There's absolutely no subtlety for the villains played by Raul Julia and Sonia Braga. They are so blood thirsty and desperate that when their criminal empire falls apart, they have no expression on their face, cast against type as German criminals who use Hispanics to do their dirty work in stealing deluxe automobiles, although it's Julia who pulls the trigger to take out the partner of detective Clint Eastwood in the opening scene. He's not pleased by his replacement, a by the book rookie (Charlie Sheen) who has to learn a few lessons if he's going to survive his profession.
This is a violent and vicious crime drama that has many disturbing moments and a few where you cheer the good guys, especially Sheen when he stops being Mr. Procedure and starts taking some desperate risks. There's no charm at all in Julia's character, and Braga is more venomous here than she was in "Kiss of the Spider Woman". Julia looks like Hal Linden in a dark wig, completely unemotional. It's hard to judge the performance of an actor you usually love playing such a one dimensional character, but Julia's certainly unforgettable. As unpleasant as the film is to watch, it's certainly an unforgettable one.
This is a violent and vicious crime drama that has many disturbing moments and a few where you cheer the good guys, especially Sheen when he stops being Mr. Procedure and starts taking some desperate risks. There's no charm at all in Julia's character, and Braga is more venomous here than she was in "Kiss of the Spider Woman". Julia looks like Hal Linden in a dark wig, completely unemotional. It's hard to judge the performance of an actor you usually love playing such a one dimensional character, but Julia's certainly unforgettable. As unpleasant as the film is to watch, it's certainly an unforgettable one.