Our adventures through the Lost Movies of the 1990s series rolls one. This is episode 4, ten more movies, one from each year. This episode will deliver the usual bits of action and comedy as well as some intense drama. We’ll be venturing to the wilderness, the suburbs, and the old west in this episode. So, let’s blast to the past.
Opportunity Knocks (1990)
This comedy centered on a con man who assumes the identity of a house sitter to hide out but runs into some comical problems when the family of the homeowner’s pop into town for a visit in 1990s Opportunity Knocks starring Dana Carvey, Lou Graff, Robert Loggia, and Julia Campbell. Directed by Daniel Petrie.
I know everyone has a varied taste in comedy but if you enjoy the antics of Dana Carvey then you will find fun in this movie as he plays a con man that seems ready for any situation. Many would say this is a collection of comedic bits stitched together with a loosely threaded plot and I would agree. However, I don’t feel it’s a detriment to the overall entertainment value Opportunity Knocks delivers. It’s early 90s bit-comedy slapped together with an 80s comedy plotline, and it works for delivering mindless entertainment. It’s certainly juvenile at times but it can connect to that teenager inside of you as Carvey works through his entire spectrum of comedy in a tightly paced film. The supporting cast is solid, Loggia is a nice addition but really Carvey is full throttle in this one and his relentless delivery is a good time when you’re in the mood for a lighthearted laugh or two.
Ricochet (1991)
Next up is a gritty action movie about a cop accused of murder. And the only many who knows he’s innocent is the killer who framed him in the highly underrated Ricochet from 1991 starring Denzel Washington, John Lithgow, Ice T, and Kevin Pollack. Directed by Russell Mulcahy.
I don’t feel Ricochet gets mentioned enough when talking about action flicks from the era. You get Denzel Washington who takes this character and elevates it to world class levels. Then you get John Lithgow. We all know him as the cute grandpa or playing the office suit. But during his early years Lithgow could deliver a bold, vibrant villain and his turn in this one is perfect. Ricochet is one of those early 90s actioners with a down and dirty 80s vibe to it and watching Washington and Lithgow go at it is still highly entertaining all these years later. This movie creates a foreboding atmosphere, the score, which essentially sounds like The Predator score gives the movie instant nostalgia. You get Jesse Ventura, plenty of bloody violence and a top tier finale that thrives on its practical effects and Ricochet is one of those movies that goes way over the top in all the ways you would hope.
Diggstown (1992)
Moving along to 1992 is a sport comedy about a com man recently out of prison who makes a bet he feels he can’t lose in Diggstown starring James Woods, Louis Gossett Jr., Bruce Dern, and Oliver Platt from director Michael Ritchie.
This movie flopped at the box office but when my friend and I caught it on late night cable we loved it. Admittedly when watching it as an adult it’s a much different movie, and a better one. The chemistry between Woods and Gossett is fantastic. Their rapport and banter feel natural, and it allows many of the comedic beats to land with laughs. Now sure the plot here is a bit unrealistic, but who cares. It’s plenty grounded enough to take a ride of humor and boxing action in Diggstown. There’s no denying Woods and Gossett carry this one, but Bruce Dern is a bright spot as well. And really what makes Diggstown so much fun is that it’s easily engaging, its characters feel harmless, and the movie overall has a great self-awareness to it. It’s also barely over 90 minutes so it’s over and done before you know it and I would consider this to be a movie that has only gotten better over time.
The Good Son (1993)
This next thriller is about a kid who goes to stay with his aunt and becomes friends with his cousin. Which would be a normality of life. The problem is his cousin is a little psychopath in 1993s The Good Son starring Macaulay Culkin and Elijah Wood. Directed by Joseph Ruben.
Now this movie killed it at the box-office but was not so well received by critics. It was surely riding on the momentum of Culkin in Home Alone, but a lot of people weren’t really ready to see little Kevin McCallister in psycho mode. Now I will agree with the complaints that the story doesn’t really ride much below the surface and it’s far from a tried-and-true psychological thriller. But after all the years I do think The Good Son plays a soft slasher horror type movie. Or at least as much as it can be as a studio film led by a couple of kids. But the film it nicely acted both Culkin and Wood are strong in their characters and the tension between them in many scenes I think rivals what you would get from adults. And with its super tight pacing and frequent acts of mayhem this movie is still entertaining light viewing for the horror genre.
The River Wild (1994)
Coming up next is a wilderness set thriller about a family on vacation that runs into a couple fugitives making this a summer vacation gone wrong in The River Wild from 1994 starring Meryl Streep, Kevin Bacon, David Strathairn, and John C. Reilly. Directed by Curtis Hanson.
This was another of those cable TV discoveries and while The River Wild doesn’t break new ground in the real-time action thriller formula it does thrive on many levels. It’s fast paced, with few lulls, the river action is impressively shot to pull you out into the wilderness with these characters. And the tension has a nice gradual elevation before the high energy finale. Then you get the strong performances with everyone in particular Streep and Bacon making the most of these recycled character types. Both of them go all-in on these performances. You can sense they enjoy the sadistic game of cat and mouse, and it translates onscreen in a naturally engaging way. And where this movie really thrives is being able to tell a suspenseful story with highs, lows, and plenty of hurdles where you can easily relate to the character to imagine what you would do in these situations.
