8 Heads in a Duffel Bag (1997)

User Rating:

4.8/10   

Director:

Tom Schulman

Writer (WGA):

Tom Schulman (written by)

Release Date:

18 April 1997 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Crime

Tagline:

Meet Tommy Spinelli. He's got two days to deliver this bag, or more heads are gonna roll.

Plot:

A mob bagman finds that his luggage, containing the proof of his latest hit, has been switched.

Plot Keywords:

Head | Mexico | Vacation | Airport | Cryogenics

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Joe Pesci	...	Tommy
Andy Comeau	...	Charlie
Kristy Swanson	...	Laurie Bennett
George Hamilton	...	Dick Bennett
Dyan Cannon	...	Annette Bennett
David Spade	...	Ernie
Todd Louiso	...	Steve
Anthony Mangano	...	Rico
Joe Basile	...	Benny
Ernestine Mercer	...	Fern
Frank Roman	...	Paco
Howard George	...	Big Sep
Tom Platz	...	Head of Hugo
Endre Hules	...	Head of Marty
Calvin Levels	...	Head of Jamal

MPAA:

Rated R for language.

Runtime:

95 min

Country:

USA | UK

Language:

English | Spanish

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

USA:R (certificate #35165) | Canada:14A | Finland:K-16 | South Korea:12 | Australia:M | Iceland:12 (video rating) | Iceland:14 (original rating) | Portugal:M/12 | Spain:13 | UK:15 | Germany:12

Company:

Orion Pictures Corporation

Goofs:

Continuity: When Annette try to attack Charlie with a fork in the restaurant, the fork switch directions between shots

Quotes:

[Laurie hides in the closet]
Charlie: Laurie, you're not in the hallway. You're in the closet.
Laurie: Don't you think I realize that? I'm not coming out!
Charlie: Laurie.
Laurie: I'm not!
Charlie: You have to come out.
Laurie: No.
Charlie: The bodies are in there.
[Laurie runs out screaming]
Charlie: I was just kidding!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "My Name Is Earl: No Heads and a Duffle Bag (#3.17)" (2008)

Soundtrack:

Aquellos Dos Que Se Amaban

A Pleasant Surprise

The rest of the IMDb reviewers have got it about right. This is a good film. Nothing special or brilliant, but it does what it sets out to do which is to make you laugh - and it does so much better than most films of its kind.

I started watching this expecting to change channels quite quickly. I only gave it a chance at all because Joe Pesci was in it - which is never a bad asset for a film. What happened was I found myself smiling quite a lot, and then laughing quite a lot. Not uproariously or uncontrollably. But out loud, and more than once.

Pesci is good - but so is just about everyone else. And the script is wickedly funny too. It's much less predictable than most of its kind, There are twists which are genuinely surprising and interesting, and the film stays pretty fresh (even though in truth it's probably 20 minutes too long).

I'm quite a harsh marker, so a 6 from me is quite a compliment for a film like this. Well-written, nicely-paced, silly without being annoying, and containing some funny performances and a lot of good moments, you will like this one if you give it a chance.