I was raised on action movies. You couldn't live at my house without experiencing Lethal Weapon and similar Mel Gibson movies many times. 48 Hours was regarded as a golden example of movie making. And what should I find on a homecoming visit but two out of the three Die Hard's. What a shock.
If you've seen all 4 Lethal Weapon's, at least 2 Dirty Harry's, and at least one Die Hard, then Loaded Weapon 1 is just your type of movie. Hell, if you're even the most miniscule action movie fan then not only will you like Loaded Weapon, but you'll probably want to rush out and buy the gosh darned thing.
Why? Is the movie filled to the gills with unbelievable, eye popping action sequences? No, but its damn funny. And its funny because it spoofs (you might say it lampoons) movies that do have eye popping action sequences.
Plot is irrelevant (and kind of irreverent) when dealing with a national lampoon's movie (unless it stars Chevy Chase, in which case one plot fits all). The thing that matters is that Emilio Estavez and Samuel L. Jackson star as detectives Colt and Lugar, respectively. They're your typical black and white buddy cops who spend the whole movie investigating the death of Lugar's ex-partner (Whoopi Goldberg). The trail leads them to an insidious plot to sell cocaine using innocent looking cookies sold by a Girl Scout-like troop called the Wilderness Girls.
But that's not really important. What's really important is that, not only is Loaded a comedy, but it's actually funny. Which is more then I can say the comedies offered to us by Hollywood lately.
Like all good spoofs, the movie is funniest to those who know the genre. If you've seen all of the above-mentioned movies then you're set, bud. Don't get me wrong, none of the jokes are over the head of your average Joe. I just think it will help more because all of the movie's best scenes are parodies of action movies. To wit:
Colt and Lugar go through multiple floors to find the right shoot out.
Clot destroys a convenience store in the opening scenes.
Lugar's family is a carbon copy of Sgt. Roger Murtaugh's from Lethal Weapon, only dysfunctional.
Plaing Colt's love interest is model/actress Kathy Ireland. Like most model/actresses most of the characters she plays come off as airheads with not a brain in their skulls. Her character here, Destiny Demeanor, comes of as an airhead with not a brain in her skull, but here the script uses that it its advantage, making all her scenes and dialogue that much funnier.
As with all good parodies all the characters play everything totally straight. This is a great movie for writers Don Holley and Gene Quintano (who also directed), because it again heightens the comedy.
Other things that heightens said comedy are the villains. Lets face it, action movies are made by their villains. They get all the best lines, do all the dastardly deeds, and basically determine how heroic the hero must be. Since this is a parody, the villains are played to their melodramatic extremes. It's a good thing that William Shatner and Tim Curry were chosen for the roles. Where he may fall short in dramatic acting, Captain Kirk excels in melodramatic acting, and his character Gen. Morters shows this.
Unlike in Clue, here Tim Curry is allowed to cut lose from the get go with his roll as henchman Jigsaw. With this character, Tim proves once and for all what a good comedic actor he truly is. It's to bad he can't seam to get a really good. I guess being in The Rocky Horror Picture Show must have something to do with that.
If that's not enough for you, check out all the well known faces popping up through the movie: Bruce Willis, John Lovitz, Mr. Potato Head, Charlie "Emilio Estavez's brother" Sean, Dr. Joyce Brothers, Denis Leary, The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. For God's sake, what more do you need?
Really, though, it's the little things that make this movie great. From the gratuitous beaver shot, to the fact that Colt's gun, when cocked, never makes the same noise twice. I'd better stop myself before I give everything away, so lets just say that, all you action fans, all you comedy fans, all you lost souls who just can't find a good movie in the wasteland of your video store: this one's the right one for you.
RATING (OUT OF A POSSIBLE FIVE)
