Through his Silver Pictures production company, Joel Silver produced some of the most well-known and popular action movies of the 80's and 90's. Hits like Commando (1985), Predator (1987) and the Lethal Weapon series are just some of his successes.
However, not everything under the Silver Pictures banner went on to be a success. For every Die Hard (1988) there would be an Action Jackson (1988) or Hudson Hawk (1990), with them failing either critically or at the box office. In Hudson Hawk's case it would be both.
Like Action Jackson, Russell Mulcahy's Ricochet (1991) was unfairly maligned by critics and is now mostly overlooked. This is a shame as Ricochet is a wild ride that contains many of the same elements that made other Silver productions so popular.
Denzel Washington plays Nick Styles, a young beat cop who makes his name by capturing hitman Earl Talbot Blake (John Lithgow) in a violent standoff. Stripping down to his underwear in order to prove to Blake he is unarmed, Styles then proceeds to shoot him in the kneecap with a concealed weapon.
The incident is recorded by a bystander, with the footage ending up on the news. This makes Styles a Hero, with him and his partner being instantly promoted. In the meantime Blake is sent to prison, where he makes it his mission to get his revenge on Styles.
Eight years later, Styles has become the assistant district attorney and is married to Alice (Victoria Dillard) who he has two daughters with. While everything seems idyllic, they are soon going to change for the worse.
While Styles has been building his career, Blake has been allying himself with the Aryan brotherhood who he sees as a means of escape. With help from the brotherhood, Blake stages a violent prison break. Now on the outside, he won't rest until he has destroyed Styles life and everything he stands for.
By the time Ricochet was released, director Russell Mulcahy had already built up quite a following. This was mainly due to cult hit Highlander (1986), and to a lesser extent his numerous music videos for the likes of Bonnie Tyler, Duran Duran and Spandau Ballet.
However, any goodwill he built up was mostly squandered with the release of the ill-advised Highlander 2: The Quickening (1991), which has went on to become one of the worst films ever produced.
In Mulcahy's defence, theres was major interference during production, with the final cut being taken out of his hands. He has since disowned the film.
Mulcahy got to slightly rectify this years later, releasing his own directors cut of the film. Ultimately it was still a failure but did at least improve on the sub-par theatrical release. Ricochet was released the same year and goes in some way for making up for Highlander 2's failings. It showed that Mulcahy could work outside the fantasy genre but still retain his visual stylings.
Mulcahy fills the film with memorable performances, an elaborate plot and violently exciting action scenes. With all this, Ricochet really deserves to be remembered alongside Joel Silver's more successful productions of the time.
There is some shocking violence included, especially during Lithgow's prison escape where one poor guy gets a circular saw through his chest while another has an electric drill put through his neck.
Apparently the violence had to be toned down for Ricochet to get the desired rating. One can only imagine what it was like before, as what made it into the completed film is still brutal.
As an acknowledgement of the previous Highander, Mulcahy has Lithgow and Jesse Ventura facing off in a frankly ridiculous prison sword fight.
The script by Steven E. desouza is full of elements like this, that in any other film could be considered ludicrous. Here they are actually what make Ricochet interesting. Like his script for the eralier Die Hard, E desouza fills Ricochet with great characters and dialogue.
The story was the work of Fred Dekker of Monster Squad (1988) fame. He initially developed the script as a Dirty Harry movie, but Clint Eastwood baulked at how dark the tone was and turned it down.
Gaining the interest of Joel Silver, Dekker then reworked the script, with the intention of him directing and Kurt Russell to star. This clearly never came to fruition, with the script later being reworked by E desouza and Mulcahy taking the director’s chair.
Dekker shares story credit with writer/director Menno Meyjes. Meyjes had previously worked on the story of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989) before later going on to direct the interesting Max (2002).
Unsurprisingly, Denzel Washington is terrific in the lead role, exuding charisma and a sense of cockiness. This cockiness slowly disappears as the film progresses, with his character being put through one test after another. This came only a year after his Oscar win for Glory (1989), and although it pales in comparison, it clearly shows Washington's star power.
As terrific as Washington is, John Lithgow steals the show as Blake. A master at unhinged villainy, Lithgow walks away with all the best lines and really puts Washington's hero through his paces.
Lithgow would go on to play an even more deranged character a year later in Brian De Palma's Raising Cain (1992).
They are ably supported by the likes of Kevin Pollack, Lindsay Wagner and Josh Evans. Even Ice T does well as an old friend off Styles who now finds himself on the opposite side of the law.
Ricochet is perfect entertainment for those brought up on a diet of 80's action flix and will satisfy most unassuming viewers who won’t judge a film on how unrealistic it may appear.
Rating: 4/5
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