Appreciative Review: Tequila Sunrise

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Every summer I make it a point to watch one of my favorite movies, Robert Towne's Tequila Sunrise. And, this year was no exception. Released in 1988, it is the second directed feature from the writer of another great (L.A.) film, Chinatown. It is a wonderfully layered neo noir film set in the distinct South Bay area of Los Angeles. Although, I often ponder if I hadn't attended L.A. Harbor College right after high school (and spent a formative portion of my student life in and around that curvature of beach area), would I care as much as I do for this film? Here, I'll let one of the well fleshed out characters from the movie answer that:

Probably not, but who knows what he's really up to? I mean you're snitch isn't going to tell us... ~ Lt. Nick Frescia

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Set in the Reagan-era 80's, with a soundtrack to match (like many I can't help but associate Crowded House's Recurring Dream with this movie), Tequila Sunrise is a brooding tale of deceit and betrayal, but primarily it is one of friendships. Some have criticized this film for being confusing (and its production history may have something to do with that). But at its core, it's a solid character-based melodrama that is laced with ambiguity and some ever-moving boundaries. Just about everyone in this film is not quite what you'd first assume. If you enjoy a film that needs close watching, with intricate character motives--regardless of clear moral distinctions--this one is for you.

For T.S., Mel Gibson plays Dale (Mac) McKussic, a retired South Bay cocaine smuggler of legendary proportions. Interestingly, Gibson was not the first choice in the antihero role--it was initially envisioned for the likes of Jeff Bridges or Harrison Ford. Maybe, Bridges could have pulled it off, but I have my doubts that Ford would have been as successful here as Gibson in this character. To me, he was unafraid to convey the darker aspects of this part (see 1999's Payback)--something Ford would likely have pushed to tone down. And I doubt that other big name actors would have undertook a role like this one (and so on the other side of the law). Here, the character wants to stay out of the drug business (one that he's been so good at) for a more normal life. But, as he puts it:

And I may be paranoid, but then again nobody wants me to quit.

Not so much opposing him, but being the flip side of a morally dubious coin, is Lt. Nick Frescia (who heads up L.A. Sheriff's drug enforcement unit). Most crime fiction (book or film) centered in Los Angeles, makes use of the well-known LAPD. To his credit, Towne lets the location set the story's law enforcement entity--and it provides an absorbing contrast with the lesser known Sheriffs. The vastly underrated Kurt Russell plays this character as a smart, slick operator capable of breaking the law when it helps him enforce it. Again, Kurt was not the primary choice for this role (now can you imagine Alec Baldwin or Nick Nolte as this?) Even then Laker coach Pat Riley was considered for the role (which Kurt pays homage). Like Mel, Russell is quite capable of playing the ambiguous lead (see the later Dark Blue for further proof). He's equally adept with his facial expressions (his wordless observation of a DEA interrogation is simply perfect). Personally, I think of Nick's character in the Captain Renault league.

Jo Ann: That's an awful lot of money.

Mac: Uh, fifteen million dollars.

Jo Ann: That is an awful lot of money.

Mac: Yeah, well. Money makes people predictable, at least. They'll never be reliable.

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To really begin to understand these two characters, southern Cal-native (and renowned screenwriter) Robert Towne sprinkles his marvelous, sharp dialogue throughout the movie in building their history and the plot-line--a portion of those interchanges I've chosen to drop in this post. Their friendship is long, and probably has always been rivalrous. And, it is the key point of the tale. The writer/director has a keen eye to the strangest of relationships: those life-long friendships that arise, and are tempered, in the furnace known as high school. I don't know anyone who claims H.S. was ever a smooth and simple part of their lives. And it provides a great springboard for the story, one that the screenwriter effectively writes quite well. The character's friendship has continued despite their paths veering to opposing sides of the law.

Nick: You got one chance, buddy, turn yourself in.

Mac: What for?

Nick: What for?!?

Mac: Yeah, what for? I told you I had an accounting problem in the restaurant. I've been holding on to money for someone, and he's here to pick it up. I mean it's his money.

Nick: I wanna get this straight. You'd kill me over drug money?

Mac: Well... it's a lot of money.

The primary impetus for the trouble to come is from the outside. For Nick, it's the unwelcome intervention by DEA agent Hal Maguire, done to slimy perfection by an extraordinary character actor who is greatly missed since his passing. J.T. Walsh built a career playing either the villain (Breakdown) or the almost invisible but key support (A Few Good Men). In this role, he's in top form as the smarmy fed (and not the sharpest knife in the drawer). He forces Nick to try and nail his friend (who he likes) to do his job for him (who he hates) so as to keep his friend out of federal custody.

Jo Ann: What is it, Nick? You need some chapstick or lip gloss or something cause your lips keep getting stuck on your teeth. Or, is that your idea of a smile?

Nick: (smiling and embarrassed) That's my idea of a smile. Ah, man. You are... you're tough.

For Mac, coincidentally, it's the complication of his friend/drug overlord "Carlos" coming to town to clear up "an accounting problem." Without giving too much away, the other greatly missed actor who co-stars, the late Raul Julia, gets to have loads of fun playing the mysterious Mexican cop Javier Escalante (brought in by Maguire to help arrest this crime lord). That, and Mac's yearning for restaurateur Jo Ann Vallenari (the gorgeous Michelle Pheiffer plays her for all her smart & sexy toughness). All of this is complicated since Nick immediately sees her as someone who can help him with his case against Mac. However, the lieutenant is just not prepared for his feelings and the resulting consequences for both he and his friend.

Tequila Sunrise is nothing if not a primer on the twists and turns of friendships, and the moral implications of choice. This movie plays better to those who watch it carefully. But if you stick with it, by the end it is so worth it, IMO. The additional visual treat of this movie is the great cinematography on display by the famed Conrad Hall. One standout scene is the sunset summit scene between Mac and Nick on the beachside with a spectacular sunset going on in the background. If you listen to the excellent commentary track by producer Thom Mount (who gives some great insight on the film's production) the impromptu locale of that sequence, in particular, is quite remarkable in its result.

The 1997 DVD is now very long in the tooth and is certainly in need of re-issue, remastering, and new extras (hopefully this time, with input from its writer/director) on how it evolved to its final cut. Also, be on the watch for a small but wonderful cameo by the legendary western director (and Robert Towne favorite), Budd Boetticher, in the role of Judge Nizetitch. It's a superb tribute for a director that deserves greater recognition. Now, let's end this post with a particularly killer piece of noirish dialogue that serves as a great thumbnail for this underrated film (it's one that hits home with me):

Carlos: You son of bitch! How could you do this? Friendship is the only choice in life you can make that's yours! You can't choose your family! Goddamn it, I've had to face that! And no man should be judged for whatever direction his dick goes! That's like blaming a compass for pointing north, for Chrissake! Friendship is all we have. We chose each other. How could you fuck it up? How could you make us look so bad?