Directed by: Andrei Konchalovsky
Written by: Randy Feldman
Starring: Sylvester Stallone, Kurt Russell, Jack Palance, Teri Hatcher, Michael J. Pollard
Rating: [3/5]
Unlikely pairings in buddy cop duos always allow these movies to have some level of inherent entertainment as we watch two individuals of different styles come together to do something bigger than themselves. Many movies capture this dynamic all delivering some entertaining work Tango & Cash sits right among them as something not really doing anything extraordinary but certainly getting the job done.
Successful in their own ways as cops, Lieutenant Raymond “Ray” Tango (Sylvester Stallone) and Lieutenant Gabriel “Gabe” Cash (Kurt Russell) each gets framed for a crime they did not commit by parties interested in besmirching their reputations and putting them away. Now both in jail, this duo that does not care much for each other must find a way out to clear their name and stop the criminal who framed them.
If not presenting anything new or fresh, the very least any film could do is give us characters worth caring about entertain in the way they entertain. Tango & Cash opts for the latter option in presenting this buddy cop movie starring Kurt Russell and Sylvester Stallone who cut their teeth in various different properties but teamed up together to make this silly little romp. In this feature, we have two guys who do not care one lick about each other and the way they go about their police work but their circumstances have brought them together. The always well-groomed and suited Tango and the wild and gruff Cash put their heads together and their egos aside for the sake of this case, which makes for several fun sequences within the film.
The ultimate highlight of the feature occurs fairly early in the prison sequence, where they need to find their way out of it unscathed. As the film establishes, these two sit at the very top of the game as police officers in putting away criminals making this frame job to put them in prison a death sentence. Filled with individuals they have put away, getting put in jail assures they will arrive with noticeable targets on their back by perps who want to enact some revenge against the men who put them there. It serves as the ultimate goal of Yves Perret (Jack Palance) where he ruins their reputation and then they die all without him lifting a finger in the end.
This sequence puts these two with their backs against the walls and need to rely on each other to reach safety showing the wonderful collaboration they can have if they just try to get along and get things done. Things get pretty dangerous for them in there and allow them to flex in their own way, which all leads to when they make it out into the world and they continue their journey to clear their name and catch Yves Perret.
As mentioned earlier, Russell and Stallone truly make this film, seeing as the plot does not really deliver much to delve into but when you have the energy these two bring to this film, it allows plenty to be forgiven. Russell portrays the more renegade cop who does things his way evoking a similar look and appearance to what he did in Big Trouble in Little China while Stallone goes for something a bit different. Instead, he opts to play this more suave and more prissy character to provide the proper counterbalance to what Russell provides to this feature and he does a delightful job at that. Seeing him as this straightforward in his nice suits and glasses displays the man giving some range in a career where he has not expanded as much as one would want when delving into the action genre.
Not much depth but not needed when you have two fun actors involved in an entertaining story. This ultimately tells the tale of the tape for Tango & Cash where we follow two guys trying to clear their name and having to go through some tough obstacles in order to do so. The action set pieces and cheesy one-liners fit very very well with what these two typically did in the 1980s allowing for them to shine once again in this feature. What they do here does not sit amongst the pantheon of what they have accomplished throughout their careers, but it certainly stands as a fine addition as this feature succeeds in trying to entertain.
Films with Josh 
