A story that meanders and sort of goes nowhere despite the best of intentions. Nice cinematography and great cast though, Mel Gibson and Kurt Russell bounce well off each other as two old friends on opposite sides of the law. Michelle Pfeiffer is a perfect addition as the woman they both fall for.I remember liking this movie when I originally saw it, way back when but this time around not so much. Hideously dated sax music throughout -as all the movies from this time 80s tended to have- was partially to blame but the whole story just felt a bit dry.On the plus side the cast is superb Raul Julia steals every scene he's in as Carlos the charismatic dealer, Kurt is sleazy with his cocky cop attitude, cigarettes and slicked back hair, determined to get the girl and bring down his old friend. He actually reminded me of Dano from Hawaii five-0. Michelle Pfieiffer is beautiful and lovely as per, a sweet romance there. Yeah poor Mel, nobody will believe he's gone straight.

The only thing I heard about "Tequila Sunrise" back in the '80s was that it had a sexy hot tub scene. Does it ever.But the movie is more than that. It's the story of friendship and betrayal with some stunning cinematic moments.Mac Mckussic (Mel Gibson) is a drug dealer trying to go straight. His friend Nick Drescia (Kurt Russell) is the cop investigating him. Both Mac and Nick are attracted to Jo Ann (Michelle Pfeiffer), the owner of an Italian restaurant. What Nick wants from her, though, is information about Mac's plans. He wants to know more about Mac's drug dealing plans and his connections with a major Mexican dealer, Carlos, whom the police believe is coming to town to meet with Mac. "Tequila Sunrise" isn't heavy on action, which I suppose is one criticism, and it has some complicated subplots. And I'm not really sure you'd call it a noir - noirish maybe. What makes it interesting are the performances of Gibson, Pfeiffer, Russell -- and their beautiful looks -- and Raul Julia and J.T. Walsh, both marvelous.Someone described this as a chick flick. It's not hard-hitting like director Towne's classic Chinatown. It draws on some old themes - a love triangle, loyalty, friendship -- and it succeeds on that level. Comparing it to Chinatown won't get you anywhere.

This tall tale finds Kurt Russell and Mel Gibson as a couple of long time friends who now find themselves on opposite sides of the law - Mel as a "retired" drug dealer and Kurt as the cop tasked with bringing him down. Michelle Pfeiffer (looking about as sensational as ever) finds herself in the middle of these two strapping studs as a story of drugs, sex, love and double crosses unfolds. Who are good guys? Who are the bad? Not sure who's got the moral high ground here but in the end it doesn't really matter. Robert Towne not only wrote a brilliant screen play, he did a great job of directing this film. While you might not think Mel Gibson, Kurt Russell, Michelle Pfeiffer and Raul Julia are the best actors of their generation, this movie is surely one of the best works in their repertoire.Compared to the average cop movie, the film is slow. On the plus side, considering it's a Hollywood movie, the film has an unusual ability to see shades of grey. At the end of the day, both of those observations stem from that fact that the film is primarily a romance with a police investigation backdrop. The characters are well drawn for crime film but are still pretty two dimensional for a romantic drama. Overall rating: 7 out of 10.

Dale 'Mac' McKussic was a successful drug dealer in Southern California but now it seems he wants to go straight; unfortunately nobody else seems to want him to leave the business and the DEA are desperate to put him away. His situation is further complicated because Mac's old friend Nick Frescia just happens to be the local police officer leading the investigation; he doesn't want to bust his friend but will if he has to. Mac frequents a restaurant owned by Jo Ann Vallenari because he rather fancies her; the DEA believe he must be doing something illicit there so Nick gets close to Jo Ann to find out what she knows… especially anything concerning 'Carlos'; a Mexican drug baron who is rumoured to be coming north for a major deal involving Mac.This is a solid film that nicely combines a crime thriller with a dash of romance. Mel Gibson does a fine job as Mac; we know that the character has been involved in the drug business but the way he is portrayed makes him likable and keeps the viewer hoping he is being honest about leaving the business… even when evidence often suggests otherwise. Kurt Russell also does a solid job as Nick and Michelle Pfeiffer impresses as Jo Ann. The rest of the cast, which includes the likes of J. T. Walsh and Raul Julia are pretty good too. The story is interesting with a decent number of twists before the tense and explosive conclusion. Overall I'd say that this is a pretty good film; not a must see but is worth seeing if you are a fan of the genre or any of the stars.