Casey Chong with ten great films from Carolco Pictures…
Those who lived through the 80s and 90s era will likely remember the good old days when a certain independent studio dominated the Hollywood landscape. That studio in question is Carolco Pictures, which brought us a mix of iconic genre-defining hits and even underrated gems from First Blood to Total Recall, Terminator 2: Judgment Day and Jacob’s Ladder. Co-founders Mario Kassar and Andrew G. Vajna famously defied the studio system to work things out their ways and their business models did reap some rewards. They were equally known for taking huge gambles on projects that cost them a fortune with movies like Total Recall and Terminator 2: Judgment Day, which became big box-office successes. But they also suffered from a string of pricey losses, notably the mega-budgeted pirate movie Cutthroat Island, which given the nature of its genre, ironically sunk the once-domineering studio to oblivion. Below is our pick of the top ten movies from Carolco Pictures worth revisiting, or even checking out for the first time if you’re yet to do so…
Universal Soldier (1992)
Roland Emmerich’s first film with Carolco Pictures resulted in a modestly budgeted but entertaining B-movie that effectively combines action, martial arts and sci-fi elements revolving around reanimated super soldiers working for the U.S. military as a covert counter-terrorism unit. The movie brought together Jean-Claude Van Damme and Dolph Lundgren, who were at the peak of their career at the time. Given their martial arts backgrounds, Emmerich put them to good use as he cast them as opposing enemies with Lundgren particularly having a field day playing the psychotic villain Andrew Scott. The action is well-staged, including the night-time rain-drenched finale between the high-kicking Van Damme and Lundgren. Universal Soldier was a solid hit at the box office, and spawned numerous sequels both theatrical and direct-to-video.
Red Heat (1988)
Walter Hill is no stranger to directing a buddy-cop action comedy, as evident with the seminal 48 Hrs., and he tried to recapture that same magic in Red Heat. The formula is intact: One’s no-nonsense (Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Ivan Danko) and the other’s a wisecracker (James Belushi’s Art Ridzik). Add the mismatched partner angle and plenty of gritty, pistol-packing violence and there you go. It’s all familiar stuff here and yet, it works, even though Red Heat wasn’t the hit it touted to be, especially with a big Hollywood star like Schwarzenegger led the movie.
Schwarzenegger’s perfectly deadpan persona and Belushi’s devil-may-care personality give them enough room to play off each other well. It also helps the movie features Ed O’Ross in his memorable antagonist role as Viktor Rosta. Hill showcases his usual action flair in keeping the violence brutal and propulsive while upping the stakes during the climactic bus chase across the city of Chicago.
Chaplin (1992)
Way before Robert Downey Jr. finally got his long-overdue acting Oscar for Oppenheimer, he had his first nod for portraying the legendary silent comedian in Chaplin. It’s a well-deserved nomination, which should have converted to a win instead of Al Pacino walking away with his Scent of a Woman victory.
Predominantly told in flashbacks, Richard Attenborough stays true to the conventional biopic formula, charting Charlie Chaplin’s life journey from his childhood era showcasing his natural talent on stage to his ambitious pursuit as a career comedian and several marriages. But beyond the standard rise-and-fall storytelling, what makes Chaplin an above-average effort is Robert Downey Jr., who is the heart and soul of the movie. He perfectly captures Chaplin’s pantomime-like Tramp character from his iconic duck walk to the slapstick physicality and the fact that he’s a dead ringer for the silent comedian truly seals the deal.
More than just a mere impersonation, extra credit also goes to Downey’s deeply committed performance for embodying the tragic and dramatic sides of Chaplin outside his larger-than-life reel personality. It’s a pity that Chaplin failed to connect with the mass audiences at the time – a far cry from Attenborough’s well-received and Oscar-winning Gandhi biopic a decade earlier.
