This actioner is set in a remote, heavily forested area in Northern California where marijuana growers raise their illegal crops and run whole communities with their terrorist tactics and wealth. The tale centers on the efforts of a fearless New York cop to free one such community from the tyranny of the pot growers. It begins with a surveyor who is leading the town's crooked sheriff to a small marijuana field he has just discovered. The surveyor is killed before he can get there. Joshua, a small boy, sees the execution and tries to get back in time to tell his parents. Unfortunately, the killers murder his family and throw him off a cliff. The boy's aunt, worried at not hearing from her family, gets suspicious and asks an old flame, NY cop Joe Dillon, to investigate. The town sheriff is not pleased by his intrusion and warns him to stay out of it. Dillon disobeys, and that is where all the action comes in.
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This Movie Showed up awhile ago on IFC. I just was able to find it to watch it Online again. Stars James Remar better known as being in the Cult Classic film the Warriors, and playing Dexters Step Dad in the Showtime Series Dexter. He Plays a NYC Detective. Who gets a call from his Ex and flys out West to get to the Bottom of some Trouble she feels a member of her family is in. You have a pretty decent Cast. Adam Coleman Howard who does not have a lot of acting credits but what is there is pretty cool and he has a Rather interesting Bio Page. Nick Cassavetes, Jared Martin, Chris Mulkey, Fran Ryan and Joey Sagal the Brother of Katie. These people have been in various TV shows and movies. It has a lot of action and many interesting scenes. In some instances it reminds me of Walking Tall. Its cool to look up the Credits of these actors and actresses and see where you might have noticed them before.
A modern Western... SHANE revisited to be exact... where an ex girlfriend calls a roughneck New York City cop for help. Seedy marijuana smugglers run the small town where she lives, and they ain't into munchies.In the beginning of the film we're introduced her family living free in the hills: yuppies without credit cards. The patriarch listens to a bad cover of California DREAMING; life is bliss till a group of marauders slay everyone except the teenage son Joshua.Adam Coleman Howard plays the part with the same rogue prowess as James Remar's urban cop Joe, and he's as just as important to the proceedings, perhaps even more being it's his personal revenge story.Bow and arrow in hand, Joshua becomes a Charles Bronson version of Robin Hood, taking out a few of the thugs, who are different than most pot smoking characters depicted in movies...Usually mellow and free spirited hippies, these daylight tokers are cut-throat and don't take prisoners. Led by a narrow eyed Jared Martin and his stone faced henchman Nick Cassavetes (son of John), the small town belongs to them Till now.When Joe enters with unassuming machismo, we learn how tough he is when locals cross him. Not like we didn't get a taste for his talent in the big city segments – ten minutes involving a shootout and cool car chase – but here's where he really matters... There's a price to pay for everyone dumb enough to try stopping him: from barroom bullies to gun-wielding thugs. Though his plight isn't an easy one; each scene brings a tougher adversary than the next.The best parts have the city cop and the teen vigilante team up against the baddest of the bad guys. Joshua learns a few fight tactics from Joe while Joe learns the geographical layout from Joshua, providing both equal footing and giving Joe someone to protect that the audience really cares about.Ample searing saxophone mixed with tense synthesizer envelop the woodsy gun battles and fistfights, occurring practically with zero downtime, proving 80 minutes is perfect for the action genre.For More Reviews: www.cultfilmfreaks.com
Quiet Cool is not what one would call a quality film. The plot is contrived and often stupid, the characters are pretty one-dimensional, and some of the editing is a bit choppy. However, what the picture lacks in story, character development, and coherency is almost entirely made up for with the presence of great character actor James Remar in the lead. The guy isn't given much of a role to play, just to act tough and look angry, two actions he puts to maximum effect here. Normally stuck in supporting roles, Quiet Cool demonstrates that, had he been given the chance, Remar could have been become a solid action hero icon. It is very easy to seeing his role in Quiet Cool being played by Stallone, Bronson, or Schwarzenegger. It follows the 80s action formula of one man taking on an entire gang of bad guys, with little to no help from anyone else. What separates this particular action-adventure from the likes of Commando and First Blood is the mix of genres. Director/co-writer Clay Borris incorporates a distinct western style not shown in many action pictures of the decade. In addition, Borris also mixes in elements of the buddy genre, the revenge genre, and the cop genre in a way that doesn't seem forced or uneven. Adding to that a couple of decent one liners and some humor, Borris leaves his own stamp on what could have been just a boring, routine story that the audience had seen a hundred times before its release in 1986. This one deserves more attention than it gets. 7/10
I agree with Jessica, this movie is pretty bad. I'm surprised anyone took it seriously. Characters are one-dimensional, even the good guys and especially the bad guys. The only merit here is that it's so lame it's funny. Actually for me, there is the added benefit that it was shot in a state park not far from where I live, so seeing some local sights on the big screen is a hoot.The lead character is a off-duty cop, and makes a big point of lecturing a good guy that vigilante justice is not just a bad idea, it's against the law. Imagine how long that lasts ...Most of the movie's Northern California characters are blown-dried Hollywood cheese-balls, looking like they've never actually been in a fight. The story line is totally predictable. This film is ripe for a MST-3K lampooning. CAMP value only. I'm pretty forgiving of films in general, but seeing the old positive reviews I had to speak up. This is a dog. I give it a 3 out of 10, and then only for laughs.
