Wanted: Dead or Alive (1986)

Bounty hunter Nick Randall (Rutger Hauer) is offered two hundred fifty thousand dollars by the C.I.A. to get the terrorist behind the bombing of a Los Angeles, California movie theater. Nick quit the C.I.A. because he couldn't trust them. Can they be trusted now, and can he stop the terrorists?

Director:

Gary Sherman

Writers:

Michael Patrick Goodman, Brian Taggert

Stars:

Rutger Hauer, Gene Simmons, Robert Guillaume

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Rutger Hauer	...	Nick Randall
Gene Simmons	...	Malak Al Rahim
Robert Guillaume	...	Philmore Walker
Mel Harris	...	Terry
William Russ	...	Det. Danny Quintz
Susan MacDonald	...	Louise Quintz
Jerry Hardin	...	John Lipton
Hugh Gillin	...	Patrick Donoby
Robert Harper	...	Dave Henderson
Eli Danker	...	Robert Aziz
Joseph Nasser	...	Hasson
Suzanne Wouk	...	Jamilla
Gerald Papasian	...	Abdul Renza (as Gerald Papasyan)
Nick Faltas	...	Amir
Hammam Shafie	...	Chemical Expert

Storyline

This movie features a character who is a descendant of the character played by Steve McQueen in the television series of the same name. And like McQueen's Josh Randall, Hauer's Nick Randall is also a bounty hunter and also an ex-C.I.A. operative, who is asked by his former employer to help them track down a terrorist Malak Al Rahim (Gene Simmons), who is in the country, and has already made a move. But he is also looking for Randall, and the people, for whom Randall is working, are telling Malak where he can find Randall.

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Plot Keywords:

telephone booth | payphone | pay phone | terrorist | cia | 

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Taglines:

He's the best there is at a job he hates.

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Genres:

Action | Crime | Drama | Thriller

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

16 January 1987 (USA)

Also Known As:

Wanted Dead or Alive

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$2,845,836, 18 January 1987

Gross USA:

$7,555,000

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$7,555,000

Company Credits

Production Co:

New World Pictures, Balcor Film Investors

Technical Specs

Runtime:

106 min

Sound Mix:

Ultra Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

One of a few 1980s movies where KISS singer Gene Simmons portrayed a villain. Runaway (1984) was another.

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Goofs

About a third of the way through, Nick and other policemen are trying to disarm a suspect holding seven sticks of dynamite only 100 feet away. The dynamite explodes much less than it should; seven sticks of dynamite would level a house, and everyone would have to be at least 300 feet away to avoid serious injury or death.

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Quotes

Philmore Walker: The next time you fuck me, kiss me first!

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Alternate Versions

There exist two different version on videotape. One where Malak Al Rahim dies at the end, by having his head blown off, and one where this doesn't happen. The ending where Rahim doesn't die, is very tame, since the picture just fades to black, and then fades back in, with Randaal sitting somewhere pondering his fate.

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Connections

Referenced in The Dark Knight (2008)

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Soundtracks

You Are My Sunshine
Written by Jimmie Davis and Charles Mitchell

User Reviews

Good Rutger Film!

Rutger's the MAN! I found this film at Best Buy about 4 or 5 months after September 11th, and it just hit the spot! I had never heard of the movie but being a Rutger fan I usually will spend the money to add his films to my ever growing collection. Sometimes he's the only thing that adds to the life of some very dreary films and he's in a bunch of them. The '80's however seems to have been his decade and this film is a pretty good outing for him.

It is in the B-Movie range, for sure, but it works well. Gene Simmons plays a great villain. The action and pacing of the film works well, and frankly the subject matter couldn't be more up-to-date.

I wish they were making more movies like this today where the terrorists get what they deserve and the audience can enjoy the pay back and feel like they are participating in the action.

The very end of the film is great and it certainly is a statement that works even better today. I think most people would feel the same way as Rutger does at the end of this movie and want to do the same thing. I certainly did!

For fans of action and/or Rutger hunt this movie down!