On D List of Movie Reviews
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Deadfall (1993)
Rate:
3
Viewed:
11/25
11/25:
If you have seen Deadfall starring Michael Caine, there's no relationship.
Michael Biehn, Nicolas Cage, Charlie Sheen, James Coburn, Peter Fonda, and Talia Shire...strong names
which initially got my attention. And it's directed by Christopher Coppola. Who is he related to, you might ask?
He's not Francis Ford Coppola's son but Nicolas Cage's brother. Obviously, this is neopotism at its finest, or
it would've been impossible to get a stellar cast like
The Virgin Suicides for Sofia Coppola.
Deadfall also has a small disreputation because of Nicolas Cage giving the most bonkers performance of
his career. He must have read the script first, called it "shit," got high on drugs (hence the sunglasses to
cover up his bloodshot eyes), and proceeded to be outlandish as much as possible. I couldn't stop laughing
from the first minute he showed up until his character's face was submerged into the boiling fry oil. Nicolas
Cage would revive his character in a 2017 film called Arsenal.
Afterwards, the movie simply dies. I had been thinking whether it's hurt or helped by Nicolas Cage and
concluded that he was too distracting despite getting me through the first half. Otherwise, I would've found
it hard to complete in one sitting. But yeah, the story sucks and feels so redundant at this point: a
neo-noir replete with the right lighting that'll never show up in real life, slick-talking characters,
and a pointless voice-over narration by the protagonist.
Michael Biehn is a strong actor but not this time. He must have felt like a schmuck standing next
to Nicolas Cage and would later call Deadfall among the worst films he ever did. Charlie Sheen is annoying
while James Coburn is bizarre. Peter Fonda shows up for a minute and then disappears, causing me to forget that
he was ever in the film. Talia Shire has the best scene because of how her character got scammed.
Christopher Coppola even managed to get the Tall Man from Phantasm.
Oddly, he has a huge garden clipper on his right hand. Now, I can see this being a viable four-man tournament,
and the requirement is a replacement for his hand. The contenders will be: Dr. Lyme, Han from
Enter the Dragon, Edward Scissorhands, and Charles Rane
from Rolling Thunder.
All in all, had Nicolas Cage not participated in Deadfall, it would've gotten a '1' from me.