RELENTLESS (1989) - Movie Review

Director: William Lustig
Starring: Judd Nelson, Robert Loggia, Leo Rossi, Meg Foster
Genre: Crime, Thriller
Writer: Phil Alden Robinson
Runtime: 92 min
Rated: R
Buy This Movie: Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV

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Synopsis:

A sadistic serial killer holds Los Angeles in the grip of unspeakable fear in this hard-hitting action-thriller. Rejected from the police force on psychological grounds, Buck Taylor (Judd Nelson) exacts revenge by committing a string of brutal murders and taunting the LAPD. The only clues are pages torn from a telephone book and victims who appear to have somehow participated in their own deaths. But when a brash rookie detective (Leo Rossi) pairs up with a cynical veteran (Robert Loggia) to track down the killer, the cat-and-mouse game ends in a deadly fight to the finish.

Review:

The 1980s are a constant source of nostalgia these days. Those fond, rose colored memories of movies from that era, however, don't usually include "Relentless", a thriller directed by William Lustig ("Maniac Cop") from a script penned by Oscar nominee Phil Alden Robinson under the pseudonym Jack T.D. Robinson ("Field of Dreams", "Sneakers"). It's an odd writer-director match-up, and it's obvious from the film's meandering tone that the two had very different ideas of what this movie should be.

The story, which can best be described as a "Manhunter" rip-off, is a complete mess, with baffling logical leaps that made me give up on trying to make sense of it. The serial killler, played by Judd Nelson, who calls up his random victims to warn them they're going to die before showing up at their homes to do the deed, is as generic as they come, with laughably barebones motivations that feel more like the writer was ticking off bullet points on a check list of psycho cliches. The same applies to the police, who come equipped with requisite tropes like the angry captain and the loose cannon. The acting doesn't help, either.

Nelson has a constant blank expression on his face that is probably meant to suggest the killer's unstable mental state. Honestly, it's just hilarious, and would be perfect spoof material if the character wasn't already so much of a self-parody because Nelson lacks the range to build a complex, compelling psychopath. Leo Rossi is also a riot for all the wrong reasons as the protagonist, an obnoxiously cocky rookie LA detective recently transferred from New York, who hates how chill the Los Angeles cops are and would rather set the city on fire looking for the murderer. Meanwhile Robert Loggia plays the familiar tough-as-nails, grizzled older partner trope with snarling gusto.

The biggest problem is that it's really hard to figure out if the movie is being tongue-in-cheek, self-aware, or just incompetently written and directed. I'm personally leaning towards the latter. Cinematographer James Lemmo lenses some interesting frames, but most of the time it just looks ordinary. The score by Jay Chattaway tries aggressively hard to sound "cool" instead of building up tension, perhaps because the director doesn't seem to be particularly interested in the concept of "suspense". Nothing in this movie ever comes together to form a cohesive, well-thought-out whole.

There are perhaps a handful of interesting ideas, but the movie ultimately succumbs to shoddy filmmaking. I could definitely see this as a Red Letter Media episode of Best of the Worst. It still managed to gain a cult status of sorts that led to three direct-to-video sequels getting released between 1992 and 1994, with Leo Rossi starring in all of them. If you're interested in seeing what a 1980s cinematic trainwreck looks like, check it out. Otherwise, steer widely clear of it as the only relentless thing about this movie is how dumb it is.

SCORE: 4/10