The Rookie (1990)

A veteran detective gets stuck with a rookie cop when in pursuit of a German crook.

Director:

Clint Eastwood

Writers:

Boaz Yakin, Scott Spiegel

Stars:

Clint Eastwood, Charlie Sheen, Raul Julia

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Clint Eastwood	...	Nick Pulovski
Charlie Sheen	...	David Ackerman
Raul Julia	...	Strom
Sônia Braga	...	Liesl (as Sonia Braga)
Tom Skerritt	...	Eugene Ackerman
Lara Flynn Boyle	...	Sarah
Pepe Serna	...	Lt. Raymond Garcia
Marco Rodríguez	...	Loco Martinez
Pete Randall	...	Cruz
Donna Mitchell	...	Laura Ackerman
Xander Berkeley	...	Ken Blackwell
Tony Plana	...	Morales
David Sherrill	...	Max
Hal Williams	...	Powell
Lloyd Nelson	...	Freeway Motorist

Storyline

Nick Pulovski is a cop, who is presently assigned to the auto theft division and who for the most part of his career has not done anything worthwhile. But when he discovers that a man named Strom is the brains behind a major car theft and chop shop ring, he sees this as his opportunity to do something. After his partner is killed, the case is then transfered to homicide, so he is taken off the case. And he is assigned a new partner, David Ackerman. a cop who has just recently been promoted to detective. But Pulovski feeling as if Strom is his decides to continue pursuing him but Ackerman who tries to play by the rules is not sure what to do, and he is also a little afraid cause of a childhood incident.

---

Plot Keywords:

explosion | woman on top | baggage carousel | pitbull | rottweiler | 

---

Taglines:

What could a veteran and a rookie cop do this Christmas.

---

Genres:

Action | Comedy | Crime | Drama | Thriller

---

Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

7 December 1990 (USA)

Also Known As:

El principiante

Filming Locations:

Highland Park, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$10,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$5,510,056, 9 December 1990, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$21,633,874

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros., Malpaso Productions, Kazanjian/Siebert Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

120 min

Sound Mix:

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

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Scott Spiegel originally wrote this as a starring vehicle for Sean Connery.

---

Goofs

Clint does a face plant after he rolled his cop car while inside a car hauler. However, Clint shows up for work the next day without a mark on his face. Anyone who loses consciousness and falls forward always does some damage to their face including cuts, bruises, and even a broken nose.

---

Quotes

David Ackerman: You fucking lied to Garcia.
Nick Pulovski: I didn't lie to him. I just didn't tell him the truth.

---

Alternate Versions

The Australian television version was inconsistently edited for sexual and violent content. The scene between Liesl and Pulovski ends after she explains the purpose of the bullet she wears, yet the full sequence is shown on the video screen later when Ackerman rescues Pulovski. All sequences of 'three bullet death', such as Sarah killing Loco and the "Amateur" shootings of Ackerman and Liesl are reduced to one bullet. The final shooting of Strom is heard but not shown.

---

Connections

Referenced in Thursday (1998)

---

Soundtracks

Red Zone
Written by Kyle Eastwood and Michael Stevens

User Reviews

THIS MOVIE ROCKS!!!

What the heck are these people who are putting this movie down talkin about? This movie is a lot of fun, not super original, but still a lot of fun. Its a typical cop buddy movie but still a WELL MADE cop buddy movie. The scene where Charlie Sheen beats the crap out of an entire bar full of scuzball bikers is great! "C'mon, mutherf'ers! C'mon, mutherf'ers! C'mon!" Charlie keeps screaming this like a madman while he beats the bejeezus outta the bikers, and it rocks. Clint Eastwood directed some of his best action scenes in this flick as well. Anyone who likes a good old fashioned Hollywood popcorn roller coaster ride movie with plenty of snappy one liners will definitely dig this underrated gem!