Harley Davidson And The Marlboro Man
Itâs amazing how something can come out in a certain era that not only is way ahead of its own time, but for what has been billed as a âcheesyâ b grade action movie, actually has a statement to make not only about our changing times but also that of the so called âold guardâ stepping aside, taking their values with them in the process while eerily looking ahead to the times that we live in today. And when released in 1991 (although the story takes place 5 years in the future), this film managed to get scathing reviews from almost all the major critics who didnât seem to grasp that meaning nor the style of the storytelling. Reportedly even stars Mickey Rourke and Don Johnson hated it, and have written it off in interviews ever since as just being a quick payday for the both of them. But of course as times do change as do both economic and social climates, this film has managed to find a new appreciation and sizeable following for itself due in many ways to the cynical, downbeat themes of this otherwise freewheeling action packed spectacle. Just the title charactersâ names themselves (Rourke as Harley and Johnson as Marlboro) are meant to sum up the ideas that they are the last of the classic American archetypes, with Harley being the lone wolf biker who has been âall overâ and Marlboro (naturally) being the last of the true cowboys, swaggering around and shooting pool while talking a line of shit to the unfortunate opponent who can only stand there and watch as he gets decimated. The two of them are best friends and virtual brothers though, with some interesting contrasts when it comes to their character quirks, as Harley is a recovered alcoholic and Marlboro is an ex smoker (hilarious irony given his name even as he always has an unlit cigarette dangling out of his mouth) although Harley smokes like a chimney and Marlboro drinks like itâs nobodyâs business (usually in front of each other), and thatâs in addition to the fact that Marlboro is a crack shot with a gun while Harley notoriously canât shoot for shit (although he can handle himself very well in a brawl). The film opens brilliantly, iconically really, as Harley wakes up somewhere in Texas, hops on his trusty steed, and rides out to LA over the opening credits as the unforgettable use of Bon Joviâs Wanted Dead Or Alive is made the most of by being played over the soundtrack, and immediately director Simon Wincer drives home a beautiful point, that no matter what the media pushes as the latest fad on TV or what gets made a big deal of in the big cities, this country is still comprised mainly of smaller towns where the capacity for living life to the fullest and having true freedom is actually even easier to attain than in the overcrowded metropolises that far too many today call home. Once back in LA and reunited with Marlboro after two years, they head for their favorite watering hole which is frequented by their own extended âfamilyâ, which includes the aging owner (Julius Harris), his Jimi Hendrix loving son (Giancarlo Esposito), the deaf mute Mexican bartender (Eloy Casados), and their big guy running buddy (late and much missed pro wrestling legend Big John Studd) who has an old romantic score to settle with Harley over an indiscretion with his drop dead beautiful wife (Vanessa Williams) and just from that we can already sense that this movie has a beautifully original mojo all its own, as any cinematic world where the wrestler who once notoriously cut Andre The Giantâs hair can be married to a former Miss America is one that we just KNOW weâd like to spend more time in, which is perhaps related to the filmâs biggest flaw in that despite a brisk running time and breakneck pace to the story, it would have been nice if the âmythologyâ that gets created here with these characters was somehow expanded upon and given more room to breathe with further character development or even subplots (even Studdâs predictably bad acting has its own unique charm). Whatâs even of greater note is the realization that most of the âgood guyâ characters here are almost all middle aged or older, while all the âbad guysâ (including the lead villain) are actually considerably younger in both age and attitude, and thatâs where the story draws the line, as Harley and Marlboroâs personal ethos of decency, honor, integrity, and loyalty are a stark contrast to the younger villains, who seem to possess NONE of these things (including to each other), as the main plot involves the bar being made to pay an enormously higher lease by the bank or else be forced to close up, so the gang decides (going against Marlboroâs better concerns) to hold up one of the bankâs own armored trucks to get the money, only to run head long into an almost robotic like hit squad led by Daniel Baldwin, approaching their prey with an almost precision, even choreographed intensity, and showing such a callow, heartless nature about them that they even machine gun their own armored truck guards to death just for getting in the way. Turns out that the âmoneyâ that they stole was actually a new and popular drug on the streets called Crystal Dream, which is ingested in the form of eyedrops which cause hallucinations. But the REAL danger lies in these regular Joes now knowing the bankâs dirty secret: That a major corporate entity that is solely in the business of making money has now taken up as its new pursuit the sale and distribution of deadly, illegal, and highly addictive narcotics as a way to further maximize profits (an idea which may have led to the film being somewhat buried by the mainstream since that very concept might have some legitimate bearing in real life truth and explaining where much of the drugs that are on the street actually come from and whoâs bringing it in), with the trail leading all the way up to the hotshot bank president played by a young Tom Sizemore, purposely underplaying his suit and tie mastermind in order to demonstrate really just how unthreatening he really is in person, but also clever enough to try and goad Marlboro to just go ahead and shoot him dead right there on the spot, knowing full well that Marlboroâs sense of fair play will prevent him from gunning down an unarmed man in cold blood, no matter how rotten a son of a bitch he might be or how pure he and Harleyâs motivation for revenge is. These and other small but noticeable touches is what brings things full circle, emphasizing how the days when American males strived to be âreal menâ and worshipped John Wayne along with other movie icons like him were rapidly coming to an end, only to be replaced by a morally and artistically corrupt new generation of youth who decided to make up their own rules as they went along while not at all realizing that there has been nothing âbetterâ about the way that they have been going about things at all, not to mention also being smarmy, mealy mouthed punks with an acute lack of respect for their elders and an almost innate inability to ever truly back up nearly anything that they say. And that is really how the film rings so eerily true today, as what must have seemed like a cute and quaint concept at the time is now something that many people today can actually find a way to relate to which is why itâs successfully gone down in the record books as an underappreciated effort even within the ranks of cult cinema and yet it still retains the power of its message underneath a veneer of ultra cool machismo and unique, top of the line action cinema where any regular Joe can just sit back, pop open a beer, and enjoy immensely while happily being able to check their brain in at the doorâŚ
9/10