Les kamikazes de l'arnaque

The most notable thing with this movie might just be how strikingly handsome Corey Haim is here. The cover art doesn't do him justice at all.

Haim got pigeonholed into these often weird slapstick heavy movies. He does handle slapstick well so no problem there.

As long as you know you're getting a Haim slapstick movie, it's not bad.

But there are script and production problems here. The bridge across the canyon sequence (with Haim in a dress) is such a bizarre set piece, it feels like a hallucination. Beyond that, the gag where the two leads are falling goes on and on and on. It starts to feel like Bill and Ted or the like and quite out of place.

The final action sequence also somehow isn't as funny as it's trying to be. Perhaps because it feels like Haim's character really is in peril.

Corey Haim is so obnoxious in this film. I mean, he's by and large a terrible actor. No range whatsoever. But his character is so annoying here. And when he keeps saying "Pop" to his dad every few lines... it's like nails on a chalkboard. The whole movie is a waste of time. Some of the action was decent, but barely. No wonder it went straight to video when it was tested for audiences, and everyone hated. The directing is awful. No sense of tone, pacing, acting, humor, tension. It plays so flat and lazy. Save 90 mins of your life, and spend it staring at a wall... that would be a better use of time.

Good lord, I've got to stop wasting my money on movies from the post-1989 catalog of Corey Haim (except for Prayer of the Rollerboys, which was a decent surprise). This being, of course, yet another film in which those not so overly nostlagic will realize that Corey had hit rock bottom and would never recover.

Fast Getaway is the light-comedy adventures of a team of father-and-son bankrobbers. After a disagreement among their gang of four which included a clueless doofus and a black belt blonde, Nelson (Corey Haim) and his dad decide to rob banks alone. Only Nelson's dad expects it to be temporary, wanting his son to go legit so he can end up in law school or business school (the man has no clear idea of his expectations as to which graduate school track he expects his son to take other than whatever will allow an easy transition into white collar crime) much to the chagrin of Nelson, who loves the life of easy money. But, the team are not as invincible as they think they are when they're busted for robbing a bank in a squat town in Utah around the same time a stranger to the past enters their lives as does their scheming former partners.

It has all the depth of the notorious 'Cool as Ice' "action" film (ranked as one of the worst 100 movies on IMDb), and about as much of the same cheesy writing. I particularly enjoy the scene in which Nelson and dear old dad, trying to escape from the police by anchoring over a bridge, plunge thousands of feet straight down into shallow, rocky rapids and live to tell the tale...completely unscathed, mind you. Or, the finale in which brave Nelson is being dragged from a truck while holding onto a chain link fence that neither eletrocutes him or gets too hot to hold as it is scraped across the pavement for miles. Nor, does it flip with the sharp turns of the truck and the lack of support by his weight. And, I especially cringe at Corey Haim's half-concocted Italian-American accent that reared itself during random moments, not to mention his terrible array of slang, especially in many of the references to women.

Recommended for anyone who can watch any number of Corey Haim's early 90s disasters and actually find them enjoyable.

My review was written in July 1991 after watching the film on RCA/Columbia video cassette.

A pleasant, unpretentious action picture, "Fast Getaway" will appeal to video fans tired of overblown, hyped-up cinema. Typical of medium-range indie product today, pic had only brief regional test ruins this spring before its ancillary release.

Drive-ins are the natural home for this amoral romp depicting the misadventures of an itinerant gang of bank robbers that include Leo Rossi and his son Corey Haim.

Plot is set into motion when dissension spits up the quartet, leaving Cynthia Rothrock and Len Lerner with a grudge against Rossi and fils. They fink to the cops, and Rossi is caught. Haim's real mother (Marcia Strasman) claims the youngster but poses as an old friend of his dad's rather than coming clean with her true identity.

Haim's reuniting with his dad (he breaks him out of jail) and gradual return to a nuclear family are the subplots to a pic heavy on chases and stunts.

Debuting feature director Spro Razatos brings a background of stunt direction that pays off in several exciting sequences, notably a scene of our heroes hanging off a bridge far above a river.

Acting by the principals is fine, with Rossi and Haim a comfortable team and martial arts star Rothrock giving a good showcase combining her high-kicking violent streak with sex appeal. Beautiful young actress Shelli Lether is a find as the neighbor who ends Haim's lingering virginity.

This film did not work on many levels. Its been covered on other previous reviews. I would have to agree, and that is why my rating is a 6. There is nothing more aggravating than a movie with big gaping holes in it. Especially in regards to some of the action sequences being absurdly unrealistic. In most cases, these things ruin a film. Not so in this film! Its just not the type of film for some reason that is ruined by such things. Go figure. In my opinion, This films strengths lie in the talent of its lead and the fun that I had as an audience member who was able to suspend his disbelief. Mr. Haim completely makes this possible.

I rented this movie because I've always enjoyed Corey Haim. Im a child of the 80z so... I think his performance as an actor in this is magnificent! Im an actor myself and let me tell ya, it isn't easy! An audience member may think its easy because all they see is the finished product. But the mark of a good actor is that they make it look easy! The work involved is very painstaking to say the least. There are so many moments where Corey plays the love, humor, mischief, etc... Actors don't play those things on screen very well generally speaking. What a rare talent! I give Mr. Haim a 12 out of 10 here. The movie. A 6. Peace and Love and you will be missed Corey Haim.