Movie Review: Renegades

Renegades 

Universal Pictures, Morgan Creek Productions, Interscope Communications, USA, 1989. 

Undercover cop Buster McHenry (Kiefer Sutherland) puts some Asian gangsters in their place and gets in trouble with regular cops. Hiss boss Finch (Bill Smitrovich) gets him usually out of trouble. Buster is a renegade because he is a cop playing by his own rules and trying to restore the family name. Young Indian named Hank Storm (Lou Diamond Phillips) is likewise renegade because he wanted to leave the reservation. 

Buster McHenry

Marino

Hank Storm and Barbara

Buster is planning a diamond heist with crime boss Marino (Rob Knepper) so he could get evidence against corrupt cops who work for Marino. The robbery goes bad as Marino kills two men including Hank's brother. During the escape Marino steals the Sacred lance of the Lakota Indians. 

Unwilling partners and their classic Datsun

Red Crow

Hank goes after the robbers. Buster tres to stop Marino, so Marino shoots him. Hank saves Buster with his medicine man father Red Crow (Floyd 'Red Crow' Westerman) to get some answers. Buster and Hank do not trust each other, but they have to cooperate if they want to catch the bad guys. Also Marino's girlfriend hairdresser Barbara (Jami Gertz) gets involved. 

Buster and Hank in trouble

"Young Guns" (1988) veterans and real life friends Sutherland and Phillips team up as a mismatched pair of tough guys. The story is standard buddy cop fare, although with slightly less humour than usually. Also it feels that the main characters were not totally interested about the story, as much of the potential of their characters is wasted. It has a good amount of action and lots of car chases with some good car stunts. It is decent representative of 1980s action genre, but feels a bit too routine to be a classic. But at least is still memorable for Kiefer's moustache. 

Rating: Average

Starring: Kiefer Sutherland, Lou Diamond Phillips, Jami Gertz, Robert Knepper, Bill Smitrovich, Clark Johnson, Peter MacNeill, Floyd 'Red Crow' Westerman, John Di Benedetto, Kyra Harper, Joseph Hieu, Dee McCafferty, Heidi von Palleske, Tom Butler, Jack Blum, Paul Butler, Big Yank, Robert LaSardo, Alan C. Peterson (as Alar Aedma), Michael Rhoades, Joyce Gordon, Kay Tremblay, Louis Ferreira (as Justin Louis), Steve Whistance-Smith, Jacqueline Samuda, Andy Knott, Zoey Adams, Dick Callahan, Janelle Hutchison, Steve Wayne Lederman, Garfield Andrews, Gary Farmer, Gene Mack, Martin Neufeld, Ric Sarabia, David Mucci, Al Greene, Richard Gira , Richard Sali, Von Flores, David Lee, Gaston Poon, Paul Hill, Kyle Anderson, Jack Newman, Marcelle Griffith, Tom Christopher, Matt Birman, Robert Latimer Cornell, Réal Andrews, Mack Dolgy, Grandfather Semu Haute, T.J. Scott 

Director: Jack Sholder