The Taking of Beverly Hills (1991)

Director:

Sidney J. Furie

Writers (WGA):

Sidney J. Furie (story) and
Rick Natkin (story) ...

Release Date:

11 October 1991 (USA)

Genre:

Action

Tagline:

The richest city in the world. Shut down. Ripped off. Blown up.

Plot:

A group of embittered ex-cops use a chemical spill to raid the banks and homes of Beverly Hills.

Plot Keywords:

Chemical Spill | Chemical | Robbery | Accident | Contamination

Cast

Ken Wahl	...	Boomer Hayes
Matt Frewer	...	Ed Kelvin
Harley Jane Kozak	...	Laura Sage
Robert Davi	...	Robert Masterson
Lee Ving	...	Varney (as Lee Ving James)
Branscombe Richmond	...	Benitez
Lyman Ward	...	Chief Healy
Michael Bowen	...	L.A. Cop at Roadblock
William Prince	...	Mitchell Sage
Michael Kehoe	...	Cop / Thief #1
Mark Haining	...	Cop / Thief #2
Jason Blicker	...	Cop / Thief #3
Tony Ganios	...	EPA Man
Ken Swofford	...	Coach
Raymond Singer	...	Mr. Tobeason

Also Known As:

Boomer: The Taking of Beverly Hills

Runtime:

96 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Argentina:13 | Iceland:12 | Australia:M | Germany:16 (nf) | Norway:15 | UK:15 (cut) | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Nelson Entertainment

Trivia:

Orion Pictures was originally set to release the film in the summer of 1991 but they fell into bankruptcy before the film could see the light of day. Columbia Pictures eventually picked the picture up and gave it a small, and brief, run in the fall of 1991.

Quotes:

Varney: [Dropping a bomb at Boomer's feet] Looks like you're going to live up to your name after all.

Soundtrack:

Temple Of Love

good for only cable

there's not much more to say about this movie that hasn't been said by the other reviewers. I will however add some ideas. This movie came out in the early post-Die Hard era, and it is basically the same formula, but different scene, society, and stars. But that last word is the problem. In every action movie I've seen, they've had at least an identifiable star: Bruce Willis of course, Arnie, Sly, etc etc; it seems an action film can only work if the movie has a big star we can identify with.

Here is the spectacular failure of the Taking of Beverley Hills. Who is Ken Wahl? Sorry I have no idea who he is, and it is because of this that I believe the movie falls down -- at least in a repeat viewing a decade after the movie was made. The character Wahl plays -- Boomer -- is a cocky, superstar quarter-back; a millionaire and a babe magnet. This is what we are supposed to believe. But we can't, and why not? Because we the audience realise that Ken Wahl is a no-name, and his strutting around like God's gift is more unrealistic than the rest of the film -- and yes I'm including that bizarre masterplan of taking control of the city. In short you need a HUGE star to play a guy with a massive ego, like Boomer. Wahl can't do it, and the fact that he is a no-name today, makes the whole thing very comical. It was like they got some guy that lives down the street from me, groomed his eyelashes and his hair, put him in front of a camera and told him to act really suave. Doesn't work!

Perhaps we can forgive the producers of the movie for the Ken Wahl mistake. They thought that this movie would launch him into eternal super-stardom......... actually that idea is funnier than the movie itself. hehe!