No Man's Land (1987)

A rookie cop goes undercover and infiltrates a car thief ring.

Director:

Peter Werner

Writer:

Dick Wolf

Stars:

D.B. Sweeney, Charlie Sheen, Lara Harris

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
D.B. Sweeney	...	Benjy Taylor
Charlie Sheen	...	Ted Varrick
Lara Harris	...	Ann Varrick
Randy Quaid	...	Lieutenant Vincent Bracey
Bill Duke	...	Malcolm
R.D. Call	...	Frank Martin
Arlen Dean Snyder	...	Lieutenant Curtis Loos
M. Emmet Walsh	...	Captain Haun
Al Shannon	...	Danny
Bernie Pock	...	Ridley
Kenny Endoso	...	Leon
James F. Kelly	...	Brandon
Lori Butler	...	Suzanne
Clare Wren	...	Deborah
Philip Benichou	...	Michel

Storyline

Benjy Taylor is a rookie cop who goes undercover to nab a gang of car thieves led by Ted Varrick. Taylor becomes too involved and starts to enjoy the thrill and lifestyle of the car thieves, and falls in love with Varrick's sister Ann.

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Plot Keywords:

rookie cop | undercover | uncle nephew relationship | auto theft ring | police | 

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Taglines:

Once you get a taste of the good life, it's hard to let go. Even if your life depends on it.

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

23 October 1987 (USA)

Also Known As:

260 chrono

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Gross:

$2,877,571 (USA)

Company Credits

Technical Specs

Runtime:

106 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Brad Pitt's feature film debut.

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Goofs

The car chase scene between the silver Porsche and the blue Camaro contains many inconsistencies. The Porsche's left rear passenger window disappears and reappears between shots before the scene where the Camaro passenger destroys it with a shotgun. Before the climax of the chase, the Camaro's front end is damaged, but there are no scenes showing how it got damaged during the scene.

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Quotes

Benjy Taylor: Damn! I almost had it!
Ted Varrick: Yeah, no shit.
Benjy Taylor: I wanna go back and get that car.
Ted Varrick: Awww, c'mon, what are you? Out of your mind?
Benjy Taylor: Obviously.

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Connections

Referenced in 'Law & Order': The Beginning (2002)

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Soundtracks

"Dear Heart"
Performed by Andy Williams

User Reviews

Surprisingly bland

Despite starring Charlie Sheen, who has been hot for the past several years from starring in a top-rated sitcom, "No Man's Land" seems to have been all but forgotten. In fact, I have NEVER seen this movie broadcast on television - I had to rent this over the Internet to see it.

Before seeing it, I thought that maybe since the movie was rated "R", that's why I had never seen it on television. But to my surprise, the "R" rating for this movie seems a bit harsh. There's no nudity, no (onscreen) sex, there are only a few utterances of the harshest swear words (which could easily be overdubbed), and the limited violence on display could easily be shown on a television drama. The movie feels more like a PG-13.

The above is a big clue as to why I felt this movie didn't work. It's lacking grit - it feels bland and without passion. At times it feels like it was made for television. It's not only with the direction, but with the performances as well - none of the actors here seem to be very enthusiastic, and the only thing colorful about them is Randy Quaid's weird hairstyle.

One positive thing I can say about the movie is that unlike other '80s movies, this one hasn't dated that much. But that is not enough to save the movie.

P.S. - MGM's DVD of the movie is pretty bad. Not only is the movie presented full-frame, and using what seems to be an older print not made especially for this DVD, the colors frequently seem off somewhat.