Tango & Cash
Encyclopedia
Tango & Cash is a 1989 American buddy cop film
starring Sylvester Stallone
, Kurt Russell
, Jack Palance
and Teri Hatcher
. It was directed by Andrei Konchalovsky
, although Albert Magnoli took over in the later stages of filming.
The film describes the struggle of two rival LAPD
Narcotics Detectives Ray Tango and Gabriel Cash, who are forced to work together after criminal mastermind, Yves Perret, frames them for murder.
However, the "deal" is really a plan by Yves Perret to frame Tango and Cash for murder. Tango and Cash separately go to an empty building, preceded by a man named Requin, Perret's lead henchman. After surprising each other, the two Detectives find a dead man with audio equipment hidden under his clothing and a team of FBI Agents swarms in. Agent Wyler finds Cash's pistol on the floor and arrests both Cash and Tango.
At their murder trial, the Detectives are incriminated by an audio tape, secretly given to Wyler by Requin and verified in court by an audio expert, which appears to reveal them shooting the FBI Agent after discussing a drug purchase. They plead no contest to a lesser charge in exchange for reduced sentences in a minimum-security prison, but are transported to a maximum-security prison to be housed with many of the criminals they arrested in the past.
Once in prison, Tango and Cash are rousted from their bunks and tortured by Requin and a gang of prisoners until Matt Sokowski, the assistant warden, rescues them. Sokowski recommends that they escape and provides them with a plan, but Tango refuses to go along with it. When Cash tries to escape, he finds Sokowski murdered and is attacked by prisoners. Tango rescues him and the two of them escape. Once outside the prison walls, Tango tells Cash if he needs to contact him, to go to a dance club called Cleopatra's and ask for a woman named Katherine. They then go separate ways.
The Detectives then visit the witnesses who framed them in court. Wyler admits to Tango that Requin was in charge of the setup, and Cash discovers that the audio expert made the incriminating tape himself. Cash finds Katherine at Cleopatra's. Kathrine helps Cash escape the night club as Police move in on him. Later that night, Cash learns that Katherine is Tango's sister. As Tango arrives and finds them in a compromising position (Katherine was massaging Cash, but from Tango's point of view it looked like they were having sex). Tango and Cash are met at Katherine's house by Tango's Commanding Officer, Schroeder, who gives them Requin's address and tells them they have 24 hours to find out who Requin works for. Tango and Cash apprehend Requin and trick him into telling them Perret's name. Armed with a high-tech assault vehicle, loaned to them by Cash's weapons expert friend Owen, they drive to Perret's headquarters, crash through the outer fence, destroy a fleet of armed trucks, hijack two heavy vehicles, crash into the main building and kill several guards.
At this point, Perret, who has kidnapped Katherine, starts a timer that will trigger the building's automatic self-destruct procedure. After killing Perret's core security personnel, Tango and Cash are confronted by Requin, who is holding Katherine at knifepoint but throws her aside to fight the Detectives hand-to-hand with the help of another henchman. The Detectives defeat the two henchmen and when Perret appears, holding a gun to Katherine's head, they kill him and leave with Katherine just before the building explodes. Afterward, they joke half-seriously about Cash's desire to date Katherine. The film ends with a newspaper headline celebrating their vindication.
The soundtrack was never released.
The film score, which was composed by Harold Faltermeyer, was released for the first time on January 30, 2007 by La-La Land Records
(LLLCD 1052) in 3000 Limited Sets.
. Tango & Cash was also given three 1989 Golden Raspberry Awards
nominations for Worst Actor (Sylvester Stallone), Worst Supporting Actress (Kurt Russell in drag) and Worst Screenplay, but did not win. It has since become a cult classic
amongst action movie fans.
Buddy cop film
The "buddy cop" is a subgenre of buddy films and crime films with plots involving two men of very different and conflicting personalities who are forced to work together to solve a crime and/or defeat criminals, sometimes learning from each other in the process...
starring Sylvester Stallone
Sylvester Stallone
Michael Sylvester Gardenzio Stallone , commonly known as Sylvester Stallone, and nicknamed Sly Stallone, is an American actor, filmmaker, screenwriter, film director and occasional painter. Stallone is known for his machismo and Hollywood action roles. Two of the notable characters he has portrayed...
, Kurt Russell
Kurt Russell
Kurt Vogel Russell is an American television and film actor. His first acting roles were as a child in television series, including a lead role in the Western series The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters...
, Jack Palance
Jack Palance
Jack Palance , was an American actor. During half a century of film and television appearances, Palance was nominated for three Academy Awards, all as Best Actor in a Supporting Role, winning in 1991 for his role in City Slickers.-Early life:Palance, one of five children, was born Volodymyr...
and Teri Hatcher
Teri Hatcher
Teri Lynn Hatcher is an American actress, writer, and presenter. She is known for her television roles as Susan Mayer on the ABC comedy-drama series Desperate Housewives, and Lois Lane on the ABC comedy-drama series Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman...
. It was directed by Andrei Konchalovsky
Andrei Konchalovsky
Andrei Mikhalkov-Konchalovsky is a Soviet-American and Russian film director, film producer and screenwriter....
