A quartet of teenagers -- awkward nice guy Woody (a likeable performance by Tom Cruise right before he became a huge star), cocky Spider (solid John Stockwell), fast-talking would-be worldly smoothie Dave (a very funny and spirited portrayal by Jackie Earle Haley), and slick squirt hustler Wendell (sharply played by John P. Navin Jr.) -- go to Tijuana, Mexico with the specific intention of letting it all hang out. However, things don't go exactly as planned.
Director Curtis Hanson keeps the enjoyable story moving along at a brisk pace, offers a flavorsome evocation of the sordid south-of-the-border setting, and manages to capture a tone that's just raucous and raunchy enough without ever becoming too crass or offensive. B.W.L. Norton's barbed script gives the premise a surprising amount of extra bite by astutely observing the basic principle of causation with the four protagonists entering Mexico under the pretense that it's some kind of anything goes lawless paradise only to learn the hard way that their irresponsible actions in Mexico come with pretty severe consequences. Moreover, this film further benefits from sound acting from Shelley Long as the flighty divorce-seeking Kathy, Henry Darrow as a hard-nosed corrupt sheriff, Rick Rossovich as a belligerent marine, Joe Spinell as a gruff border patrolman, and John "Dr. Dirty" Valby as sleazy nightclub emcee Johnny Hotrocks. A total hoot that deserves to be better known and more well regarded than it is.
Director Curtis Hanson keeps the enjoyable story moving along at a brisk pace, offers a flavorsome evocation of the sordid south-of-the-border setting, and manages to capture a tone that's just raucous and raunchy enough without ever becoming too crass or offensive. B.W.L. Norton's barbed script gives the premise a surprising amount of extra bite by astutely observing the basic principle of causation with the four protagonists entering Mexico under the pretense that it's some kind of anything goes lawless paradise only to learn the hard way that their irresponsible actions in Mexico come with pretty severe consequences. Moreover, this film further benefits from sound acting from Shelley Long as the flighty divorce-seeking Kathy, Henry Darrow as a hard-nosed corrupt sheriff, Rick Rossovich as a belligerent marine, Joe Spinell as a gruff border patrolman, and John "Dr. Dirty" Valby as sleazy nightclub emcee Johnny Hotrocks. A total hoot that deserves to be better known and more well regarded than it is.