| Date watched | Nov 2016 |
|---|---|
| Show Time | estimated 5pm |
| Theater | Home Video |
| Theater Number | Woodrow Apt |
| Pizza | Yes |
| Tickets | No |
| Letterboxd Rating | DNR |
| Crew | Just me |
I bought this movie off eBay on November 7th, 2016. I was living in a small apartment off Woodrow in Austin, TX at the time and was in the early days of what I was calling my Busey Quest. I was trying to find and watch as many Gary Busey movies as I could.
Lethal Tender is one of the great Gary action movies. It kicks off when a routine tour of a Chicago water-filtration plant is taken hostage by a band of criminals. They seize the facility and round up any personnel who are not on strike. Oh, did I forget to mention that? Yes, the workers are on strike but people are still going to this place to take tours. These criminals, domestic terrorists, really, are threatening to contaminate the city’s drinking water as part of their scheme. Detective David Chase (Jeff Fahey), who was there to bust up the strike, becomes the reluctant lone hero trying to outwit the terrorists from inside the plant. Of course, who could be behind such a chaotic yet brilliant scheme? None other than our pal Gary Busey as Mr. Turner, who directs operations from in front of a very odd computer terminal. His partner and leader of the gunmen is another equally watchable, energetic actor, Kim Coates, who plays Montesi. He is one of those 80s/90s villains who is super smart and mad at the world for not being as smart as he is, which makes for great pre-internet smarty-pantsery. As the clock ticks and threats escalate, Chase teams up with plant engineer Melissa Wilkins (Carrie-Anne Moss) to foil the plot and save both the hostages and Chicago’s water supply. It’s been said before by people who watch this movie, but it really is like Die Hard in a water plant: hijinks, questionable master plans, and Busey’s unhinged energy making it uniquely its own.
It doesn’t end there. If you find this movie maybe too coherent or making too much sense, I recommend checking out another movie about a water plant under threat. It’s called Never Too Young to Die, and it hinges on a plot about poisoning a city’s water supply. It’s got that same wonderfully bonkers 80s action, starring John Stamos and Gene Simmons, who bring everything up to 11. It is quite magical. Make it a double feature and celebrate the memory of having clean drinking water.