy Quaid's weird hairstyle.
One positive thing I can say about the movie is that unlike other '80s movies, this one hasn't dated that much. But that is not enough to save the movie.
P.S. - MGM's DVD of the movie is pretty bad. Not only is the movie presented full-frame, and using what seems to be an older print not made especially for this DVD, the colors frequently seem off somewhat.
Once again I've got to say thank you to my Netflix 'recommended' queue, because thus far it's let me to several great movies that I never knew existed, including this one.
This was a truly good movie, with a fantastic storyline, great acting and a lot of style. Charlie Sheen turns in a terrific, understated performance, which makes you sadly recall that at one time he was a gifted young actor with a promising future ahead of him, and not an out of control bipolar freak of nature. This movie actually fell right in the middle of his golden period; shortly after 'Platoon' and just before 'Wall Street' and 'Young Guns'. He was pretty clearly at the top of his game.
The rest of the cast did wonderfully as well, especially D.B. Sweeney who handled the lead role admirably, and the incredibly beautiful and talented Lara Harris, who deserves far more work in Hollywood than she's gotten. The only character who seemed out of place was Randy Quaid as the no-nonsense lieutenant, but that's only because I've become so used to seeing him in goofball roles that it's now a bit jarring when he's serious.
I definitely enjoyed this film, and any fan of the police/thriller genre will surely enjoy it as well, as will fans of the time period in general. I'm glad I didn't pass this one over.
This was a truly good movie, with a fantastic storyline, great acting and a lot of style. Charlie Sheen turns in a terrific, understated performance, which makes you sadly recall that at one time he was a gifted young actor with a promising future ahead of him, and not an out of control bipolar freak of nature. This movie actually fell right in the middle of his golden period; shortly after 'Platoon' and just before 'Wall Street' and 'Young Guns'. He was pretty clearly at the top of his game.
The rest of the cast did wonderfully as well, especially D.B. Sweeney who handled the lead role admirably, and the incredibly beautiful and talented Lara Harris, who deserves far more work in Hollywood than she's gotten. The only character who seemed out of place was Randy Quaid as the no-nonsense lieutenant, but that's only because I've become so used to seeing him in goofball roles that it's now a bit jarring when he's serious.
I definitely enjoyed this film, and any fan of the police/thriller genre will surely enjoy it as well, as will fans of the time period in general. I'm glad I didn't pass this one over.
Charlie Sheen and Little known actor DB Sweeney star in this excellent thriller about a cop who is sent undercover at a chop shop to find out who murdered another undercover officer.
DB Sweeney is not bad as the cop who ends up blurring the line and whose loyalties become divided. Benjy (DB Sweeney) gets in way over his head when he falls for the prime suspects sister(Lara Harris), and becomes buddy's with the suspect.
Charlie Sheen is at his super smooth and sleek best as the extremely affable but ultimately very cunning Ted Varrick. A well respected guy who has cops on the payroll, steals Porsche's and still has time for lavish party's at his home. As Sheen tell's Sweeney "Welcome to the lifestyles of the rich and aimless" ! There is a lot to like about this film. The performances range from excellent (Charlie Sheen & Randy Quaid as Sweeney's boss) to good (DB Sweeney) to not so good (Lara Harris). The Car Chases are well filmed and exciting as well as pretty believable as is the storyline and the actions of the characters. The Tension between Sweeney & Sheen and the ending are well handled and leaves you satisfied at the end.
I was surprised that Character actor George Dzundza was uncredited as Benjy's Uncle Mike and he is not even listed on IMDb (I have sent a cast update to IMDb).
I highly recommend this film and would rate it 7/10
DB Sweeney is not bad as the cop who ends up blurring the line and whose loyalties become divided. Benjy (DB Sweeney) gets in way over his head when he falls for the prime suspects sister(Lara Harris), and becomes buddy's with the suspect.
Charlie Sheen is at his super smooth and sleek best as the extremely affable but ultimately very cunning Ted Varrick. A well respected guy who has cops on the payroll, steals Porsche's and still has time for lavish party's at his home. As Sheen tell's Sweeney "Welcome to the lifestyles of the rich and aimless" ! There is a lot to like about this film. The performances range from excellent (Charlie Sheen & Randy Quaid as Sweeney's boss) to good (DB Sweeney) to not so good (Lara Harris). The Car Chases are well filmed and exciting as well as pretty believable as is the storyline and the actions of the characters. The Tension between Sweeney & Sheen and the ending are well handled and leaves you satisfied at the end.
I was surprised that Character actor George Dzundza was uncredited as Benjy's Uncle Mike and he is not even listed on IMDb (I have sent a cast update to IMDb).
I highly recommend this film and would rate it 7/10
Did you know
- TriviaBrad Pitt, as a fancy party waiter with a mullet hairdo, can be seen very clearly the second after Charlie Sheen says, "Welcome to the lifestyles of the rich and aimless." He's in the middle of the room and then walks off-screen to the left.
- GoofsAfter the chase between the Porsche and the Camaro, when the Porsche gets banged up pretty bad on the right side and a window is blown out by a shotgun, the Porsche is driven into the chop shop and it doesn't have a scratch on it. In the next scene the right front end of the car is shown and it's a slightly lighter/paler color and appears to have scratches, although it looks more like mud splashes or painted-on damage than scratches.
- Quotes
[the car phone in the Porsche rings]
Benjy Taylor: Hello? No, Rick is not here. Who am I? The guy stealing Rick's car...
- Alternate versionsUK cinema and video versions were cut by 1m 5 secs by the BBFC to remove shots of a car being broken into and hot-wired. The cuts were waived in the 2005 MGM DVD.
- SoundtracksLeave My Heart Alone
Performed by James House
Written by James House, Todd Sharp and Jack Conrad
Published by Ah Rollins/Texascity Music, Ensign Corporation, Cement Chicken Music
Produced by Jack Conrad & James House
- How long is No Man's Land?Powered by Alexa
Details
Box office
- Budget
- $8,000,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $2,877,571
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $1,088,273
- Oct 25, 1987
- Gross worldwide
- $2,877,571
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