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

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 St, 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

Did You Know?

Trivia

Barry Sonnenfeld was the film's original Director of Photography, but was fired by Sylvester Stallone, who felt he wasn't being lit to satisfaction. Donald E. Thorin was Sonnenfeld's replacement.

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Goofs

When Tango drops from the wire, an extra cable holding him up at the waist can be seen falling down.

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Quotes

[Tango has just stuck a grenade down a bad guy's pants]
Ray Tango: My contribution to birth control.

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Alternate Versions

The film's distributor actually self-censored the British theatrical version before submitting it to the BBFC. In addition to the footage the BBFC demanded cut, the UK theatrical release also tones down the electrocution of a villain, edited footage of visible bloodletting during the finale, omits some footage of Lopez being riddled with bullets, another head-butt, a throat chop, a villain pushing his fingers into Cash's blood wound, and Cash putting a grenade down a villain's trousers. All footage was reinstated for video.

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Connections

Referenced in Saturday Night Live: Sylvester Stallone/Jamiroquai (1997)

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Soundtracks

Let The Day Begin
Performed by The Call
Courtesy of MCA Records
Written by Michael Been

User Reviews

Lethal Weapon meets Die Hard

This is old school now. Good to watch, by now it already has the dust that flavours what is generally known as a "classic".

The odd thing about this is that if this was made today, it would hardly be considered to be action. Except for the last sequence, of fancy "watch me shoot" ordinary motion, the majority of the film is spent with funny, witty dialog. That's because the film is built on the Lethal Weapon tradition. Two figures, opposed personalities, united by their justice beliefs, separated by their methods. A woman in the middle, conveniently placed (as Sly's sister) to enhance the dispute between man (Glover's daughter in LW). The difference is that instead of Gibson/Glover, here we have Stallone/Russell. The first pair was action versus commodity, and there lied the fun; here we have two guys already known for they physical looks, and the friction comes in the competition, because each one tries to prove better than the other. On a deeper level, it is fun to watch this because both Sly and Russell laugh at their own character in this film, so there's a sense of irony and relaxation regarding the 80's action films that appeals to me. All the rest goes with those premises, stylish shots, designed to photograph muscles and the dialog supports the thing here. A kind of Rambo meets Die Hard.

The other thing that matters here is the interest to watch the direction of a previous Tarkovsky collaborator! A man who started his career sharing writing credits with one of the most meaningful filmmakers ever, and indeed participated in some of his first really important experiences. Than, Konchalovsky moved to the US, and made a career with one step in Hollywood. That is already surprising. That he comes to direct Kurt Russell and Stallone makes this worth watching on its own terms. The disappointment is that apparently, what one might expect of Konchalovsky and his Russian heritage is absent. The direction is firm, but not especially inspired. His career is, nevertheless, interesting for its specific and unique path.

My opinion: 3/5

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