On C List of Movie Reviews

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Cohen & Tate (1988)

Rate: 8
Viewed: 9/25

9/25: There are two things to touch upon for Cohen & Tate.

A while ago, I saw a 1952 anthology film called O. Henry's Full House, and one of the stories was "The Ransom of Red Chief." It was done in poor taste and didn't feel believable. Here in Cohen & Tate is better and a lot more realistic.

Eric Red wrote the script for The Hitcher. Cohen & Tate seems to be a remake with Harley Cross for C. Thomas Howell and Roy Scheider and Adam Baldwin for Rutger Hauer but no Jennifer Jason Leigh. I think he wasn't entirely pleased with the way the first one turned out since it had too many dumb scenes.

Both situations are very similar, but this time, the tension is held at a high level, thanks to Adam Baldwin and the wonderful editing work. His testy interaction with Roy Scheider obviously sets up for a violent confrontation in the long run. Their personalities are completely opposite. The boy in the back seat takes everything in and decides to play a psychological game with these two since what does he have to lose after all?

There are a couple of negatives but not serious enough to hurt the film. At the beginning, it looks amateurish, but quality begins to pick up afterwards, especially when everybody is on the car en route to Houston. The second issue is when either Roy Scheider or Adam Baldwin gets a sideways shot in the front seat, the background through the window never moves.

All in all, forget The Hitcher; Cohen & Tate is the answer.

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