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 (Clint Eastwood) 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 (Raul Julia) is the brains behind a major car theft and chop shop ring, he sees this as his opportunity to do something. After his partner Powell (Hal Williams) 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 (Charlie Sheen). a cop who has just recently been promoted to detective. But Pulovski feeling as if Strom is his, and 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 because 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 | Crime | Drama | Thriller

---

Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

7 December 1990 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Rookie

Filming Locations:

Highland Park, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$10,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$5,510,056, 9 December 1990

Gross USA:

$21,633,874

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$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

Third of four movies that co-starred Sônia Braga and Raul Julia. The others being Moon Over Parador (1988), The Burning Season: The Chico Mendes Story (1994), and Kiss of the Spider Woman (1985).

---

Goofs

When Loco is fighting with Sarah in the living room, a crew member wearing a white t-shirt is briefly visible by the front door, as well as one in a green shirt.

---

Quotes

Lt. Ray Garcia: It's not just a job! It's a fucking adventure!

---

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

Featured in At the Movies: Misery/Hidden Agenda/Cyrano de Bergerac (1990)

---

Soundtracks

Red Zone
Written by Kyle Eastwood and Michael Stevens

User Reviews

Poor old Clint

STAR RATING:*****Unmissable****Very Good***Okay**You Could Go Out For A Meal Instead*Avoid At All Costs

David Ackerman (Charlie Sheen) is a young cop who has recently been promoted to the Grand Auto Theft Division.David is in fact a rich kid from a rich family but is quite apparently genuinely motivated to become a cop.But beneath this facade,David is motivated by a burning desire to convince himself he is not an evil person after,as a child,he unwittingly lured his younger brother to his death.He finds himself partnered with Detective Nick Pulovski (a 60 year old Clint Eastwood,in typical loose cannon form) to chase after Strom (Raul Julia) the criminal mastermind leading a gang of car thieves and the cold-blooded murderer of Nick's former partner (what an original angle).Chases,gun-fire,explosions and buddy-banter ensue.

As I stated,Clint was 60 when this was made,and unlike fellow action star Chuck Norris when he appeared in the film The President's Man,truly looks his age,haggard and even slightly dishevelled,making him chronically ill-suited to the leading role.He might have been able to detract from his inevitable physical appearance had he been given a script which gave him some clever lines and puns to work with.Sadly,The Rookie also fails in this department,with one as bland and uninspiring as they come.Matters aren't helped by a similarly lifeless,unthrilling soundtrack,which fails to liven up the proceedings or go any way in making them more exciting.As for the action scenes,yeah,there are one or two nice touches as far as these are concerned here or there,but they're either far too predictable or must have occured at some stage too far into the movie for your interest to have been sustained any longer.With all these faults already piled against the film,it's also far too long for it's own good,the longer it goes on,the more of a rambling,disconcerting effort it ends up becoming.

Put it this way.For a film running at just under the two hour mark,when you've switched off after what can't be any more than about three quarters of an hour in to it,you know you're in trouble.Best not to give it even that though.Just avoid the whole thing altogether,and give your time and money to something much more rewarding.*