Extreme Prejudice Reviews

"You know, Jack. I got a feeling the next time we run into each other, we gonna have a killin'. Just a feeling."

On top of directing such manly classics as 48 Hrs., The Driver and The Warriors, Walter Hill also helmed the little-known 1987 gem Extreme Prejudice, which deserves far more attention and acclaim. An exceptionally cool neo-Western action-thriller, the film contains an epic cast, including the likes of Nick Nolte, Powers Boothe, Michael Ironside, Rip Torn, William Forsythe and Clancy Brown, all of whom are coated in record amounts of sweat. Add to this an intriguing story and a violent, bullet-ridden climax that pays homage to Sam Peckinpah's The Wild Bunch, and you have a testosterone-fuelled '80s action film that is essential viewing for genre aficionados. Beware, though, that the film is so manly that it has been known to make vaginas close up and turn female voices quite husky. Men, meanwhile, suffer a sudden desire to chew on cigars, shoot some liquor, arm wrestle dinosaurs and lift weights after watching Extreme Prejudice.

Texas Ranger Jack Benteen (Nick Nolte) finds himself in a difficult situation when he learns that his former childhood best friend, Cash Bailey (Powers Boothe), is now a major drug trafficker. Although reluctant to draw arms against Cash due to their personal history, Jack becomes determined to bring down his old friend after the local sheriff (Rip Torn) is killed by Cash's men. Meanwhile, a clandestine group of U.S. Army Sergeants known as the Zombie Unit, led by Major Paul Hackett (Michael Ironside), begin a CIA-sanctioned operation to take down Cash's drug operations, looking to strip the drug baron of his funds and retrieve information about his business associates. Complicating matters further is Jack's girlfriend, Sarita (Maria Conchita Alonso), who becomes weary of life with the Texas Ranger and looks to hook up with her former flame, Cash. After learning of Hackett's operation, Jack decides to join the soldiers as they head to Mexico to assassinate Cash and permanently halt his operations.

Extreme Prejudice is laden with manly goodness, from Cash crushing a scorpion with his bare hands to gratuitous female nudity and bloody violence aplenty, not to mention a healthy smattering of quotable one-liners. Written by Deric Washburn (The Deer Hunter, The Border) and Harry Kleiner (Bullitt, Red Heat), from a story by John Milius (Red Dawn, Conan the Barbarian) and Hollywood military advisor Fred Rexer, the script is marvellous, overflowing with tough macho guy speak that keeps the film engaging from start to finish. In the first five minutes, William Forsythe's Sgt. Atwater tells a random woman, "As long as I got a face, you got a place to sit," which immediately sets the tone. For crying out loud, the overzealously masculine Jack and Cash at one stage prepare for a duel, and Cash tells an emotional Sarita, "Show us some tits if you want to be useful, give us some motivation." The title is even derived from the expression "terminate with extreme prejudice." Yeah, the film is named after a fucking kill order. To the credit of the writers, Extreme Prejudice is not just a lazy, straight-ahead action fiesta, as genuine thought is put towards plotting and character development. Plus, there are a handful of compelling plot twists, and the film displays very little sentimentality towards its characters, especially once the climax arrives.

Walter Hill excels as an action director, and Extreme Prejudice significantly benefits from the filmmaker's masterful touch. Shot with gloriously old-fashioned filmmaking sensibilities, the action scenes are fluid, smooth, and always riveting and easy to follow. Extreme Prejudice is also drenched in omnipresent grit, the likes of which we scarcely see in contemporary cinema. We can almost feel the heat of the Texan sun, and there's not an ounce of artificial-looking CGI in sight. Moreover, blood squibs explode all over the place, and action fans will delight in the gratuitous scenes of folks being gunned down. It is awesome. The film's centrepiece is its climax, a magnificent shootout that is exceedingly violent and loud. Indeed, the technical presentation and production values are impressive, with the movie looking competent and slick instead of cheap or chintzy. Also notable is Jerry Goldsmith's remarkably memorable score. The late Goldsmith was a luminary of the action genre, having also scored such movies as First Blood, Total Recall, Air Force One and Deep Rising. His presence here is a considerable asset, and his efforts bestow Extreme Prejudice with a superb coat of polish.

The fact that Jack and Cash are childhood friends gives the story a unique angle, making it more compelling than just another routine "cops vs. drug dealers" action film. The characters are not exactly deep, but the script allows them adequate development, raising the stakes once the climax draws near. It helps that the performances are terrific. Nolte lost weight and worked with a real-life Texas Ranger to get into character...and, my word, it pays off. Nolte is a total badass here, and more movies featuring Jack Benteen would have been welcome. Equally good is Boothe, who chews the scenery as the villain here. Meanwhile, Ironside submits a typical Ironside performance; he never steps out of his comfort zone, but he's a good fit for his gruff role, and he is always committed to the material. Rip Torn also makes a fantastic impression as Benteen's old friend, Sheriff Pearson. Torn is quick-witted and entertaining, and an entire movie could be centred around Nolte and Torn simply interacting and bantering with one another.

Extreme Prejudice is not a film for everyone. It's quite exclusively a boy's movie, intended for consumption by males who enjoy this type of action movie. Girls need not apply unless they enjoy films like The Wild Bunch or The Expendables. Perhaps the storytelling could be tauter, but there is otherwise not much to complain about here. The action is terrific, the dialogue is incredibly entertaining, and the actors are great. What a shame it is so criminally underrated.

8.8/10

Honestly, I wasn’t sure what to expect from this flick but since I always had a weak spot for Nick Nolte, I thought I should give it a try. I have noticed that this movie has somehow became a cult classic among action movie fans but, personally, I really had a hard time to share their enthusiasm. I mean, first of all, it is kind of difficult for me to take a movie seriously when it has such a title... Honestly, even though it is supposed to sound catchy, I think it is actually pretty lame. Anyway, I have to admit it, an action movie starring such actors like Nick Nolte, Powers Boothe and Michael Ironside can’t be completely worthless. Furthermore, the directing by Walter Hill was also pretty solid and the actors did a decent job. So, indeed, it was not completely bad and somewhat entertaining but I guess I'm not a huge fan of those 80's cheesy action movies which are deadly repetitive and predictable in my opinion. To conclude, I didn’t enjoy it much and I don’t think it is really worth a look but, still, if you love the genre, you may end up enjoying it more than I did.