Conference bookie::movies

457.0. "Harley Davidson and the Marlboro Man" by 65320::RIVERS (Stupid, STUPID rat creatures!) Mon Feb 07 1994 11:49

    Harley Davidson and the Marlboro Man stars Mickey Rourke and Don
    Johnson as the scruffy man's-men title heroes (respectively).  Although
    you have to be paying some attention to notice, the movie takes place
    in the near future (1996, I believe) in some fairly unspecified city
    which seems to include the LA area and Las Vegas.  It's sort of a
    lawless place, this near-future, with lots of dust, leather,
    motorcycles and gritty, blue collar good old boy-types.  
    
    Harley is a good natured biker type who rides (surprise) a Harley
    Davidson and quite possibly, the worse marksman in the world (he
    couldn't hit the proverbial broad side of a barn with a .454 from two
    feet away.  This is made clear later on. :)  He's been left by his 
    girlfriend and returns to the city (Las Vegas?  I'm never clear, myself) 
    just in time to help his buddy, the Marlboro Man, not get killed as the
    result of hustling the wrong Indian at pool.  The Marlboro Man (or
    Robert, as his sometimes girlfriend calls him later on) is a dusty,
    fairly cynical cowboy type (surprise) who also rides a motorbike, but
    it's not a Harley.  The bike breaks downe early on, giving us a chance
    to learn that Marlboro is as good a shot with a gun as Harley is as bad
    of a shot, which at least means one of them has some small chance at
    survival.  :)
    
    The movie generally concerns our heroes trying to help out their
    friends, who's bar in Burbank is being squeezed out by greedy land
    developers.  In order to raise case to buy out the lease on the bar,
    our heroes hold up an armored car.  But alas, they do not end up with
    money, but drugs.  Really valuable, new-fangled street drugs.  Zounds.  
    This makes the powerful figures who are now missing the drugs quite 
    angry and they extract their revenge, toasting Harley and Roberts' 
    friends in an effort to get their dope back.  When this fails, they go
    after Harley and Robert, who, needless to say, spend a lot of time
    trying not to get killed.  Add to this a minor subplot with Robert's
    girlfriend, tired of waiting around for him to show up, getting married
    and poor Harley's attempt to become a better shot, and you have a
    fairly enjoyable, kinda fun macho man, red-blooded, buddy movie.  
    
    If you liked movies such as Roadhouse (I know I did, even though I
    always think of MST3K's "Let's all have a Patrick Swayze Xmas" when I
    watch it now), you'll probably like Harley Davidson and the Marlboro
    Man.  If you like dusty men, stubble, leather, some pretty but
    otherwise useless women, motorcyles, steely eyed, tainted protagonists 
    and men who don't regret killin' who needs killin', you'll probably 
    like this.  If you like either Don Johnson or Mickey Rourke (who looked 
    a lot like Bruce Willis in this one), you'll probably like it.  
    
    I don't believe this did well in the theatres -- in fact, I can't
    remember seeing a trailer for it, although I do recall the ads.  I
    am almost certain critics didn't like it (the word inane comes to
    mind).  But hell, it's worth a video rental.  Or two.  
    
    Best line:  "I can't believe you shot me!"  -- The Marlboro Man to
    Harley
    
    **.75 out of ****
    
    kim    

    A neighbour lent us this movie on video and I liked it.  It was the
    interaction between the two characters played by Don Johnson and 
    Mickey Rourke that I found appealing.
    
    Yes there's dust, leather, motorcycles and the like - but it's
    entertaining.  I would recommend it as a video.
    
    Patricia

	One of the few times when Don Johnson actually entertained me.
	Great interaction between the two stars, good action, very
	tongue-in-cheek, great finish...

	As a "greatest film of all time", no way...
	For sheer escapist entertainment, 3 out of 4.