Two biking buddies team up to help a friend save his L.A. nightclub from an evil banker who wants to replace the beloved bar with an impersonal high-rise. The ensuing plot has the two bikers repeatedly confronting the banker's cold blooded, robotic henchmen, who make quite a fashion statement with their slicked-back hair, their blank faces, and their irritatingly hip, long black coats. The numerous confrontations between the two bikers and the thugs culminate in explosions, fights, and gunfire.
The story is standard Hollywood fluff, aimed at kids, young boys in particular. Except for the unique "airplane graveyard" setting, the plot is mostly a dud. Fortunately, the characterizations of the two leads rescue the film from banality.
Harley (Mickey Rourke) and Marlboro (Don Johnson), swagger, posture, and strut their macho stuff, as you would expect, for two bikers. They swear. They fight. And, of course, they follow the babes. Underneath the public toughness, however, are two nonconformists, and each has his own brand of insecurity. And, they have a conscience. They want to do the right thing. It is this textured characterization of Harley and Marlboro that makes the film worth watching, especially in the first twenty-five minutes, before the action plot interferes.
The is a working man's movie ... with all the gritty realism of urban street life. The film's first half features some good cinematography, sultry music and atmosphere, great production design, and costumes suitable for the most hip biker bar. The best approach to this film is to ignore the silly action plot, and focus instead on Harley and Marlboro, and their unorthodox outlook on life.
