L'Escorte Infernale

Lowbrow humor to spare in this low-budget knock-off of "The Last Detail." Undemanding fun...Hopper's direction is loose and raunchy (he also scores in a brief role as a horny traveling lingerie salesman) and Tom Berenger is great as a gruff, crusty military man stuck performing a transport detail with a scheming, wet-behind-the-ears private in tow. Don't expect a classic and you might be pleasantly surprised. Hardly a classic for the ages, but still quite enjoyable if you enter with lowered expectations. Plenty of clichés, but a few memorably funny sequences and some funny lines make it worth watching. Eleniak's considerable physical charms on full display don't hurt either.

I'll admit, when I first saw this film, in 1994, I thought it was sophomoric, with overripe performances, a brain-dead plot, and an extremely gratuitous sex scene tossed in to show off Erika Eleniak's considerable assets. However, seeing it again, recently, I came to realize this was actually a send-up of the 'good ol' boy' comedies of the seventies, the kind of 'B' movies Roger Corman produced, when he introduced directors like Ron Howard. As such, it's very enjoyable, and certainly worth another look!

The premise is that of an old-fashioned service comedy, with wheeler-dealer William McNamara and put-upon pal Crispen Glover pulling off one last big score before McNamara's discharge. Unfortunately, the scam goes awry as the young con artist is 'recruited' to assist grizzled vet 'Rock Reilly' (Tom Berenger, spitting out dialogue with a whiskey-soaked growl) in a prisoner transfer. The prisoner turns out to be the luscious Erika Eleniak, and as she quickly makes the first of several escape attempts, you get to see: a) exciting new uses for feminine hygiene products; b) the redneck charm of the countryside between Charleston and North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina; c) some great cameos by Dean Stockwell, Seymour Cassel, Gary Busey, Marilu Henner, Fredric Forrest, and Hopper, himself (sporting a bulbous nose and a blow-up sex toy!); d) the famous Eleniak nude love scene, followed by McNamara chasing her, naked, after she runs, again (he shows more skin than she does); and e) the obligatory happy ending, as Berenger proves he has a 'heart of gold', and that 'love (or a healthy lust, anyway!) conquers all'.

Is this a classic? Are you kidding? Then again, neither were the Corman films...but as a tribute to the genre, 'Chasers' is fun, and a terrific 'kick off the shoes, pop some popcorn' flick!

This movie has a bad rap but it's actually quite fun. It centers around two Baval officers who have to escort a female prisoner to a new location. The officers are portrayed by the handsome Tom Berenger and sexy William Macnamara. And the prisoner is the gorgeous and hysterical Erika Eleniak. The movie is quite fun and most of the jokes hit right where they should. It's also sexy and the three develop a believable and likable bond. Although unsuccessful at the box office and with critics the movie stands as an entertaining if slightly forgettable buddy comedy.

Budget: $15M Box Office: $1.6M

7/10

That's it for this movie. Basically the whole thing is awful.Erika's love scene is pretty hot, I must say, even with the lame wanna-be Tom Cruise actor. She's all his since she's handcuffed to the bed and the "You're making me hot" and "I'm ready" lines. Nice body. Bad picture. View only if your bored and it's uncut.

Navy officials Berenger and McNamara are assigned to escort prisoner Eliniak to start serving time but their trip doesn't go all that smoothly.

Despite the presence of the terribly annoying William McNamara, Chasers is really an O.K. way to spend less than two hours. Obviously it's not as good as 1973's The Last Detail but it has it's moments. Tom Berenger and Erika Eliniak compensate for McNamara and deliver good performances but the array of good cameos are sorely misused. Gary Busey and Crispin Glover provide a few chuckles but Dennis Hopper, Dean Stockwell and Marilu Henner have nothing to do here.

Still, if you're in a forgiving frame of mind and keep your expectations low this film quite alright.