Wanted Dead or Alive

A rather convoluted and tedious 'action' movie from the 80s, Wanted: Dead or Alive stars Rutger Hauer as Nick Randall, a tough-as-nails bounty hunter on the trail of nasty Arab terrorists (led by Malak Al Rahim played by Gene Simmons), who are out and about in L.A. blowing up innocent people. Hauer is his usual reliable self, and turns in a good performance as the hardboiled ex-CIA operative who makes his living bringing in the bad guys any way he can. Likewise, Simmons (the demon bassist from my favourite rock band, Kiss) makes the most of his part as the head terrorist, sneering and glowering to the max and generally looking very evil. But with its rather dull script and pedestrian direction from Gary Sherman, even they can't save this movie from being a less than average production. Apart from a few bits of nasty violence, and a nifty ending which sees Randall wreaking revenge on Malak Al Rahim in explosive fashion, Wanted: Dead or Alive is a pretty forgettable movie.

After making his mark playing vicious characters in NIGHTHAWKS, THE HITCHER and FLESH + BLOOD, Rutger Hauer plays the hero in a solid action thriller,set in LA. While it is not as slick as the first LETHAL WEAPON movie, it is still quite witty and entertaining. Gene Simmons gives an understated, menacing performance as the terrorist and there's some good action.

WANTED: DEAD OR ALIVE is a star vehicle for Dutch strongman Rutger Hauer and a pseudo remake of an old '50s TV series with Steve McQueen, no less. It turns out to be a typical chase kind of thriller as our antihero is employed by the CIA to track down an international terrorist, played somewhat implausibly by KISS frontman Gene Simmons. What follows is a usual slew of car chases and shoot-outs, with some minor conspiracy sub-plotting along the way. Hauer is a big presence here but I found the plotting quite predictable and the action scenes paling in comparison to those featuring in films by Schwarzenegger and Stallone during the era, particularly COBRA.

I'm not sure if this movie was supposed to be taken seriously or not, but the way I looked at, it was fun. I enjoyed everything about it and especially the characters. In particular I liked Nick ( Hauer ) and Phil ( Robert Guilleaume ). They had a familiarity to them, almost like you have met them somewhere before. Maybe you sat down to have a drink with them before and they told you a few stories. And this makes it fun to watch. Another strength this film has is its little subtleties. Like when, after catching a criminal, Nick puts him in the truck of the car because he wreaks of booze. Now that is funny. This really is a fun film and there are lots of interesting and fun little macho lines in the film to please any fan of the genre. Check it out.

Having only a passing tie to the late '50's/ early 60's Steve McQueen helmed TV show of the same name (Nick is Josh grandson or some such nonsense), this movie is a mean and violent little number has B-movie mainstay Rutger Hauer starring as Nick Randall, a tough talking, no nonsense, 'my way or the highway' type bounty hunter who comes out of retirement at the request of Benson..sorry I mean Robert Guillaume (who always has some of the best lines in the movie as Philmore Walker) to apprehend a nefarious terrorist Arab (played ironically by Gene Simmons). He does so with tactics that would make Jack Bauer whimper in the corner, while at the same time dealing with slimy bureaucratic red-tape. This is a great mindless action flick and holds up well amongst repeat viewings. But the mere fact that the Writer/Director of this great little film went on to write and direct the utterly horrid "Poltergeist III" right afterwards boggles the mind. My Grade: B+

I recently revisited "Wanted Dead Or Alive" after a period of almost 20 years. The film's really stood the test of time and it's a shame there weren't any sequels produced. Rutger Hauer's time as an action hero was short-lived. The film's low budget roots can't be missed but there are enough strong performances from the cast to carry the movie. Hauer's bachelor loft is the ultimate guy pad and, in my opinion, worth watching the movie for. To say his crib is cool is the understatement of the year. Gene Simmons delivers the goods as a thoroughly nasty baddie. Great '80s "B"-movie fun.