LARENZ TATE, CHRIS TUCKER & BOKEEM WOODBINE PULL OFF AN ARMORED CAR ROBBERY AFTER RETURNING FROM THE VIETNAM WAR IN "DEAD PRESIDENTS" (1995)

Anthony (Larenz Tate) has returned home from the Vietnam War with a Seargent's rank but very little else to show for it. Except now he also has a 4-year-old child and wife to try and support. And his good bud (Chris Tucker) is now a heroin addict, another pal he fought alongside Cleon (Bokeem Woodbine) a whacked-out two-bit preacher. They all need money and come together to rob an armored car.

Beautifully structured in a three-act format the film is also very loosely based on several real news stories which I won't get into here. It borders on being a character study film with Tate's character Anthony at the center of everything, however, I think it's better described as a powerful drama about a group of buddies who grew up in the hood, got shipped off to Vietnam, and came back to virtually no support. Unless, of course, you got a dose of Agent Orange. 

The legendary Keith David is also in this, he plays Kirby, a sort of mentor and father figure to Anthony. And look out, Clifton Powell as "Cutty" the neighborhood badass in a scene where he straightens Anthony out on a few things is acting at it's finest. All eyes on Tate though, he totally owns this film and role. I like to think I don't throw these opinions out lightly - Larenz Tate's performance in this is Oscar worthy 100%.

The soundtrack was a huge success, eveni going to #1 on the R&B Billboard. It's chock full of good ole stuff - James Brown, Sly & The Fanily Stone, Issac Hayes and so on. Dead Presidents streams on Tubi for the next 19 days, it's a great film from the Hughes Brothers.    4.0 stars/5

ANDREW MCCARTHY, GOATEE INCLUDED, HAS THE MOB'S MONEY IN MARK L LESTER'S "NIGHT OF THE RUNNING MAN" (1995)

 

Adapted from a novel, this mid-90's crime thriller by Mark L Lester has some teeth and then some. McCarthy plays a cabbie who finds a bunch of loot and foolishly decides to run from the mob. Nothing new here plot-wise, right, but put it in the hands of Mark L Lester and he's going to make something cool out of it. 

Even though Scott Glenn is top billed, this is really an Andrew McCarthy flick as I see it, he's the protagonist and in most scenes. Lester's never really been an actor's director and all of the performances here are in line with his other films, just adequate. The emphasis is on the action and the kills. 

Lester always seems to come up with interestingly gory kills (Class Of 84 is full of them) and there's a scene here with my man John Glover, oh he's so good at playing those bad boys. In an effort to get the cabbie to tell where the money is hid - well let's just say you'll never look at a spaghetti pot the same way again.

After an HBO debut in January 1995, Running Man went straight-to-video. It was Lester's first film with his own company calling all the shots. An effective thriller worth at least one watch and fortunately for us has Lester's creative stamp all over it. 

Streams on Tubi & Roku.  2.75 stars/2.75

Mark L Lester