Extreme Prejudice Review

MPAA Rating: R
Released: 1987

Walter Hill, the mastermind behind Extreme Prejudice, was one of the premiere directors in the 1980's, responsible for everything from buddy cop movies like 48 hours, Westerns like The Long Riders and even comedies like Brewster's Millions.

With Extreme Prejudice, Hill gathered together an extremely solid batch of actors and placed them within a testosterone-laden story of two former best friends that now find themselves on opposite sides of the law. One is a determined Texas Ranger putting his all into staunching the flow of drugs from Mexico while the other is a Mexican drug kingpin surrounded by his own private army. When certain tragic events are set into motion, a violent showdown between the former amigos becomes inevitable.

Jack Benteen (Nick Nolte) is a stone-faced, tough as nails Texas Ranger that will do whatever it takes to bring his man in, whether dead or alive. While lesser men may blanch at the idea of walking into a barroom full of armed hostiles to bring a criminal in, Benteen does so without even blinking an eye.

Cash Bailey (Powers Boothe) is a former undercover government informant that used the knowledge he gained of the drug world to start his own narcotics empire from the safety of Mexico. Since he has paid off all the key Mexican officials and also owns his own private army, the man is untouchable. Even so, he's not afraid to get his own hands dirty if need be, for Bailey is one tough hombre as proven at the outset of the film when he crushes a live scorpion in his fist for no apparent reason.

These two men were once best friends, having grown up together since childhood. Even though they are now on opposite sides of the law, they maintain an unspoken, yet tense, agreement to try not to force a showdown with each other.

Sarita Cisneros (Maria Conchita Alonso) was Bailey's former flame, but has become Benteen's live-in girlfriend for two years. Although she loves Benteen, she's frustrated at his refusal to open up and share his emotions or commit to a deeper relationship.

When drug runners working for Bailey set up an ambush to kill Benteen, his longtime friend and frequent partner, Sheriff Hank Pearson (Rip Torn) is brutally murdered. Benteen escapes with his life, but vows to avenge his friend by taking down Bailey's empire. Although Bailey did not authorize the ambush and does his best to convince Benteen to avoid forcing a confrontation, a showdown seems inevitable.

To make matters worse, a group of secret government Special Forces led by Major Paul Hackett (Michael Ironside) has arrived in town and sets up an operation to rob a bank and make it appear as if it was a civilian job. This tight-knit group of commandos is so elite that according to official government records, they are all dead. They, quite simply, do not officially exist.

Their motivation is kept a secret, but ultimately they also have a connection with Cash Bailey – one that will cross paths with Jack Benteen. Soon all the parties will clash, and it becomes impossible for Benteen to know who can truly be trusted.

Extreme Prejudice can best be summed up as a violent modern-day Western. The heat-baked landscapes and dusty Texas and Mexican towns provide the perfect backdrop for a sizeable cast of toughened characters that are seemingly fueled exclusively with anger and testosterone. In fact most of the characters are so unyielding that they are almost caricatures rather than fully fleshed individuals. For example, I don't believe Jack Benteen smiled once throughout the entire movie.

That can be a negative to some viewers and a positive to others, depending on the expectations they lay forth walking into the film. If you are looking for a deep character study, you really won't find it here. Nick Nolte and Powers Boothe actually did lend commendable performances that reflected the hidden struggle and pain each possessed as they further walked down a path neither could turn back from, so the movie isn't solely about chest-pounding action. But despite the occasional glimmer of depth, ultimately Extreme Prejudice is a pure action film, not a drama.

Those looking for an action film will be hard-pressed to find a better cast of tough guys anywhere else. With intense actors like Powers Boothe, Nick Nolte, Rip Torn, Michael Ironside, Clancy Brown and William Forsythe on board, you know you'll see no shortage of grim faces, threats and violence.

Although there's plenty of juicy action throughout Extreme Prejudice, the final battle where all sides finally converge is not to be missed. It's a chaotic dance of bullets, blood and misery over the sun-baked sands of Mexico.

There are occasional plot holes or ill-conceived moments in the film, such as how easy it was for Benteen to discover the identities of some of the commandos (if the government went so far as to declare them legally dead, obviously they would have also classified such paperwork so the ruse wasn't easily discovered), but none of them are serious enough to detract from the film. The storyline actually contains a great deal of depth and sub-plots for an action movie, so when you consider this was meant mostly as high-octane entertainment you'll see Walter Hill actually didn't do too bad a job tying everything together properly.

Extreme Prejudice may not be for everyone, but if all-out 80's style action is up your alley, this movie definitely won't disappoint.

Movie rating: 8 stars

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