Jake Speed (1986)

In a world where, unbeknownst to the public, all famous pulp fiction heroes are real, one of them, Jake Speed, agrees to help desperate Margaret Winston save her sister from sadistic white slaver Sid, who's operating in Africa.

Director:

Andrew Lane

Writers:

Wayne Crawford, Andrew Lane

Stars:

Wayne Crawford, Dennis Christopher, Karen Kopins

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Wayne Crawford	...	Jake Speed
Dennis Christopher	...	Desmond Floyd
Karen Kopins	...	Margaret Winston
John Hurt	...	Sid
Leon Ames	...	Pop Winston
Roy London	...	Maurice
Donna Pescow	...	Wendy
Barry Primus	...	Lawrence
Monte Markham	...	Mr. Winston
Millie Perkins	...	Mrs. Winston
Becca C. Ashley	...	Maureen Winston (as Rebecca Ashley)
Alan Shearman	...	Rodrigo
Karl Johnson	...	Charles
Sal Viscuso	...	Newsstand Attendant
Ken Lerner	...	Ken

Storyline

When her sister is kidnapped by white slavers, only Grandpa knows what to do. He puts in a call to a fictional hero, Jake Speed. She is amazed to find that he actually exists, and that as flesh and blood, is much less formidable than his reputation.

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Plot Keywords:

american | book | worry | car crashes through a door | character name as title | 

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Taglines:

He's rewriting the book on adventure

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Comedy | Crime

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Certificate:

PG

Did You Know?

Trivia

The movie is both a tribute to, and satire of, pulp novels and their heroes. As a tribute to these stories, the movie is set in an alternate reality where, unknowingly to the general public, all of the famous pulp fiction heroes like Remo Williams, a.k.a. The Destroyer, Mack Bolan, a.k.a. The Executioner, and Doc Savage are real, and the novels about them are factual testimonies about their real-life adventures. In the movie, Jake Speed is just one of these real-life pulp heroes, and even talks about his famous colleagues once or twice. However, in real-life, unlike Remo Williams, Mack Bolan, and Doc Savage, Jake Speed is not an actual pulp fiction character, and was entirely made up for this movie, as satire on pulp archetypes and clichés.

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Goofs

Shortly after Sid ejects Maurice from the Jeep during the car chase, you can see three people inside as it turns a corner. There should only be two: Sid and the driver.

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Quotes

Pop: There are a few, a very few men. Remo. Mack Bolan. Jake Speed. In this case, I think Jake Speed's the man for the job.

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Connections

Referenced in Jersey Girl (2004)

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Soundtracks

After the Lovin'
Written by A. Bernstein and R. Adams
Performed by Leo Krokos

User Reviews

The Adventures of Jake Speed.

Jake Speed (1986) was an amusing parody of Indiana Jones and other adventurer films that were popular during the eighties. Wayne Crawford stars as Jake Speed, an adventurer who's always battling evil doers wherever he goes. With his assistant Desmond Floyd (Dennis Christopher) they globe trot looking for some action (and some decent story lines). The duo meet a young woman named Margaret (Karen Kopins) who's sister has been kidnapped by an evil white slaver trader (John Hurt). Can she find and convince Jake and Desmond to help her rescue her sibling?

A sappy and cheesy film that doesn't pretend to be something that it's not. I have to give this one a recommendation. That's if you enjoy movies that like to have fun and for those who don't take everything at face value.

Recommended.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English French

Release Date:

30 May 1986 (USA)

Also Known As:

La nueva leyenda

Filming Locations:

4344 Van Nuys Blvd, Sherman Oaks, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$1,058,048, 1 June 1986

Gross USA:

$1,943,751

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$1,943,751

Company Credits

Production Co:

Balcor Film Investors, Force 10 Productions (I)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

105 min

Sound Mix:

Ultra Stereo

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1