, although Albert Magnoli took over in the later stages of filming.
The film describes the struggle of two rival LAPD
Los Angeles Police Department
The Los Angeles Police Department is the police department of the city of Los Angeles, California. With just under 10,000 officers and more than 3,000 civilian staff, covering an area of with a population of more than 4.1 million people, it is the third largest local law enforcement agency in...
Narcotics Detectives Ray Tango and Gabriel Cash, who are forced to work together after criminal mastermind, Yves Perret, frames them for murder.
Plot
The film begins as Ray Tango drives a late-model Cadillac convertible in pursuit of a tanker truck. His hair is neatly styled and he is dressed in a three-piece suit. He cleverly stops the truck but the LA County authorities find only gasoline in the tank. Tango shoots the tank and cocaine pours out of the bullet hole. Meanwhile, Gabriel Cash arrives at his apartment driving an old Corvette. His hair is long and shaggy and he is dressed in jeans, a T-shirt and a waist-length jacket. He is shot by an intruder, but is protected by a bullet-proof vest and captures the shooter in a parking garage after a car chase. At the Police Station, Cash forces the shooter to tell him about a deal scheduled to take place that night.However, the "deal" is really a plan by Yves Perret to frame Tango and Cash for murder. Tango and Cash separately go to an empty building, preceded by a man named Requin, Perret's lead henchman. After surprising each other, the two Detectives find a dead man with audio equipment hidden under his clothing and a team of FBI Agents swarms in. Agent Wyler finds Cash's pistol on the floor and arrests both Cash and Tango.
At their murder trial, the Detectives are incriminated by an audio tape, secretly given to Wyler by Requin and verified in court by an audio expert, which appears to reveal them shooting the FBI Agent after discussing a drug purchase. They plead no contest to a lesser charge in exchange for reduced sentences in a minimum-security prison, but are transported to a maximum-security prison to be housed with many of the criminals they arrested in the past.
Once in prison, Tango and Cash are rousted from their bunks and tortured by Requin and a gang of prisoners until Matt Sokowski, the assistant warden, rescues them. Sokowski recommends that they escape and provides them with a plan, but Tango refuses to go along with it. When Cash tries to escape, he finds Sokowski murdered and is attacked by prisoners. Tango rescues him and the two of them escape. Once outside the prison walls, Tango tells Cash if he needs to contact him, to go to a dance club called Cleopatra's and ask for a woman named Katherine. They then go separate ways.
The Detectives then visit the witnesses who framed them in court. Wyler admits to Tango that Requin was in charge of the setup, and Cash discovers that the audio expert made the incriminating tape himself. Cash finds Katherine at Cleopatra's. Kathrine helps Cash escape the night club as Police move in on him. Later that night, Cash learns that Katherine is Tango's sister. As Tango arrives and finds them in a compromising position (Katherine was massaging Cash, but from Tango's point of view it looked like they were having sex). Tango and Cash are met at Katherine's house by Tango's Commanding Officer, Schroeder, who gives them Requin's address and tells them they have 24 hours to find out who Requin works for. Tango and Cash apprehend Requin and trick him into telling them Perret's name. Armed with a high-tech assault vehicle, loaned to them by Cash's weapons expert friend Owen, they drive to Perret's headquarters, crash through the outer fence, destroy a fleet of armed trucks, hijack two heavy vehicles, crash into the main building and kill several guards.
At this point, Perret, who has kidnapped Katherine, starts a timer that will trigger the building's automatic self-destruct procedure. After killing Perret's core security personnel, Tango and Cash are confronted by Requin, who is holding Katherine at knifepoint but throws her aside to fight the Detectives hand-to-hand with the help of another henchman. The Detectives defeat the two henchmen and when Perret appears, holding a gun to Katherine's head, they kill him and leave with Katherine just before the building explodes. Afterward, they joke half-seriously about Cash's desire to date Katherine. The film ends with a newspaper headline celebrating their vindication.
Cast
- Sylvester StalloneSylvester StalloneMichael Sylvester Gardenzio Stallone , commonly known as Sylvester Stallone, and nicknamed Sly Stallone, is an American actor, filmmaker, screenwriter, film director and occasional painter. Stallone is known for his machismo and Hollywood action roles. Two of the notable characters he has portrayed...
as Lt. Ray Tango - Kurt RussellKurt RussellKurt Vogel Russell is an American television and film actor. His first acting roles were as a child in television series, including a lead role in the Western series The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters...
as Lt. Gabriel Cash - Teri HatcherTeri HatcherTeri Lynn Hatcher is an American actress, writer, and presenter. She is known for her television roles as Susan Mayer on the ABC comedy-drama series Desperate Housewives, and Lois Lane on the ABC comedy-drama series Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman...
as Katherine Tango - Jack PalanceJack PalanceJack Palance , was an American actor. During half a century of film and television appearances, Palance was nominated for three Academy Awards, all as Best Actor in a Supporting Role, winning in 1991 for his role in City Slickers.-Early life:Palance, one of five children, was born Volodymyr...
