Bullet Points: Renegades (1989)

Smack dab between their work together in 1988’s Young Guns and 1990’s Young Guns II, Kiefer Sutherland and Lou Diamond Phillips collaborated on what I would classify as an unsung action movie in the golden age of action, 1989’s Renegades.…

• The Heroes: Lou Diamond Phillips (The Big Hit, Extreme Justice) plays Hank Storm, a proud member of the Lakota tribe. Hank, along with his brother and father, have been tasked by the tribal elders to escort the sacred lance of the Lakota tribe to Philadelphia where it will be a part of an exhibit at the Philadelphia Museum of Art… Kiefer Sutherland (The Brotherhood of Justice, Dead Heat) plays Buster McHenry, a maverick Philadelphia cop who is on a working vacation of sorts and doing his own off the books undercover assignment, all with the blessing of his boss Captain Finch (Bill Smitrovich, The Phantom), even though he is not exactly sure what Buster is working on. Finch has a soft spot for Buster, since he came up the police ranks with Buster’s dad.

• The City of Brotherly Love: Buster’s undercover operation centers around finding out the identity of a dirty cop who is working with a mobster named Marino played by Robert Knepper (Wild Thing, Hard Target 2). Buster ends up getting in deeper than he planned when he is part of Marino’s crew that steals millions of dollars in diamonds from a business located in Philadelphia’s famed Jewelers Row… Buster witnesses Marino shoot one of the employees in cold blood and then finds himself fleeing the scene along with Marino. The duo end up at the very museum that Hank and his family are at and wouldn’t you know what catches Marino’s eye… the Lakota lance, which he promptly steals much to the shock of everyone who was enjoying the exhibit.
• The Action: Now Buster is forced at gun point to be Marino’s getaway driver… this leads to a pretty spectacular car chase as Philadelphia’s finest are in full force in pursuit of the murdering and thieving Marino and his accomplices. But the cops aren’t the only ones in hot pursuit, Hank Storm needs to get the Lakota lance back and at first chases Marino’s getaway car on foot, but then opts to steal a Corvette to increase his chances. The chase scene is top notch stuff with plenty of destruction along the way, including driving through a building. This is the scene that officially sold me on the movie, which I was watching for the first time for this review, and made me wonder why it was not talked about more amongst action fans.

• The Partnership: Once they have successfully evaded the cops, Buster attempts to diffuse the situation, but he is shot for his trouble and left for dead by Marino. And that’s when Hank finds the wounded Buster. Hank has no idea that Buster is a cop and believes that Buster is just a scum bag that works for the man who stole the Lakota lance… a scum bag he needs alive if he wants to track down the lance. So Hank rents a cheap motel room, gets the bullet out of Buster and calls in his father the shaman to work some ancient magic and prevent Buster from biting the dust. Once he is up and around, Buster explains who he really is to Hank and makes it clear that he does not work with a partner. Hank isn’t wild about teaming up with Buster either, but unlike Buster realizes that they are going to need each other to take down Marino and accomplish both of their goals.
• The Girlfriend: Buster knows a good place to start if they want to find out where Marino is hiding and that’s to visit Marino’s main squeeze Barbara (Jami Gertz, Solarbabies) at her beauty shop. Unfortunately for Buster, Barbara and Hank… Marino has discovered that not only is Buster still alive, he also finds out that Buster is an undercover cop, so he is now extra pissed and immediately sends some men to kill Buster. Marino’s gunmen catch up with Buster while he’s at the beauty shop, so now Barbara finds herself mixed up with the reluctant partners who are after a mobster, a dirty cop, millions of dollars in diamonds and the Lakota lance.

The chemistry between real life friends, Kiefer Sutherland and Lou Diamond Phillips, is undeniable and it is a huge selling point for the movie. But Robert Knepper deserves some credit too for being a strong villain who finds himself with not one, but two heroes to deal with and he only has his own greed to blame.

In my opinion Renegades needs more love from action fans. Also in my opinion, this review needs some Bonus Bullet Points…

• Super Comparison: The only person I know of that disliked being called “Chief” more than Hank Storm, was the Editor-in-Chief of The Daily Planet, Perry White.
• If You Ever: …wanted to see Lou Diamond Phillips exit a moving train in extreme fashion, then Renegades is the movie for you.
• Familiar Face: Robert LaSardo plays a less than ethical Philadelphian named Skinhead. You may remember LaSardo from movies like Out for Justice, Last Man Standing, Gang Related and Double Tap.
• If You Ever: …wanted to see Lou Diamond Phillips push Kiefer Sutherland off the roof of a building, then Renegades is the movie for you.