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Tequila Sunrise
Screenwriter Robert Towne's second film as director stars Mel Gibson and Kurt Russell as old friends on opposite sides of the law, in conflict over crime and the same woman - Michelle Pfeiffer
Gibson plays Dale McKussic, a drug dealer who wants to go straight. While McKussic got onto the wrong side of the law, his high-school best friend Nick Frescia became a cop, rising the position of the head of the LA County Narcotics Division. McKussic tests Frescia's loyalty, however, with his plans to do one last deal with drug lord Carlos (Julia). Their relationship is further stretched as they compete over slinky restaurateur Jo Ann Vallenari (Pfeiffer). As a scriptwriter, Towne's status is unmatched, indeed his Chinatown is regularly used as the craft's study model. As a director, however, he is less revered. Personal Best (1980) had shown a deal of sensitivity in its handling of lesbian love but this, Towne's only other film behind the camera before 1998's Without Limits, is a bit of a let-down, especially considering the stellar cast he had to work with. It looks pretty good though, thanks to veteran cinematographer Conrad Hall (who shot Cool Hand Luke and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, among other things). |
