Tango & Cash (1989)

Framed by their ruthless arch-nemesis, a mismatched LAPD crime-fighting duo has to put its differences aside to even the score with the evil kingpin who put them behind bars once and for all.

Directors:

Andrey Konchalovskiy (as Andrei Konchalovsky), Albert Magnoli (uncredited)

Writer:

Randy Feldman

Stars:

Sylvester Stallone, Kurt Russell, Teri Hatcher

3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Sylvester Stallone	...	Lt. Raymond Tango
Kurt Russell	...	Lt. Gabriel Cash
Teri Hatcher	...	Katherine 'Kiki' Tango
Jack Palance	...	Yves Perret
Brion James	...	Requin
James Hong	...	Quan
Marc Alaimo	...	Lopez
Philip Tan	...	Chinese Gunman (as Phillip Tan)
Michael J. Pollard	...	Owen
Robert Z'Dar	...	Face
Lewis Arquette	...	Wyler
Edward Bunker	...	Capt. Holmes (as Eddie Bunker)
Leslie Morris	...	Hendricks
Roy Brocksmith	...	Fed. Agent Davis
Susan Krebs	...	Prosecutor

Storyline

The polar opposites, Ray Tango, a suave and sophisticated police officer, and Gabe Cash, his overzealous long-haired partner, are a mismatched LAPD crime-fighting duo who work tirelessly to bring down their arch-nemesis, the ruthless drug lord, Yves Perret. However, when Perret manages to incriminate the pesty team with falsified evidence, Ray and Gabe will soon end up in a maximum-security prison, where an almost endless parade of inmates previously incarcerated by them, are waiting for their captors impatiently. Now, more than ever, Tango and Cash need to put their differences aside to come up quickly with a good plan, not only to escape the jail's walls but also to even the score with the evil kingpin who put them behind bars once and for all. Of course, that's easier said than done.

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Plot Keywords:

1980s | 80s action | time bomb | frame up | bound and gagged | 

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Taglines:

Two of L.A.'s top rival cops are going to have to work together... Even if it kills them.

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Genres:

Action | Comedy | Crime | Thriller

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Certificate:

R

Did You Know?

Trivia

The tank-like SUV seen in the film (with a windshield shape resembling a 1990s-era Chevrolet Lumina APV minivan) was built from a 1988 Chevrolet K2500 truck. At the time of the film's release, the vehicle resembled a GM concept (a 1987 Chevrolet Blazer XT-1) which was planned as a crossover-like SUV which was powered with a Chevrolet 4.3L V6 - the engine block and cylinder heads were cast in aluminum alloy. GM did not proceed with the Blazer XT-1 but its styling cues were used with the W-body "Dustbuster" minivans (Lumina, Oldsmobile Silhouette, and Pontiac Trans Sport).

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Goofs

After drugs are found in the tanker truck, an officer crosses from right to left carrying a PR-24 side handled baton turned in the wrong direction. The 'knob' should be near his thumb and the long portion of the baton near his pinkie finger.

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Quotes

Yves Perret: Rats in a maze, men in a cage.

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Alternate Versions

For its original UK cinema release, the BBFC cut 43 seconds from a pre-cut American version of the film so that it would receive a 15, rather than an 18 certificate. The cuts included the removal of a head-butt, a toning down of the strangling of the Chinese suspect, edits to Cash swinging a baseball bat during the prison fight, Tango hitting the fellow inmate's head against the prison cell bars, shots of both men being dipped into water containing live electricity cables, Cash's outburst in the prison where he refers to Requin as a "Limey Immigrant jerk-off", and Requin's response where he calls Cash a "fucking wanker". The full version was released on VHS, DVD and Blu-ray with an 18 certificate.

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Connections

Referenced in 9-1-1: Haunted (2018)

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Soundtracks

Best Of What I Got
Performed by Bad English
Courtesy of CBS Records, Music Licensing Department
Produced by Richie Zito
Written by John Waite, Jonathan Cain and Neal Schon

User Reviews

Although a poor man's Lethal weapon, this is a lot better than you might think

Okay, so this isn't the greatest film ever made. In fact, it isn't even remotely the best buddy-buddy flick ever made. But surprisingly enough, this is actually quite a winner, and succeeds far more in being a parody of the Lethal-Weapon style films than say... Loaded Weapon does. This is for several reasons.

Firstly, Stallone is the star of the show here, turning in a self-mocking parody of his own screen persona. He is flash and indestructable, yet the film acknowledges and exploits this to comedic ends. Secondly, Palance is excellent as a sneering and menacing bad guy, plotting the two cops downfall. He deserved more screen time than he actually got, and actually did a good job of being the obligatory stereotypical bad-guy.

However, the best thing of all about this film is the snappy dialogue. There is so much good banter between the two-cops that no matter how bizarre the film's scenario's get, the dialogue rescues it.

The first time I saw this, I enjoyed it and was only really let down by the ending, which feels hollow and unsatisfying in comparison to the first two reels of the film. However, this nagging problem alone, I have no hesitation in recommending this to any fan of the action-genre.

Overall: 6 1/2 out of 10.

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

22 December 1989 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Set Up

Filming Locations:

117 N. Toluca Street, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$55,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$6,628,918, 25 December 1989

Gross USA:

$63,408,614

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$63,408,614

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros., The Guber-Peters Company

Technical Specs

Runtime:

104 min 97 min (heavily cut)

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) Dolby Stereo (35 mm prints) (4 channels)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1