Rent 8 Million Ways to Die (1986)

Jeff on a go slow - 8 Million Ways to Die review by NC

Bit slow by modern standards. Not one of his best known films, but always puts in a competent performance. Consummate professional still doing good things even now.

Had to give it 2 stars due to age, would have been 3 say 20 years back.

It's very of-its-time, but it's a decent crime thriller - 8 Million Ways to Die review by BG

8 Millions Ways to Die could potentially be more '80s, but it'd be hard.

Scudder (Bridges) is a cop who makes a tough call and decides to handle it in the way '80s movie cops do: - with whisky-based oblivion and waking up somehow brilliantly perched in booze-drenched slumber on top of an 8-foot wall, having lost his job, his credibility and his marriage, and yet still managing to be a Private Investigator.

Because she clearly wants the best, hooker Sunny (a likeable but scatty Alexandra Paul) hires him to protect her and feeds him some unhelpful BS information about why, while demonstrating the exciting insights provided by the scriptwriters into the female psyche ("Act dizzy and confused. Chicks do that").

Because she can smell the stink of sleaze on him (and probably Jack Daniels) fellow hooker Sarah (Rosanna Arquette) gives him her best hard-as-nails cynical routine, which is '80s code for 'sex is imminent'.

Randy Brooks is charming and interesting as shady character 'Chance', fulfilling the '80s cliche role of the only coloured lead character having made his money through crime. Thankfully he's better than the part he's been given, and the scenes between him and Bridges are lively and spark with conflicted interests.

A young Andy Garcia is the MVP of the film, reminding us all why he became a star in the first place with a performance of such charisma and sleazy magnetism that he nearly steals the majority of his scenes.

Not rich with action, it still manages good shootouts where it counts, and the character conflict is strong. You also care about whether Scudder will solve the mystery and save the day.

I can't give you 8 Millions reasons to see this of-its-time thriller, but there are certainly still 2 or 3.