Renegades (1989)
I’m kicking this volume off with action when a streetwise undercover cop teams up with a Native American man to hunt down the criminals who stole an ancient tribal lance. These guys trusted no one, until they had to trust each other in Renegades from 1989 starring Lou Diamond Phillips, Kiefer Sutherland, Robert Knepper, and Jami Gertz from director Jack Sholder.
Now Renegades isn’t a groundbreaking film by any means and the buddy cop formula blended with the clash of cultures has been done time and time again to admittedly better results. But with that said there’s a modest amount of fun to be found in this little relic of buddy cop action flicks of the past. Phillips and Sutherland are a fine pair, they don’t really command the screen but they both have their moments and they do rouse spots of appeal as they proceed through the motions of this traditional plot. The banter between Phillips and Sutherland has its amusement, their bristly chemistry works for their roles, and they are both more than capable in the action sequences. There are a collection of enjoyable action set-pieces as well from shootouts to chase sequences, and fist fights, Renegades delivers a dash of it all and despite the plot progressions feeling a bit like filler, this is an easily engaging movie you’ll have fun with even if you forget it all by the next day.
D.A.R.Y.L. (1985)
We’re stepping into the world of fantasy and science-fiction when a normal family finds a young boy abandon in the woods and when they take him in the discover he is far from ordinary and capable of superhuman abilities in the 1985 family adventure D.A.R.Y.L. from director Simon Wincer starring Mary Beth Hurt, Michael McKean, and Barret Oliver as Daryl.
Now admittedly there is an “After School Special” vibe to this movie and there are hindrances in the writing that do get in the way of the suspenseful elements really sticking their landing. Most notably the silliness of the plot. The performances from the younger cast members are also a bit stiff and on-the-nose but despite the silly, over sweetened tone of this slight riff on E.T. there’s plenty of lighthearted and uplifting moments to make D.A.R.Y.L. an entertaining family film from the 80s with just enough heart to sweep you up on the clearly formulaic ride. The pacing is relatively steady as it works through its plot beats and even if you can assume where things will go, there is a sincerity to the film and the performances from Hurt and McKean make you feel like you’re watching something better than it really is. This was a movie I enjoyed as a kid and nostalgia delivered from D.A.R.Y.L. is a heartwarming reminder of the sentimentally silly 80s movies we grew up with.
I’m Gonna Git You Sucka (1988)
Next up is an all-time great comedy, a film that may not be so forgotten to all. It’s about a man who returns home from the army and teams up with his heroes to take down the neighborhood crime lord in the 1988 blaxploitation comedy I’m Gonna Git You Sucka written by, directed by, and starring Keenan Ivory Wayans as well as Bernie Casey, Antonio Fargas, Steve James, Jim Brown, Isaac Hayes, and many more.
Satire comedy doesn’t get much better than I’m Gonna Git You Sucka and Wayans’ laugh-out-loud satirical spin on the 70s blaxploitation film is filled with sharp writing, endless comical scenarios, and a buffet of comically brilliant performances. This movie moves fast, the music is the pulse, and the ensemble cast provides a huge collection of likable characters all with their own varying personalities. This is a movie having fun with itself and you naturally have fun with it as sitting down for this movie is like time traveling back into the 70s and it’s still a great time now. The cast is filled with familiar faces, and everyone goes all-in on these performances. The humor isn’t worried about being offensive, it just keeps its foot on the gas and while this movie may not be forgotten for more hardcore film fans, casual movie fans, or those still growing to cinephile status may not have taken this hilarious ride.
Firefox (1982)
This next forgotten gem is filled with action and suspense when a war hero will embark on an undercover mission deep inside Russia to find and steal the most sophisticated plane ever created in the thrilling 1982 adventure Firefox directed by and starring Clint Eastwood, as well as Freddie Jones, Kenneth Colley, David Huffman, Ronald Lacey, and Nigel Hawthorne.
This is certainly not Peak Eastwood and Firefox is not without its flaws. Primarily the length hovering around 2hrs 15min is about 30min longer than it needs to be. This results in some lulls where the film gets a bit too talky. It’s also a bit too sanitized with its PG rating. However, I think this film has aged surprisingly well overtime and I do think Firefox is one of those slower paced action thrillers that are fun to sit back to on a rainy weekend afternoon. Eastwood commands the screen front and center and the sci-fi elements as improbable as they are do give the film splashes of enjoyable action with nostalgically campy effects as Eastwood veers from James Bond to Luke Skywalker. There are a few thrilling moments, and the methodical progression works well in places, the final act is also a satisfying ending filled with action and spectacle and sure it’s not a great film, but I do think it’s able to exceed its flaws to be a good time.
Casual Sex? (1988)
We’re stepping back into comedy with this next little gem. This one may not be to everyone’s liking but I enjoy this comedic adventure following two young women in search for love who decide to vacation at a posh health resort only to find most of the men are only looking for Casual Sex? from Genevieve Robert starring Lea Thompson, Victoria Jackson, Jerry Levine, Stephen Shellen, and Andrew Dice Clay.
This little comedy won’t be to everyone’s taste. It’s certainly a product of its time as it explores the lives of two women in their 20s looking for love in a modern dating world. The social commentary is a bit ham-fisted, and the emotional undercurrent of the film is without question superficial. But there is a likable charm from the performances from Thompson and Jackson and their chemistry does work well for the needs of this story. Casual Sex isn’t necessarily a laugh-out-loud comedy but it’s a comical film overall with a lighthearted and jovial atmosphere that may wash away from you instantly yet while watching it does help create an engaging mood that makes the silly story, the nostalgic music, the bubbly performances, and the 80s viewpoints a tossed salad of mindless laughs and empty calorie comedy that sometimes if just what the doctor ordered when having a movie night at home.
