I missed this movie when it was originally issued, and after all I read and heard about "Cocktail" (in which Bryan Brown starred a couple of years later) I had no desire to seek it out. But upon just surfing to cable's AMC channel one weekend morning, and finding it having just begun - I watched for a couple of minutes and found myself absorbed in it. After looking at some of the previously-posted comments in this section of IMDb, during commercials, I was even more interested.
First, my regard for Brown is heightened. Anyone married to Rachel Ward, for 23 years, has to have a lot going for him - even beyond what you see on-screen. And actors with British/Australian accents all provide effective "men-on-the-run, harried, danger-beset" characterizations. The acting here is all good. The late Trey Wilson, as Denehy's unctuous NYPD colleague evokes memories of his small-but-key, scene-stealing roles in "Twins" and "Raising Arizona." Cliff De Young, as the even more unctuous pursuer/would-be killer of the endangered Brown, could (from this and prior roles) be Hollywood's solution to replace Dabney Coleman as the quintessential, smarmy, "horse's ass," now that Dabney is getting well-along in years. As with all his roles, Mason Adams gives a good performance - but I can never watch him without expecting that any moment he is going to take a Smucker's jar from his pocket and begin a spiel.
Brian Dennehy is always fun to watch, and his "gruff-but-still-likable" persona was never better-suited to a role than here - he's the only one (except for one assistant) who has a clue, literally and figuratively, of the shenanigans occurring and besetting poor Rollie (Brown). Give this film a solid "8." Enjoyed the final minutes and the ending. I'm looking forward to getting a copy of the sequel.
