Renegades (1989 film)
Renegades | |
---|---|
![]() Theatrical release poster | |
Directed by | Jack Sholder |
Written by | David Rich |
Produced by | David Madden Robert W. Cort Ted Field J. Rickley Dumm Gabriella Martinelli Paul Schiff Melissa Bachrach James G. Robinson Joe Roth |
Starring | |
Cinematography | Phil Meheux |
Edited by | Caroline Biggerstaff |
Music by | Michael Kamen |
Production companies | |
Distributed by | Universal Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 106 minutes |
Language | English |
Budget | $16 million[1] |
Box office | $20 million[2] |
Renegades is a 1989 American action-crime film directed by Jack Sholder and starring Kiefer Sutherland, Lou Diamond Phillips, and Jami Gertz. It was released on June 2, 1989, by Universal Pictures.
Plot[]
Buster McHenry (Kiefer Sutherland) works as an undercover agent for the Philadelphia Police Department. He is attempting to flush out a corrupt officer. McHenry's investigation hits two complications. The first occurs when he gets arrested while trying to stop a carjacking. He distracts the suspect with a beer bottle and assaults an officer. The second occurs when he participates in a robbery of a jewelry store to retrieve $6 million in diamonds. During the course of fleeing the crime scene, an ancient Native American spear is stolen from an Auction House and Buster is wounded.
Marino (Rob Knepper), a crime boss who led the robbery, thinks that the spear might be worth something to his associates. Hank Storm (Lou Diamond Phillips), a young Native American, is now after the spear and Buster is after his criminal cohorts. Hank rescues Buster and nurses him back to health. Hank starts to blame Buster for what happened at the Auction House, but Buster tells him he was doing his job. Marino discovers where Buster has been hiding out. With Hank's help, both of them escape.
Both of them are outsiders in their own way, but now they have the same target. They despise each other at first, but learn to set aside their differences and work together. Meanwhile, Marino and his men visit Hank's father, whom they shoot and kill when he refuses to cooperate in locating his son.
After interrogating some of Marino's associates, they now realize that some of Buster's partners want him dead, because he knows too much, and that there is corruption in the police force. Buster comes to conclude that his partners sold him out to Marino. The film ends with Buster and Hank infiltrating and destroying Marino's hideout. They start killing many of Marino's men, as well as the corrupt policemen. Buster kills Marino by throwing the spear right into his chest as he was about to kill Hank. A month later, Hank gets a job as a tour guide in Texas, while Buster visits him and tells him he has his job back as a policeman, hoping it will turn his life around.
Buster thanks Hank for showing him the error of his ways. They shake hands as both men realize they have better futures. Hank promises Buster he'll come visit him sometime soon. Buster drives off as Hank waves good-bye.
Cast[]
- Kiefer Sutherland as Detective Buster McHenry
- Lou Diamond Phillips as Hank Storm
- Robert Knepper as Bobby Marino
- Bill Smitrovich as Detective Finch
- Jami Gertz as Barbara
- Clark Johnson as J.J.
- Jack Blum as Keith Weinstock
- Peter MacNeill as Detective Denny Ransom
- Tom Butler as Detective Geddles
- Paul Butler as Captain Blaloch
- Floyd 'Red Crow' Westerman as Red Crow Storm, Hank Storm's Father.
- Gary Farmer as George Storm, Hank's Brother.
- Janelle Hutchinson as Annette
- John Di Benedetto as Corso
- Joseph Griffin as Matt
- Kyra Harper as Nema
- Paul Hill as Nema's Oldest Son
- Kyle Anderson as Nema's Youngest Son
- Big Yank as Dealer
- Robert LaSardo as Skinhead
- A.C. Peterson as Big Ponytail
- Michael Rhoades as Small Ponytail
- Joseph Hieu as Gang Leader
- Von Flores as Gangbanger #1
- David Lee as Gangbanger #2
- Gaston Poon as Gangbanger #3
- Heidi Von Palleske as Hooker In Bar
- Marcelle Griffith as Hooker In Motel
- Jacqueline Samuda as Woman Cop
- Real Andrews as Cop
- Grandfather Semu Haute as Lakota Chief (uncredited)
Production[]
According to a 2020 interview with director Jack Sholder, he wanted to outdo the car chase from his previous film The Hidden. Sholder asked stunt coordinator Mickey Gilbert if there was anything he wanted to do in a car chase that he had not done before. Gilbert came up with two stunts: the car driving straight through the office and obliterating it and the car driving up a ramp into a semi-truck and coming out the other end. The whole car chase lasted a total of nine minutes at first, but Sholder felt it was too long, after which he cut it back to seven minutes.[3]
Reception[]
The film received negative reviews from critics. It currently has a 20% rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 5 reviews.[4] The film grossed $3,075,030 on its first weekend, peaking at number 5 at the US box office, behind Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade and the newcomer No Holds Barred. The film grossed a total of $9 million in the US and Canada and $20 million worldwide.[5][2]
References[]
- ^ "AFI|Catalog".
- ^ a b "Morgan Creek Prods. Box Office". Variety. February 15, 1993. p. 46.
- ^ "Jack Sholder interview". THE FLASHBACK FILES. Retrieved 2021-03-11.
- ^ "Renegades (1989)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 1 October 2015.
- ^ "Renegades (1989)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 8 August 2011.
External links[]
- 1989 films
- English-language films
- 1989 action films
- American films
- American crime action films
- American buddy films
- American buddy cop films
- Fictional portrayals of the Philadelphia Police Department
- Films about Native Americans
- Films directed by Jack Sholder
- Films set in Philadelphia
- Films shot in Pennsylvania
- Morgan Creek Productions films
- Universal Pictures films
- Interscope Communications films
- Films scored by Michael Kamen
- 1980s buddy films
- 1980s buddy cop films