Chasers (1994) Warner Bros./Action-Comedy RT: 102 minutes Rated R (strong language, a scene of sexuality) Director: Dennis Hopper Screenplay: Joe Batteer, John Rice and Dan Gilroy Music: Dwight Yoakam and Pete Anderson Cinematography: Ueli Steiger Release date: April 22, 1994 (US) Cast: Tom Berenger, Erika Eleniak, William McNamara, Gary Busey, Crispin Glover, Matthew Glave, Grand L. Bush, Dean Stockwell, Bitty Schram, Seymour Cassel, Frederic Forrest, Marilu Henner, Dennis Hopper. Box Office: $1.6M (US)
Rating: ***
Ah, good old Morgan Creek! If you don’t recognize the name, it’s the production company behind 80s and 90s box office hits like Young Guns, Major League, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves and Ace Ventura: Pet Detective. They’re also notorious for a string of flop movies in the 90s- e.g. Chasers, Trial by Jury, Silent Fall, Two If by Sea, Big Bully, Diabolique, Bad Moon, Major League: Back to the Minors and Chill Factor. What else do these movies have in common? NONE of them were screened for critics or audiences in advance. Studios know a dud when they have one in their hands and they’re not about to fire a warning shot to keep potential victims…. I mean viewers away.
Chasers, an action-comedy directed by Dennis Hopper (Easy Rider, Colors), arrived in theaters without fanfare in late April ’94. The trailer told me all I needed to know about it; it was an update of The Last Detail, Hal Ashby’s 1973 comedy-drama about two Navy men (one played by Jack Nicholson) escorting a military prisoner to the brig. The main difference between the two is that the prisoner in the later movie is an attractive female. I went to see Chasers with a couple of friends at a Sunday matinee opening weekend. I figured it wouldn’t stick around very long, especially with the first big summer releases just around the corner. I think it played only one week. It’s an odd movie in general (tonally speaking), but the oddest thing is that I liked it.
The two escorts in question this time are Rock Reilly (Berenger, Shoot to Kill), a tough, gruff, by-the-book MP and Eddie Devane (McNamara, Stealing Home), a cocky young sailor a day away from being discharged when ordered to help Rock escort the prisoner Toni Johnson (Eleniak, Under Siege) to San Diego to begin serving her sentence of 7-10 years. Of course, they think they’re escorting a guy named TONY Johnson. They don’t find out he’s a she until after Eddie signs for her.
Anyway, Eddie has other things on his mind. He has a side hustle that’s about to go sideways. For years, he’s been scamming the Navy with a lot of inventory-related schemes and has accumulated a nice-sized nest egg when called to duty. In his absence, partner-in-crime Howard (Glover, Back to the Future) panics and attempts to destroy all evidence of their misdeeds only to find that Eddie’s been conning him as well. Eddie tries frantically to reach Howard on the phone; that is, when he’s not flirting with the prisoner to whom he’s clearly attracted. For her part, Toni repeatedly tries to give the guys the slip only to have them give chase. Once recaptured, she gets back into their good graces only to make another escape attempt.
I can’t recall ever hearing a kind word about Chasers and I know why. It’s a question of tone. In his first attempt at comedy in the capacity of director, Hopper can’t seem to settle on a consistent tone. He veers between buddy comedy, action and drama like a buzzed driver on a semi-crowded highway. Rock and Eddie are as mismatched a pair as salt and arsenic. One plays by the rules; the other flouts them. Rock takes his duties seriously; Eddie shows complete indifference. Rock tells Eddie to keep his mouth shut; Eddie tells him to lighten up. Rock always looks like he wants to knock Eddie’s head off; Eddie just wants to rip Toni’s clothes off. It’s the usual scenario except for the casting which feels markedly random. The two leads’ chemistry is strained rather than natural. The physical humor tends to be heavy-handed. The drama enters the picture when we finally find out what Toni did to get into trouble and why. It’s not a comfortable fit with playful buddy comedy or escapist action.
HOWEVER, it’s the offbeat vibe that makes Chasers work for me. In a time when movies are less art than mass product, it’s great to see somebody like Hopper put a slightly different slant on a tired genre. For one thing, he fills it with a lot of cool cameos like Gary Busey (Lethal Weapon) as a Marine officer, Marilu Henner (Taxi) as a flirtatious waitress, Dean Stockwell (Blue Velvet) as a car dealer, Seymour Cassel (The Killing of a Chinese Bookie) as a Naval officer and Hopper himself as a skeevy guy who gets his car stolen by Toni. There’s also something of a subplot with a couple of rival MPs played by Matthew Glave (The Wedding Singer) and Grand L. Bush (Colors).
Berenger sounds like he’s doing a Nick Nolte imitation as Rock while McNamara does his best Tom Cruise impersonation as Eddie. Each one on his own does a fine job. Together, not so much. Eleniak is HOT as Toni. She’s also the movie’s comic center. She’s always one up on her keepers with a bag of tricks including one involving tampons in a gas tank.
In a larger sense, Chasers can be seen as a look at Americana with its tacky roadside businesses- e.g. gas stations, motels, fast food joints, truck stop diners and miniature golf courses, the site of one particularly amusing sight gag. I really liked this aspect of Chasers a lot. I also liked Hopper’s frequent use of country music on the soundtrack. I’m guessing he was a fan. In the end, I love how he defies conventionality and goes his own way with Chasers. It may have tanked at the box office, but it earned at least one fan.
TRIVIA TIDBIT: Not that it’s of any real importance but the trailer for Police Academy: Mission to Moscow was attached to Chasers when I saw it. At first sight, I predicted it would be the final nail in that franchise’s coffin. I was right; it was barely released to theaters, none in Philadelphia.