as Yves Perret - Brion JamesBrion JamesBrion Howard James was an American character actor. Known for playing the character of Leon Kowalski in the movie Blade Runner, James portrayed a variety of colorful roles in well-known films such as 48 Hrs., Another 48 Hours, Tango & Cash, Silverado, Red Heat, The Player and The Fifth Element...
as Requin - Geoffrey Lewis as Captain Schroeder
- Eddie Bunker as Captain Holmes
- James HongJames HongJames Hong is an American actor and former president of the Association of Asian/Pacific American Artists . A prolific acting veteran, Hong's career spans over 50 years and includes more than 350 roles in film, television, and video games.-Early life:Hong was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota. His...
as Quan - Marc AlaimoMarc AlaimoMichael Anthony "Marc" Alaimo is an American actor, known for his villainous roles. He is known to Star Trek fans for his role as recurring villain Gul Dukat in the TV series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.-Career:...
as Lopez - Michael J. PollardMichael J. Pollard- Early life :Born Michael John Pollack, Jr. in Passaic, New Jersey, he is the son of Sonia and Michael John Pollack. He attended the Montclair Academy and the Actors Studio.- Career :...
as Owen - Robert Z'DarRobert Z'DarRobert J. Zdarsky , better known as Robert Z’Dar, is an American actor and film producer, perhaps best known for his role as Matt Cordell in the cult horror film Maniac Cop and its two sequels. Due to his unusual facial structure, he is often referred to as "The Chin".-Early life:Born in Chicago,...
as "The Jaw" - Lewis ArquetteLewis ArquetteLewis Michael Arquette was an American film actor, writer and producer. Arquette was known for playing "J.D. Pickett" on the TV series, The Waltons, where he worked from 1978–1981.-Life and career:...
as Federal Agent Wyler - Roy BrocksmithRoy Brocksmith-Biography:Brocksmith was born in Quincy, Illinois, the son of Vera Marguerite and Otis E. Brocksmith, who was a mechanic. He graduated from Quincy University in 1970. He then moved to New York City where he began a career on Broadway...
as Federal Agent Davis - Richard FancyRichard FancyRichard Fancy is an American actor known for his long recurring role on Seinfeld as publisher Mr. Lippman, Elaine Benes' one-time boss. He appeared on the third and fourth seasons of It's Garry Shandling's Show as network boss Mr. Stravely. He also plays the Priest in the 1991 Film What About...
as Nolan (Tango & Cash's Lawyer) - Michael JeterMichael JeterMichael Jeter was an American actor.- Early life :Michael Jeter was born in Lawrenceburg, Tennessee. His mother, Virginia , was a housewife...
as Skinner (the audio expert) - Clint HowardClint HowardClinton "Clint" Howard is an American film and television actor. He is a character actor with numerous brief appearances on television and films. He has played many bit parts in movies directed by his brother, actor-turned-director Ron Howard. He is also the uncle of actress Bryce Dallas Howard...
as "Slinky" (Tango's cellmate)
Soundtrack
- "Best of What I Got" - Bad EnglishBad EnglishBad English was an American/British hard rock supergroup formed in 1988, reuniting keyboardist Jonathan Cain with singer John Waite and bassist Ricky Phillips, his former bandmates in The Babys.- History :...
- "Let the Day Begin" - The CallThe Call (band)The Call was an American rock band from Santa Cruz, California active from 1980 to 2000.-Biography:The Call formed in Santa Cruz in 1980 by vocalist/guitarist Michael Been, Scott Musick, and Tom Ferrier. Been and Musick were originally from Oklahoma...
- "Don't Go" - YazooYazoo (band)Yazoo are a British synthpop duo from Basildon, Essex. They had a number of Top 10 hits in the UK charts in the early 1980s...
- "Poison" - Alice CooperAlice CooperAlice Cooper is an American rock singer, songwriter and musician whose career spans more than four decades...
- "It's No Crime" - Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds
- "Harlem Nocturne" - Darktown Strutters
The soundtrack was never released.
The film score, which was composed by Harold Faltermeyer, was released for the first time on January 30, 2007 by La-La Land Records
La-La Land Records
La-La Land Records is an American record company based in Burbank, California . The company specializes in film and television soundtracks. The label is run by Michael V...
(LLLCD 1052) in 3000 Limited Sets.
Reception
The film received a negative review in The New York Times, that criticized the plot, the screenplay, and the acting. It maintains a 39% rating on Rotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
. Tango & Cash was also given three 1989 Golden Raspberry Awards
1989 Golden Raspberry Awards
The 10th Golden Raspberry Awards were held on March 25, 1990 at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel to recognize the worst the film industry had to offer in 1989.The 1990 awards featured special awards for the worst motion picture performances of the 1980s...
nominations for Worst Actor (Sylvester Stallone), Worst Supporting Actress (Kurt Russell in drag) and Worst Screenplay, but did not win. It has since become a cult classic
Cult Classic
Cult Classic is a Blue Öyster Cult studio recording released in 1994, containing remakes of many of the band's previous hits.-Track listing:# " The Reaper" - 5:05# "E.T.I...
amongst action movie fans.