Directed by: Spiro Razatos
Cynthia Rothrock: co-stars as Lilly [sic], a feisty, but rather dense bank robber.
Other Players: Corey Haim, Leo Rossi, Marcia Strassman (the former Mrs. Kotter!), Ken Lerner
Plot Synopsis: A father-and-son team of bank robbers fall out with their partners (CR & another guy), mostly because the father (Leo Rossi) calls CR a moron within her hearing; she proceeds to kick the crap out of him in an amusing scene. CR furthers her revenge later by blowing the whistle on the duo and getting the father arrested. The son (Corey Haim) plots with a woman (Marcia Strassman) he doesn't realize is his mother and busts his dad out of jail, only to be captured himself by CR and (because he's the brains of the operation) forced to plan robberies for her. Needless to say, mom and dad come to the rescue.
General Impressions: Yikes, it's the Dukes of Hazzard! Seriously, there are a LOT of car chases (not surprising, given the title), but not enough to keep this from being a pretty bad film. Corey Haim (sporting a ridiculous Depeche Mode haircut) is generally annoying. His tongue lolls out of his mouth for the entire movie (prompting the group I watched it with to dub him "Corey the Dog-Boy"). The ethical centre is typical Hollywood vacuum: the back of the video box likens Haim to Ferris Bueller, which is usually enough to raise my hackles, but his teen-wiseguy behaviour isn't even that clever. What Hollywood supposes is witty insouciance generally turns out to be a smarmy mug-fest, and this film is no different. This adulation of the criminal lifestyle might not be so bad if the movie had the courage not to chicken out at the end and form a nuclear family out of improbable circumstances. I think everything is supposed to take a backseat to the "comedy", logic included. The misogyny of the movie is pervasive (typical Haim comment about the dilemma of dealing with women: "If you don't use them, how do you get laid?"), something I'm not using to seeing in a CR film. I guess the thing to remember is that "Fast Getaway" ISN'T a CR film, it's a Corey Haim film. Maybe CR was trying to branch out or something. Maybe she was making a quick buck. From a CR point of view, this movie has its bright spots (CR beating the snot out of Haim in the back of a moving pick-up is ALMOST enough to make this movie a winner), but she's only on-screen infrequently, and it's distressing to see her lose in the end. I'm also ambivalent about seeing her portray a nymphomaniac, let alone a "moron". Still, she's got some good moves, and it's interesting to see her fight non-martial artists for a change (she cleans up, naturally). She looks good with a short haircut.
Watch It?: Maybe, if you like car chases. But don't say I didn't warn you.