Jerry Bruckheimer and Michael Bay should have been making movies in the ‘80s. For some reason we recognize ‘80s action films for what they are: shallow plotted storylines designed primarily to get from action sequence to action sequence, with big explosions and muscles (and even a few good one-liners) thrown in along the way. We’re okay with that in an ‘80s film, but people give Bruckheimer and Bay a hard time for doing the exact same thing. I guess we think we’ve evolved as a movie going audience and so we expect better.
Well, not me darn it. Give me massive explosions. Give me high-octane car chases. Give me stupid plot devices that can be summed up in one minute just so we can fit in more explosions and car chases in the movie’s running time. Michael Bay excels at all of these things and Bruckheimer excels at finding people to do all of these things. They even manage to add in a little emotion from time to time (who didn’t feel bad about the father-daughter relationship in Armageddon?). It’s only when they attempted to shift from full-on action to some sort of historical drama/action that he lost my interest.
As Arnold and Sly ruled the ‘80s, so Nicolas Cage has ruled the best of the duo’s career. He is Bruckheimer’s action muse, delivering pointless witticisms and jumping from as many fiery explosions as Bay and other directors can throw at the man. He’s been a convict, a ranger, and a scientist – and that’s just in the two movies we’ve picked this week. In fact, Cage has probably hit on most career paths out there in some form, although truthfully he plays many of them the same. Who cares though. He’s entertaining, and that’s what we should be looking for in the movies. So, with that in mind, here’s an explosive Nicolas Cage double feature, brought to you by Bay and Bruckheimer; ‘80s action at it’s best, only a decade or so too late.
Con-Air
The premise behind Con-Air is just as weak and stupid as anything Arnold or Stallone played (or Willis for that matter). A bunch of convicts manage to take over a prioner transport airplane and it’s up to one man, a former U.S. Ranger convicted for murder, to stop them from cleanly escaping. Frequently categorized as a Michael Bay film, director Simon West has his action-career high under the tutelage of Bruckheimer. Cage, meanwhile, gets to do what he does best: Elvis impersonations, and jumping away from explosions, but the leading actor isn’t the only appeal at the movie. This is a cast stuffed to the brim with talent. Many people love John Malcovich’s psycopath leader of the convicts, but you also have Dave Chappelle cracking wise, John Cusack and Colm Meany arguing over how to handle things, and a creepy performance from Steve Buscemi that really steals scenes. Add in character actors like Danny Trejo and M.C. Gainey and you’ve got a great guilty pleasure bursting loose at the seams.
If Con-Air is filled with pleasure, than The Rock is in overflow, as Bay and Bruckheimer reunite for a fantastic action film. Much like our other film, Cage may be the film’s leading man, but he’s hardly the only appeal. Here you have Sean Connery stealing scenes as a former Alcatraz “guest” brought on to help with the unthinkable missions: breaking in to the world’s unbreakable prison. Ed Harris brings a surprisingly sympathetic side to his terrorist villain, which isn’t surprising when you see some of the other faces his company include. We’re not spoiling it here, but if you haven’t watched The Rock in a while you might want to revisit it to see if you recognize some of the other faces. Sure some of the plot is implausible and convenient, but again, we’re not watching movies like this for the story. We want explosions, gunfights, and car chases, and this movie delivers. If that’s not enough for you, go watch some Merchant-Ivory film. We’re fine with mindless action here.
Other Bay, Bruckheimer, and Cage action: Armageddon, Next, Transformers, Ghost Rider, Face/Off, Bad Boys, National Treasure
Enjoy our Double Feature suggestions? and maybe we’ll use them in a future column.
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