Cliffhanger (1993)
Cliffhanger marked a brief comeback for Sylvester Stallone, who suffered a pair of career slumps after attempting to cross over to the comedy side in the ill-fated Oscar (1991) and Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot (1992). Likewise, Carolco Pictures spent big for their movie at a $70 million budget and having Die Hard 2’s Renny Harlin on board to direct Cliffhanger was right in his wheelhouse. The movie is both action-packed and suspenseful right from the get-go, as seen with the attention-grabbing opening sequence during a rescue attempt.
The Die Hard-on-a-mountain concept allows Harlin to stage plenty of visceral action moments that emphasize the danger in the altitude. Stallone’s everyman hero successfully blends the actor’s signature no-nonsense action persona and charismatic star power while contrasting well with John Lithgow having fun playing the main antagonist. Cliffhanger proved to be a box-office hit after a $255 million worldwide total and its success initially led to the recent development of a sequel, only to be cancelled in favour of a female-led reboot starring Lily James and Pierce Brosnan.
Rambo: First Blood Part II (1985)
The sequel to First Blood is notable for its tonal shift from the downbeat first movie to a more action-packed follow-up, allowing Stallone to strut off his washboard abs and his character’s killing instinct as a Vietnam War veteran. In other words, it’s go big or go home for Rambo: First Blood Part II, where the story follows Rambo returning to the jungle of Vietnam to save the American POWs.
The image of Stallone’s shirtless one-man army taking down the enemies resonates well with the audiences, particularly the U.S. market at the time, which was largely attributed to the right timing for the American public to embrace an upbeat war movie ten years after the U.S. withdrawal from the Vietnam War fiasco. The sequel boasts bigger action set pieces, Stallone’s iconic Rambo character and Steven Berkoff’s memorable antagonist role as Lieutenant Colonel Sergei T. Podovsky. It was a huge hit worldwide, earning as much as $300.4 million against a $25.5 million budget, which also continued Carolco Pictures’ dominance in Hollywood at the time.
Jacob’s Ladder (1990)
Adrian Lyne may have been known for his erotic genre seen in 9 ½ Weeks and Fatal Attraction but he proves to be just as adept in directing a psychological horror in Jacob’s Ladder. Shame that the movie, which cost $25 million, wasn’t much of a success upon release, although it has garnered a cult following ever since. Working from Bruce Joel Rubin’s screenplay, which was reportedly inspired by a nightmare of seeing himself stuck on a subway, Lyne successfully translates his story into a cinematic fever dream chronicling the titular character’s ex-infantryman-turned-postal worker’s trippy journey.
Played by Tim Robbins, a role originally intended for Tom Hanks, he does a good job portraying a confused individual trying to make sense of everything that happens to him. It helps that Lyne has an eye for evocative visuals from Jacob finding himself trapped in a subway all alone to witnessing his girlfriend, Jezebel (Elizabeth Peña) seemingly dancing with a devil at a party.
The recurring dream vs. reality angle is constantly blurred to keep us on the edge wondering if Jacob is simply having a deep hallucination or simply served as a metaphor for PTSD, given the character’s prior experience during the Vietnam War. Interestingly, Lyne insists all the effects including the famous demonic head-shaking shot were filmed on camera.
Total Recall (1990)
Carolco Pictures took the risk with Schwarzenegger in developing the latter’s passion project in Total Recall, resulting in one of the most expensive movies ever made at the time. But the gamble paid off handsomely, grossing over $260 million worldwide against a $65 million budget. Enlisting Paul Verhoeven proves to be the right match for Schwarzenegger’s larger-than-life action-star persona, given the director’s unique flair for extreme violence and pulpy storytelling style. He already did it successfully in RoboCop, establishing Verhoeven as one of the most exciting foreign filmmakers to give Hollywood movies a refreshing jolt of cinematic life.
