PlatinumRead Just so...so bad

Peereddi I was totally surprised at how great this film.You could feel your paranoia rise as the film went on and as you gradually learned the details of the real situation.

ChanFamous I wanted to like it more than I actually did... But much of the humor totally escaped me and I walked out only mildly impressed.

Invaderbank The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.

Psalm 52 Just saw this last night for the first time ever and it really brought back memories of South Florida in the early to mid eighties. The same memories when I saw Paul Newman's "Harry & Son" also filmed nearby in Fort Lauderdale. The soundtrack in "Stick" is the precursor for "Miami Vice" the series. Once Burt shaves off the bear he even conveys that Sonny Crockett feel and hey! he's rooming w/ his own black buddy. The Grove Tower condo building is the one and same used in the classic 80's Wham! music video with the closing shot being George Michael standing on the top-floor balcony lamenting his lost love (or something).Having lived in Miami during the filming of "Stick" there are some funny lapses I noticed like when the Albino follows Burt as they drive East on the causeway, but then they're at Miami Jai-Alai which is located West of the causeway. Or earlier in the movie when Burt and his Boricua friend drive to meet Moxie one second they're at Nurty's in Fort Liquordale and then the next second in Coconut Grove (the two places are twenty-five miles apart). Regarding the movie: it's story is all right, nothing ground-breaking, but a good Elmore Leonard expose of the assorted types dealing drugs and living large in the 1980's South Florida.It's a shame George Segal wasn't part of a last act twist, but the villain Burt goes up against was pretty creepy himself. The character of Stick's daughter Katie could have had some impact in the last scenes, but she wasn't written that way. Durning as Moxie is a hoot! The red eyebrows and red wig are too funny! The rest of the Spanish-speaking cast gives good support to the story and a strong sense of "place." Burt's direction is seamless and professional. Trivia note: in 1989 BOTH George Segal and Candice Bergen premiered new series on TV. Segal's was "Murphy's Law" and if you blink you missed it. Bergen's ... well, if you don't remember the iconic status her protagonist reached during the '92 presidential race (courtesy of Dan Quayle) then you must have blinked for eight years worth of time.

Jonathon Dabell A sharp, punchy, colourful Elmore Leonard novel has here been turned into an extraordinarily dull and uninvolving film. The bulk of the blame must be rested upon Burt Reynolds' shoulders, for in choosing to direct the film himself he has reduced it to the level of a vanity project. This is not "Stick" as envisaged by Elmore Leonard; this is DIRECTOR Reynolds trying to make ACTOR Reynolds look as handsome, tough and humorous as possible..... and, in the process of doing so, ruining the excellent potential of the source material. What makes matters worse is that other fine actors have been dragged down too. George Segal and Charles Durning are humiliated by the dumb lines they are asked to say, the ridiculous costumes they are asked to wear, and the over-acting they are asked to indulge in. Spare a thought, too, for Candice Bergen - already a star in two of THE all-time clunkers (The Magus and The Adventurers) - who here finds herself yet again stranded in a film of unbelievable awfulness.Tough ex-con Ernest "Stick" Stickley (Reynolds) arrives in Miami soon after his release from jail. He reunites with Rainy (Jose Perez), a former Puerto Rican cell-mate who is trying to make a little money by running errands for the local drug lords. Rainy persuades Stick, against the latter's better judgement, to accompany him on a drop-off in the Everglades. Stick doesn't like the look of the deal, but he tags along anyway. His suspicions prove founded when Rainy is gunned down at the rendezvous point, leaving Stick to make a desperate getaway. Upset at the brutal slaying of his pal, Stick plans his revenge. His vengeance quest pits him against albino hit-man Moke (Dar Robinson), paranoid drug dealer Chucky (Charles Durning), and voodoo-worshipping crime-lord Nestor (Castulo Guerra).A film with a plot like this and a gallery of slimy underworld characters should, at the very least, not be boring. However, "Stick" is an absolute bore for virtually its entire duration. The opening ten minutes provide a very mild amount of wit and excitement, but as soon as Stick escapes from Rainy's assassins (in the Everglades sequence) it's downhill all the way. Dar Robinson's character - the albino killer Moke - is quite interesting, but is used far too infrequently (he does, at least, have a spectacular death scene near the film's climax). The music by Barry DeVorzon is terribly dated and fails to add any dramatic impact to the on-screen action. Reynolds the director seems to have lost interest in the film somewhere along the way, and the whole sorry affair limps towards its soulless conclusion without generating any interest that might relieve the sense of boredom. After this debacle, Reynolds stopped directing his own movies for a period of 8 years (eventually making a directorial comeback with 1993's "The Man From Left Field"). "Stick" this one on the trash heap!

a_genda The Good Stuff:Candice Bergen looks gorgeous. Small role by David Reynoso. The late Dar Robinson as the "Albino Hitman". The Albino Hitman falling to his death while emptying his six shooter looks real cool.The Bad Stuff:Charles Durning in a blond wig is really hard to take (those crazy looking eyebrows!).The Verdict:Typical 80's flick with lots of flashy cars, drug dealers, one colorful hitman, directed by Mr. Reynolds, that even if looking dated manages to entertain.

ary Burt Reynolds has in Stick the opportunity to come back in interpreting the kind of character that consecrated him:the cynic,charmous and irresponsible anti-hero.Once the movie was based on an Elmore Leonard's book,whose works are known due it's unics,rotters and ambiguous characters,he has the possibility to exaggerate on the creation of the movie's protagonists.The simpleton plot offers a simple and passing diversion.Burt Reynolds is Ernest Stickley, an ex-com who just have been set free and who gets involved in a hard situation after going with his friend to accomplish a drug transaction in a desert place.His friend is murdered,but he escapes and now he wants revenge.He ends up becoming an employee and protected of a millionaire,and,while weaving his revenge,he gets emotionally involved with his boss'secretary,Kyle(Candice Bergen).If this film has a trump card,it is adapting faithfully the Elmore Leonard's book.The film counts with a terrific final climax,stuffed with shooting and a beautiful final scene,underlined by a beautiful music called Ï don't think I'm ready for you"...