Tango & Cash (1989) - Comedic Movie Review

Tango & Cash: Review Summary

RedEye Reviews celebrates Tango & Cash as a gloriously over-the-top buddy-cop movie. LAPD rivals Ray Tango and Gabriel Cash are framed for murder by drug kingpin Perret and sent to the same prison as the criminals they arrested.

The Setup and Prison Escape

The review opens with Tango chasing a drug-filled tanker, a sequence the host calls a nod to Jackie Chan’s Police Story. Cash gets his own introduction through a gunfight and some lawbreaking interrogation tactics.

Perret’s setup makes both cops look guilty. In court, Tango delivers a sincere defense of the police, while Cash sums up the affair with: “This whole thing [bleep] sucks.”

Inside prison, the partners face hostile inmates and an elaborate electrocution trap. A deputy warden helps Cash attempt an escape, but Tango stays behind—then returns at the last second to help him. The host repeatedly jokes that nobody involved seems to understand how electricity works.

Investigation and Comic Set Pieces

After escaping, the partners gather clues and reunite with Catherine, Tango’s sister. Their investigation brings a string of awkward and memorable moments, including ridiculous aerobics-instructor disguises, Cash’s high-heeled look, and a back-rub scene that sounds much more suggestive than it is.

The host also admires a magically self-repairing screen door and calls Cash’s heavily armored car an atrocity worthy of a bad car-mod forum.

The Finale

The finale delivers full-on ’80s action: Tango and Cash smash into the villains’ base, face a barrage of armed goons, rescue Catherine, and fight Perret’s memorable Cockney thug.

The host explains that actor Brion James’s unusual accent was originally intended for a tiny part, but Sylvester Stallone liked it enough to expand the character. The showdown also features a maze, a hall of mirrors, boxed mice, and—because apparently every action-movie building needs one—a self-destruct mechanism.

Closing Reaction and Casting Trivia

In the closing reaction, the host highlights the chemistry between Stallone and Russell with a montage of their insults and banter. The review also points out that Stallone wrote the “I hate Danish” gag after divorcing Danish actress Brigitte Nielsen. It ends by declaring the movie a blast.

The host shares two casting tidbits: Kurt Russell had turned down Lethal Weapon, while Patrick Swayze passed on the role of Cash to make Road House.

Personalities Featured

• RedEye Reviews host
• Sylvester Stallone as Ray Tango
• Kurt Russell as Gabriel Cash
• Teri Hatcher as Catherine
• Brion James as Requin
• Jack Palance as Perret
• Clint Howard as a prison inmate
• Michael Jeter as Owen
• Jackie Chan, discussed in connection with the stunt homage