Lightning Jack (1994)

Lightning Jack Kane is an Australian outlaw in the wild west. During a bungled bank robbery he picks up mute Ben Doyle as a hostage. The two become good friends, with Jack teaching Ben how ... See full summary »

Director:

Simon Wincer

Writer:

Paul Hogan

Stars:

Paul Hogan, Cuba Gooding Jr., Beverly D'Angelo

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Paul Hogan	...	Lightning Jack Kane
Cuba Gooding Jr.	...	Ben Doyle
Beverly D'Angelo	...	Lana Castel
Kamala Lopez	...	Pilar (as Kamala Dawson)
Pat Hingle	...	U.S. Marshal Dan Kurtz
L.Q. Jones	...	Sheriff
Richard Riehle	...	Marcus
Frank McRae	...	Mr. Doyle
Roger Daltrey	...	John T. Coles
Max Cullen	...	Bart
Sandy Ward	...	Judge Curren
Roy Brocksmith	...	Junction City Tailor
Douglas Stewart	...	Junction City Shopkeeper
Kevin O'Morrison	...	Old Guy in Alley
Mark Miles	...	Luke

Storyline

Lightning Jack Kane is an Australian outlaw in the wild west. During a bungled bank robbery he picks up mute Ben Doyle as a hostage. The two become good friends, with Jack teaching Ben how to rob banks, while they plan Jack's last heist.

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Plot Keywords:

friendship | bare chested male | seduction | prostitute | horse | 

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Taglines:

A comedy about two outlaws who just wanted to be wanted.

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Genres:

Comedy | Western

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for sexual content

Details

Country:

USA Australia

Language:

English

Release Date:

11 March 1994 (USA)

Also Known As:

Jack Blyskawica

Filming Locations:

Monument Valley, Arizona, USA

Box Office

Gross USA:

$16,821,273

Company Credits

Production Co:

Lightning Ridge, Village Roadshow Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

98 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Major League Baseball pitcher 'Roger Clemens (I)' makes an uncredited cameo appearance as the eye-patched outlaw character "Dutch Spencer".

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Quotes

Lightning Jack Kane: [hands news paper over] Read that out to me.
Old Guy in Alley: Yes sir, but, you dont need the gun son, i aint the law.
[pause]
Old Guy in Alley: Younger gang wiped out.
Lightning Jack Kane: [takes news paper and points to his section] That part.
Old Guy in Alley: The only flaw in the trap was the escape of Lightning Jack Kane
[pause]
Old Guy in Alley: Although several witnesses swore he was shot full of holes and riding dead in his saddle. Kane is of medium height and build, blonde hair
[looks at Jacks hair]
Old Guy in Alley: with a mean withered face and has an English accent.
[...]

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Connections

Referenced in Heaven Sent (1994)

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Soundtracks

Cowboy Jack
Traditional
Performed by Beverly D'Angelo
Arranged by Bruce Rowland

User Reviews

Average film

Lightning Jack is an average Western Comedy that has a few laughs. It though a lot of the well known and established formulas and is neither better nor worse, than a lot of other comedies out there. Paul Hogan stars as Jack Kane a veteran outlaw who finds himself part of a dying breed an unable to get a decent headline. Cuba Gooding Jr. stars as the mute clerk Ben Doyle who wants to join up with Kane and become an outlaw.

The acting is average. Hogan seems to run on much of his routine from Crocodile Dundee. Some of the time though he seems to have trouble delivering his lines convincingly. Cuba Gooding Jr. is amusing as the mute Doyle but occasionally overacted to the point where it made me cringe. The chemistry between the two isn't bad, but it isn't great either. Much like the film itself.

There's nothing noteworthy about the direction or cinematography. The story moves along alright, but the script is mediocre and gives us a few completely unnecessary scenes. There is rarely any musical score to take note of, and what little there is, is average stuff to enhance the comedic elements.

The film is not a complete waste of time. Some of the jokes do hit their mark, and Hogan has charm. There are several better Western comedies out there though, such as Maverick, but if you're looking for some mild entertainment some rainy day, Lightning Jack can prove to be entertaining enough.