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Havana (1990)
Rate:
2
Viewed:
7/17
7/17:
Hollywood rule number one: don't ever make a film if the lead stars have no chemistry.
Unfortunately, nobody learned it before setting out to shoot Havana, a huge box-office flop which took in
$9 million compared to a budget of $40 million. The dialogue is superficial. Worse, it's impossible to learn why the
Cuban Revolution happened.
Sure, Robert Redford is handsome which lets him get away with limited acting range. Hence, his character sucks as he reminds
me too much of John Gage. Ditto for Lena Olin who plays the same character in every film and is often underwhelming.
For the most part, Havana seems to be a half remake of Casablanca. Robert Redford is Rick Blaine. Lena Olin is
Ilsa Lund. Raúl Juliá (so little of him) is Victor Laszlo. Alan Arkin is Captain Renault/Signor Ferrari. Tony Plana (what the
hell happened to him?) is Ugarte. Tomás Milián is Major Strasser. Here's the $64,000 question: why are the leads white when
it takes place in Cuba? Running for 144 minutes, Havana feels six hours long. The story goes nowhere.
Nobody cares about Cuba. Funnily enough, it wasn't even shot there but in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.
All in all, if you saw The Godfather Part II, you've already seen Havana.