Based on Philip K. Dick’s “We Can Remember It for You Wholesale” short story but the movie is pretty much tailored as Schwarzenegger’s action vehicle. Total Recall benefits from a consistent pace, Jerry Goldsmith’s riveting score and amazing practical visual effects, where the latter took home an Oscar. Schwarzenegger’s endlessly quotable dialogues (“Consider that a divorce”, “See you at the party, Richter!”) and unforgettable antagonists played by Michael Ironside and Ronny Cox along with Sharon Stone’s femme fatale supporting turn help elevate the movie. Beyond its abundantly violent aesthetics, the story is worth noting for its vividly realized dream vs. reality angle that Verhoeven brilliantly concludes with an ambiguous ending meant to spark endless debates.
First Blood (1982)
Carolco Pictures first hits their jackpot in First Blood, marking the beginning of the independent studio turning into a major Hollywood player. The movie famously brought Sylvester Stallone another iconic character after Rocky Balboa in the first three Rocky movies, playing an ex-Vietnam War vet John Rambo. Unlike the subsequent larger-than-life sequels, First Blood is considerably small-scale in its execution as the story focuses more on the misunderstood war hero getting harassed by Brian Dennehy’s William Teasle and his team of small-town sheriffs, triggering him to incite an all-out personal war against them.
For the record, Stallone did attempt to go back to the small-scale roots in Rambo: Last Blood with mixed results. First Blood is a minimalist action picture that benefits from Ted Kotcheff’s assured direction and Stallone’s nearly dialogue-free performance, which also happens to be one of his best performances to date. The movie was originally a one-off but the initial ending that followed closely to David Morrell’s novel was then altered, which eventually gave way for sequels and other forms of media.
Basic Instinct (1992)
The creative collaboration between Carolco Pictures and Paul Verhoeven proved to be fruitful after the successful Total Recall and two years later, they did it again in Basic Instinct. An erotic thriller that sees Verhoeven returning to his familiar territory since 1983’s The Fourth Man, the Dutch provocateur doesn’t shy away from graphic sex, nudity and violence as he pushes the boundaries of a R-rated mainstream Hollywood picture starring two recognizable actors: Michael Douglas and Sharon Stone.
Right from the start, Verhoeven opens his movie with a lurid sex scene that ends with a murder, more than enough to capture one’s attention. Working from Joe Eszterhas’ screenplay, the movie effectively combines the police procedural and twisted murder mystery coupled with Verhoeven’s uniquely sensational take on the genre.
The movie gets an extra boost from Michael Douglas and notably, Sharon Stone’s signature role as the scheming novelist Catherine Tramell, who manipulates men through sex and seduction to get what she wants. The movie gained notoriety for its controversial leg-crossing moment during the interrogation scene. But whatever controversy that sparked Basic Instinct at the time did translate well into a box-office success and even ushered the era of the erotic-thriller craze – for better or worse – throughout the ‘90s era.
Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)
Spending as much as $100 million was practically unheard of in Hollywood back in the ‘90s era. And yet, Carolco Pictures did it again after risking a hefty sum for Total Recall a year earlier but thankfully became a huge commercial success. In Terminator 2: Judgment Day, which marks the return of James Cameron to the franchise after his 1984 low-budget breakthrough The Terminator that got him the start (the less said about Piranha II: The Spawning, the better), he doubled the stakes in this ambitious sequel.
Instead of retaining Schwarzenegger’s antagonist turn as the remorseless cyborg assassin seen in the original, Cameron made the right choice switching his role into a protagonist – a reprogrammed T-800 serving as a protector for Edward Furlong’s John Connor. Even the previously meek waitress role played by Linda Hamilton’s Sarah Connor in the original has since evolved into a battle-hardened fighter capable of handling the weapons.
Terminator 2: Judgment Day is notable for introducing Robert Patrick’s perfectly icy T-1000 as a new, yet more advanced killing machine in the form of liquid metal. The special effects is one of its kind and with a massive budget at Cameron’s disposal, he gives us a sci-fi action blockbuster for the ages. The action is top-notch with thrillingly staged vehicular chases and the image of Schwarzenegger’s T-800 donning shades and all-black biker clothes riding a motorcycle with a shotgun in his hand remains as iconic as ever.
What are your favourite films from Carolco Pictures? Let us know on our social channels @FlickeringMyth…
Casey Chong
