One of Walter Hill's many overlooked and undervalued films, Extreme Prejudice is a modern day western, set squarely on the US/Mexican border.
For an action film, it's unusually structured, with two separate strands vying for prominence. On the one hand we have Texas Ranger Jack Benteen (Nick Nolte, looking particularly sharp), versus childhood friend, now drug lord Cash Bailey (Powers Boothe), battling over both the drug trade and Sarita Cisneros (Maria Conchita Alonso), a Mexican singer who loves them both. But what is a supposedly deceased US army unit doing in town? These guys are on a mission, and while they might not like their orders, they'll carry them out to the best of their ability. But what their mission is, they or us are never to sure of.
The film is filled with to the brim with fine character actors, chewing up and spitting out the tough-guy dialogue with relish. Everyone is on fine form though Rip Torn, as Benteen's predecessor and Clancy Brown, as the unit's second-in-command are of particular note.
Well worth a look if you ever get the chance.
