Stick (1985)

Burt Reynolds acted and directed in this Florida story of crime, with Miami Vice style all over it. His sense of humor comes through the film repeatedly, even in tense situations. Reynolds (as "Stick", a prison man just released from prison) is not some great director or actor, but he does know what middle class audiences like to see in a movie. Action, plot, simple story with good camera work. Great soundtrack too.

I can't say this tale of revenge and Latino drug dealers is going to make anyone's list, but to see Charles Durning in a blond long haired wig and wild Hawiian shirts is worth watching. Obviously Durning hit a low in his career to accept this one, but he does a great job as always.

We also have none other than Candice Bergan and George Segal playing supporting roles. This film is worth watching just for them too. Those without any movie watching experience will no doubt find their appearance unknown and a mystery. But those with experiecne know Bergan and Segal made movie history in the sixties, seventies and eighties.

Ernest "Stick" Stickley, a former car thief, has just been released from prison. He meets up with an old friend, Rainy, whose "quick stop" near the Florida Everglades before they go home is an illegal drug deal that goes sour. With his friend dead, Stick needs to hide out for a while to elude the killers (who must eliminate him as a witness).

While lying low, Stick finds himself in the right place at the right time when he helps a wealthy eccentric named Barry get into his locked car. Hired as a driver, he has a comfortable home with a stable job and tries to make up for lost time with Katie, his teenaged daughter. He also finds a new flame in Kyle (Candice Bergen), a financial consultant who acts as a business adviser for Barry.



NOTE:

Famed stuntman Dar Robinson played the albino hitman, Mokey. His character's death scene, falling from the side of a building while firing a gun, is considered one of the better stunts in Hollywood history. It uses Robinson's invention, a decelerator, so cameras could film from above without a visible airbag below (a scattering crowd of people below can also be seen in this shot). This was Robinson's first and last acting break (as opposed to pure stunt work), as he was fatally injured while filming a stunt the following year in 1986 for the film Million Dollar Mystery.

CAST:

Burt Reynolds as Stick
Candice Bergen as Kyle
Charles Durning as Chucky
George Segal as Barry
Jose Perez as Rainy
Richard Lawson as Cornell
Castulo Guerra as Nestor
Dar Robinson as Mokey
Tricia Leigh Fisher as Katie

Directed by Burt Reynolds
Produced by Jennings Lang
Written by Elmore Leonard
Joseph Stinson

Release date(s) 1985

Running time 109 min.