Stick (1985) Universal/Action RT: 109 minutes Rated R (language, violence, sexual content, drugs) Director: Burt Reynolds Screenplay: Elmore Leonard and Joseph Stinson Music: Joseph Conlan and Barry De Vorzon Cinematography: Nick McLean Release date: April 26, 1985 (US) Starring: Burt Reynolds, Candice Bergen, George Segal, Charles Durning, Castulo Guerra, Jose Perez, Dar Robinson, Richard Lawson, Tricia Leigh Fisher, Alex Rocco, Tim Rossovich. Box Office: $8.4M (US)
Rating: ** ½
The main problem with the big screen adaptation of Elmore Leonard’s crime novel Stick is Burt Reynolds. He’s miscast as Ernest “Stick” Stickley, an ex-con looking to avenge the death of his best friend by drug dealers. He starts out fine, but once he shaves off his beard he shifts into his default persona, the cocky, good-old-boy Burt from The Cannonball Run, Stroker Ace and countless other films. In no way, shape or form does his interpretation resemble the character conceived by Leonard. This, in and of itself, is bad enough. It’s compounded by the fact that Reynolds is also the director. He let his ego get in the way in miscasting himself. The sad part is that Burt is fully capable of disappearing into his character just as he did in Sharky’s Machine four years earlier.
Stick returns to Miami after serving a seven-year stretch for armed robbery hoping to make a new life for himself. The last thing he wants is to return to a life of crime, but fate has other plans for him. His best friend Rainy (Perez, Short Eyes) gets Stick to accompany him on a job, delivering a suitcase full of money to Cuban drug lord Nestor (Guerra, The Usual Suspects) from dealer-junkie Chucky (Durning, Sharky’s Machine). It turns out to be a set-up. Rainy is shot dead by Chucky’s main henchman Moke (stunt man Robinson) and Stick runs for his life. Nestor orders Chucky to find Stick and kill him.
Regrouping at a friend’s house, Stick vows to get revenge. He cleans himself up and charms his way into a job as chauffeur for Barry Braham (Segal, A Touch of Class), an obnoxious rich guy who likes to hang around with criminals like Chucky. He bides his time waiting for the right opportunity to go after Chucky and Nestor. He finds time to fall in love with Barry’s financial advisor Kyle (Bergen, Starting Over) and mend his relationship with teenage daughter Katie (Fisher, Pretty Smart).
To be fair, Stick isn’t entirely Burt’s fault. Universal wasn’t satisfied with the finished product and demanded he reshoot the second half of the movie. It was delayed from an August ’84 release date so Burt could fix it. This accounts for its uneven feel. It shifts uneasily between gritty action and wink-nudge comedy. As a result, it tanked at the box office and critics savaged it.
Truth be told, it’s not that bad. It’s not that good either. The first half is definitely the stronger half with Burt in tough guy mode. Look at an early scene where Stick deals with a pervert ogling and harassing a young-looking female bartender. Now compare it to a later scene where he douses a bigger opponent with gasoline and threatens him with a lighter. It’s too jokey. It’s Burt playing Burt. Segal’s character feels like a joke too. When he arrives at his mansion by yacht and announces, “Be it ever so humble, there’s no place like a three-and-a-half million dollar home!”, Stick loses its gritty edge.
HOWEVER, the biggest casting blooper is Durning playing what I think is supposed to be an aging hippie. He looks ridiculous in that blonde wig and hideous Hawaiian shirts. And what’s up with the eyebrows? I know Burt likes casting his friends, but he just makes a fool of Durning here. On the other hand, Robinson is great as the killer albino coming after Stick. Those icy blue eyes and pale skin make for one truly terrifying bad guy, one that other bad guys are afraid of.
There are some nicely mounted action scenes and cool stunts in Stick. My favorite comes near the end when a bad guy falls from a high-rise while firing his gun. It’s cool! Same goes for the scene of Stick being chased by Nestor’s men after Rainy is killed. I wish the whole of Stick had been more like it. It makes a wrong turn once he goes to work for Barry and doesn’t recover until the last 15 minutes or so when Stick finally goes after the drug dealers. The love story with Kyle is okay, but doesn’t serve the plot one way or the other.
Stick isn’t a terrible movie, just a disappointing one. Considering Burt’s work on Sharky’s Machine, both in front of and behind the camera, I expected better. It could have been great especially with Leonard himself writing the screenplay. Burt makes great use of the Florida locations, but his pacing is off. It moves too slowly at times. It’s as uneven as the movie’s tone.
Despite its many shortcomings, I kind of like Stick. It’s reasonably entertaining and it has some action. I just wish it was more faithful to its source. Leonard is one of the greatest crime writers of the 20th century. There was no need to change the story. I hope there will come a day when studio execs leave the creative part of filmmaking to the artists.