No Holds Barred (1989)
Now this next movie will certainly not be to everyone’s taste. But if you were a kid in the late 80s and liked the WWF then you know what I mean when I say this next ridiculous movie is the definition of magically ridiculous when Hulk Hogan would play…Hulk Hogan in 1989s No Holds Barred directed by Thomas Wright. Also starring Tom Tiny Lister Jr, Kurt Fuller, and Joan Severance.
Now this movie plays like it was written by a child inside an adult’s body and sense it’s been noted Vince McMahon and Hulk Hogan wrote this film over a weekend in a Florida hotel with presumably a lot of cocaine, I think the notion tracks. This is far from a good movie but it’s also so bad it’s actually sort of good. Hogan’s acting is terrible, but God bless Kurt Fuller who comes in to act his ass off to give the film the cartoonishly vile villain it needed. This movie essentially plays like a 90-minute wrestling vignette where the emotional superficiality is at ultra levels, but I’ll be damned is this movie isn’t a fun throwback to the simple minded side of films that rode of the momentum of what was famous at the time and with Hulkamania riding high in the late 80s No Holds Barred was the epic event of the year for little WWF fans. Lister as Zeus is the perfect enemy for Hogan and this ridiculous little product of its time is a great time because of its flaws.
Brewster’s Millions (1985)
This next comedy features a couple of legends and centers on a minor league baseball player who much spend $30M in 30 days in order to inherit $300M but there are some rules that make it comically difficult in Brewster’s Millions from 1985 directed by Walter Hills starring comedy icons Richard Pryor and John Candy as well as Lonette KcKee, Jerry Orbach, and Pat Hingle.
Now both John Candy and Richard Pryor have been funnier in other films and when putting them together you would expect the result to be a nonstop riot. That isn’t necessarily the case with Brewster’s Millions, a little comedy that does deliver plenty of amusement despite maybe not living up to its potential. This is a movie that should’ve gone all-in on the screwball comedy and it’s one that ultimately takes itself a tad too seriously at times which does hinder the pace. However, Candy and Pryor are still awesome together in this wild story. Many of the jokes do land. A good amount of the comical sight gags and situation humor works as well and maybe Walter Hill, a great director of action was not the best choice for Brewster’s Millions, but I still think this movie holds up as a mid-80s comedy that has enough laughs and substance to have a great time with even it if didn’t turn out to be a legendary as it should have.
White Water Summer (1987)
We’re heading out to the wilderness for the next little movie that may also not be as much forgotten by all as it does have a small cult following. It explores an unforgettable summer when a group of teens head out into the great outdoors in White Water Summer from 1987 starring Keving Bacon, Sean Astin, Matt Adler, Jonathan Ward and Caroline McWilliams from director Jeff Bleckner.
I really do enjoy this movie simply for the technical mess that it is. It’s the traditional teens out in the woods story where the leader Vic turns into a bit of a dictator and when these kids led by Alan rebel, White Water Summer is filled with plenty of drama, and spots of effective tension. The performances aren’t perfect, but it actually works for this movie. The tonal shifts from lighthearted wilderness adventure to the fracturing of the group from the differing personalities of Kevin Bacon’s Vic and Sean Astin’s Alan however can be jarring as the first half of the film feels very different in tone and atmosphere than the back half. The direction isn’t the best either, but the film still works well at being an entertaining summer adventure flick complete with a narration from a clearly aged Astin which in itself feels like an emotional contrast to the rest of the film, yet the film still earns itself a place on the forgotten 80s gems list.
Black Eagle (1988)
This next movie is another that has a small cult following and is a relic of its time as it follows a CIA Agent who must race to find a super weapon lost somewhere in the Mediterranean before it gets into the hands of a ruthless KCB Agent in 1988s Black Eagle directed by Eric Karson starring Sho Kosugi, Jean-Claude Van Damme and Doran Clark.
This is far from a great action movie but the international locations, the relatively fast paced story, plenty of action, and Jean Claude Van Damme in a very early role soaking it in as the bad guy make it a good time. Black Eagle goes through the motions, but it does those motions effectively to deliver a thrilling ride with great martial-arts action as both Van Damme and martial-arts legend Sho Kosugi go head-to-head. The story overall may lack some pop, but it’s more than enough to connect all the action. Which is the strongest aspect of this film as you would hope. Both Van Damme and Kosugi showcase tons of agility in the action department, and it makes Clark’s job as the director easy as he can just sit back and frame the actors working through the choreography that overall is surprisingly intricate and thrilling enough to make Black Eagle a worthy 80s hidden gem.
Deathtrap (1982)
We’re jumping up a year for what I think could be the most well-rounded film in this volume a forgotten little mystery centering on a playwright who holds a meeting at his home to discuss a script that soon spirals into a deadly game of deception in Sidney Lumet’s Deathtrap starring Superman himself Christopher Reeve, Michael Caine, Dyan Cannon, and Irene Worth.
This is potentially the most forgotten film in this volume. It isn’t a flashy movie, it thrives on the writing and the performances to capture your imagination as it explores the layers of the human psyche: lust, envy, greed, and how they can dictate your actions and outlooks. You really do have to be in the mood for a dialogue heavy film like this but if you are then Deathtrap is a well-crafted mystery drama that keeps an engaging pace and an appealing element of unpredictability. Reeve, most known for being Superman, is a fantastic actor and here he effortlessly holds his own next to Michael Caine. Deathtrap is one of those unassuming movies that can sneak up on you and have you invested in the characters and the progression of this night before you know it and surely Caine and Reeve have other more mainstream films on their resume, but Deathtrap is a solid entry on both of their resumes and still a compelling movie today.
Anthony J. Digioia II © 2025 SilverScreen Analysis & Movies Never Say Die