The Quick and the Dead (1995)
We’re stepping back into the old west for this next movie about a gunfighter that returns to a small frontier town on the eve of a dueling tournament for revenge in Sam Raimi’s The Quick and the Dead from 1995 starring Sharon Stone, Gene Hackman, Russell Crow, Leonardo DiCaprio, Keith David, and more.
I’ll always have a soft spot for this one. As a kid I watched some westerns, but they never really grabbed me. But the over stylizing of The Quick and the Dead was appealing to me as a teenager as much as that may hurt the purists of the genre. But like Young Guns this movie plays like an action flick with a pure western vibe and it’s still a strong watch today. The ensemble cast in this movie is like 9 or 10 names deep with familiar faces. Stone and Hackman have a raw tension between them that fits the tone so well and all of the supporting cast elevates their characters with their presence. I always felt like this was sort of a Young Guns spin-off with a splash of Bloodsport and it’s a great time. The action is intense and nicely placed throughout the runtime and Stone’s mission as familiar as it may be and with this writing is more than able to seed the emotional core of the drama to make the action mean something and I think 10 or even 20 years from now this movie will still hold up.
A Time to Kill (1996)
This Mississippi set legal drama follows a young lawyer who defends a black man accused of killing two white men who raped his little daughter in Joel Schumacher’s A Time to Kill from 1996 starring Matthey McConaughey, Samuel L. Jackson, Sandra Bullock, Kevin Spacey, and Oliver Platt.
I remember watching this movie when it was released. I went on a date; I think it was my senior year. I knew the cast but had no idea how emotionally hard hitting this was so it may not have been the best pick for a teen date night. But damn this movie is raw to the core and can reach in, grab your heart and control it with ease. I remember fighting back tears watching this movie on that date and even to this day A Time to Kill can hit the emotional notes with such a strong intensity. The writing is extremely well structured, it has a lot of stories to tell and many layers that need to be woven in and I think this script knocks it out of the park. The performances are heartfelt and relatable. Everyone brings their A game to this film and with Schumacher’s intimate direction of this just dirty, and evil plot, the fight for justice will enrage you, uplift you, and when the end credits roll you feel the weight of what you just watched.
Excess Baggage (1997)
This next comedy sees a bratty rich teenager staging her own kidnapping. Which naturally goes horribly wrong when the car she’s hiding in is stolen by a small-time thief in Marco Brambilla’s Excess Baggage from 1997 starring Alicia Silverstone, Benicio del Toro, and Christopher Walken.
This is another of those comedies that may not work for everyone but for those who enjoy a comedy that has a bit of a grimy atmosphere then Excess Baggage will be a treat. The chemistry between Silverstone and del Toro feels natural enough so it’s easy to have fun with these characters and the wild ride this plot takes them on. The humor has moments of clever and witty laughs and while I personally felt this movie should’ve leaned more to the comically sadistic side it still lands plenty of humor. I do think the script over-focuses on the romantic angle, but it doesn’t slow the film down too much. It’s just that to me these moments are when the film gets over-light and falls into some of the formula tropes. Regardless, when looking back on it, Excess Baggage is still a lighthearted comedy with splashes of action and a capable sense of humor.
Playing by Heart (1998)
Moving along this film follows intertwining characters in Los Angeles all with differing experiences of love and how it impacts their current day lives in Willard Carroll’s Playing by Heart from 1999 starring Sean Connery, Gillian Anderson, Angelina Jolie, Ryan Phillippe, Dennis Quaid, Ellen Burstyn, and many more.
The first time I was that guy sitting in bed with a pint of ice cream and tears in his eyes was when I first saw this movie. I remember I was very early in college or maybe hadn’t started yet, but I was living in my friend’s dad’s basement, and I rented this movie from Blockbuster. Selection was limited that day and I’m glad it was because if not I probably would’ve never seen this movie. Now it’s not perfect and when watching as an adult it does play more to the melodrama than I remembered. However, it’s still a highly compelling drama. It follows a collection of different stories that invest you in their own ways. The performances give these characters a human quality and seeing how they all connect is intriguing. Playing by Heart is a movie about relationships, grounded everyday relationships and with this world class cast each character is in good hands. Resulting in a movie filled with relatable plotlines to lure you in.
Arlington Road (1999)
And next up is a highly underrated thriller about a common suburbanite who begins to suspect his seemingly normal neighbors could be terrorists in 1999s Arlington Road starring Jeff Bridges, Tim Robbins, Joan Cusack, and Hope Davis. Directed by Mark Pellington.
I remember going to see Wild Wild West and walking out completely disappointed. Strolling down the hall I saw the poster for Arlington Road on the wall a few theaters down, it was just about to start, so I just stepped in to make sure the seats were in good shape and this movie rocked my world. I love the tension it built as Bridges relentlessly tried to prove his notion that there was something off with his neighbors. Tim Robbins was both unassuming and inviting and evil and sinister and his performance is perfect for what this movie needed. And what I still enjoy about this one is how it maneuvers the game of cat and mouse as Bridges gets little clues in the middle act. Then there is a point when Arlington Road launches out of the gate like cinephiles heading to Barnes & Noble on Criterion sale day. The movie does try to do a little too much in the closing but it’s still highly satisfying and when the end credits roll, you’ll find yourself unclenching.
Anthony J. Digioia II © 2025 SilverScreen Analysis & Movies Never Say Die
