ThiefHott
Too much of everything
Borserie
it is finally so absorbing because it plays like a lyrical road odyssey that’s also a detective story.
Rosie Searle
It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.
Scott LeBrun
Ken Wahl plays "Boomer" Hayes, a football star who must become the unlikely hero when the owner of his team, "Bat" Masterson (veteran screen villain Robert Davi), masterminds a false toxic spill in order to get Beverly Hills residents evacuated from their homes. Thus, the empty homes will be ripe for looting by Mastersons' many minions (consisting largely of disgruntled ex-cops). "Boomer" teams up with Kelvin (Matt Frewer), a uniformed BH Cop, who was in on the scheme but took a powder when things got violent. All night long they must dodge attempts on their lives while heading for a showdown with the ambitious criminal."The Taking of Beverly Hills" is an amusing credit for veteran Canadian-born filmmaker Sidney J. Furie ("The Ipcress File", "The Entity", "Iron Eagle"). It's WAY over the top in terms of destruction; get a load of all the damage that henchman Benitez (Branscombe Richmond) does while trying to dispose of our heroes. It takes stupidity, implausibility, and chaos to glorious levels, and will likely have its viewers grinning and shaking their heads in equal measure. Fortunately, this is one movie that knows damn well how ridiculous it is, and makes up for in pace and energy level what it lacks in brains.It begins appropriately enough, with Frewer doing voice-over for a credits sequence that is both a kind of love letter to, and critical assessment of, BH. It benefits the most from Davis' smooth performance as a bad guy who REALLY wants to be accepted by the elite of BH, including the fat-cat father (William Prince) of the sexy lady (Harley Jane Kozak) whom Davi covets. In another character detail, he also happens to be asthmatic.The supporting cast includes such familiar faces as punk rock star Lee Ving, Lyman Ward (Mr. Bueller in "Ferris Bueller's Day Off"), Tarantino favourite Michael Bowen, Wahls' "Wanderers" co-star Tony Ganios, Ken Swofford ('Fame'), Michael Alldredge ("The Incredible Melting Man"), and George Wyner ("Spaceballs") as the BH mayor. Pamela Anderson has an uncredited bit as a cheerleader.Richmond makes such a nuisance of himself in his efforts to eliminate Wahl and Frewer that it's an utter shame that his comeuppance isn't a lot more glorious.Ultimately, it's all a little too silly for its own good, but it's definitely not boring.Six out of 10.
zardoz-13
"The Taking of Beverly Hills" combines elements of the James Bond caper "Goldfinger" and the Bruce Willis cop epic "Die Hard." "Ipcress File" director Sidney J. Furie not only helmed this exciting, larger-than-life actioneer, but he also came up with the audacious story. A sleazy millionaire hatches an outlandish scheme to sabotage a wealthy insurance company owner because the former hates the latter with such contempt. The affluent villain concocts a plan to systematically loot Beverly Hills by staging a phony toxic waste spill prompting the evacuation of all the wealthy residents while keeping the Beverly Hills police locked up in their own facility. The ambitious idea flounders because one of the cops changes his mind about the crime and teams up with a playboy NFL quarterback and they derail the millionaire's strategy. However, fighting these high-tech thieves is no picnic, especially when one of them, Benitez (Branscombe Richmond of "Renegade"),pursues them with a passion in a SWAT Team tank, hurling shells at them when it isn't smashing through walls, fences, and homes. Indeed, mullet-headed Boomer Hayes (Ken Wahl of "The Soldier") is the fleet-footed quarterback who shoots himself up with cortisone because he suffers from a bad leg. Boomer gets unexpected help from a turncoat Beverly Hills Cop, Ed Kelvin (Matt Frewer of "Orphan Black"), who saves our signal caller from getting riddled by bullets from bogus police in his Beverly Hills home. Together, these two misfits undermine rich man Robert Masterson (Robert Davi of "License to Kill") and blow his grand plan to screw over Mitchell Sage (William Prince of "The Gauntlet") who detests everything about Masterson except his money. At the same time, leading lady Harley Jane Kozak plays Sage's daughter Laura who doesn't hold Masterson in the same contempt that her dad does. Masterson has romantic aspirations for Laura, but Masterson's star quarterback Boomer cuts into his plans. Just as Boomer and Laura are about to soak into a hot tub with bubble bath, Masterson's goons orchestrate their phony toxic spill and isolate the city. The villains set themselves a time table and rigidly adhere to it and have over $700 million in loot when Boomer and Kelvin pull the rug out from under them. Sidney J. Furie doesn't squander a second in this fast-moving crime thriller punctuated with fireball explosions. Wahl shuns guns and relies on his throwing arm and his football strategy to avoid getting sacked on the field. He has a device that helps him deal with a football field blitz. The film sets up the heist with an opening expository scene about Beverly Hills and how it is a self-governed enclave to itself in the middle of Los Angeles. Indeed, Furie and his scribes establish the credibility of the scheme from the get go. Lots of fun. The dialogue is crammed with neat lines.
FlashCallahan
A chemical spill has caused the occupants of Beverly Hills to be forcibly evacuated.A retiring football player left behind, finds that the toxic gas emulating from the spill is a bogus front for a heist set up by fired police officers out to plunder the city of all its valuables.Finding himself siding with a corrupt cop who was once apart of the plan until he discovered the city's mayor had just been blown away, by one of the chief crooks in charge.Now both on the run with no help in sight...both must do whatever they can to stop these murderous looters....Yes the film is crazy stupid, yes Ken Wahl is a really unconvincing hero, but he has 1991s best mullet and runs in a straight line when being chased by a SWAT vehicle.There are so many unintentional funny moments in this film, that it begs for repeat viewings. All the houses in Beverly Hills according to this film, are made of cardboard.Robert Davi likes to sing when he is trying to scare the woman from Arachnophobia, but it doesn't matter, shes just spent the last few hours with Boomer drinking whisky.Matt frewers hair gets increasingly insane as he film progresses, and suddenly looks like it's been treated during the final fight.The soundtrack appears to have taken the years best tracks, and just put them on at random times.And the best thing about this film? That there is a hit-man in Beverly Hills who looks like Wahl for no reason at all.This Beverly Hills is the smallest place on earth, because once it's evacuated, it appears that there is only a bus full of people who live there, and the only shop there is a place called Freds.But it's fun, there are explosions aplenty, silly one-liners and probably the best villain death in any Die Hard ripoff movie.If you see the movie, watch it with a huge pinch of salt and know that it's tongue is firmly in its cheek.Good cheesy fun.
toyotaboy
Ok, is this movie cheesy? well, yeah. But it's one of those films I rented when it first came out and I kind of enjoyed it (come on, the cop is the same guy who played max headroom). It has it's cheesy moments, not to mention parts that aren't believable (would the whole town really be ok with just staying up playing cards in some hotel lobby?), not to mention how they somehow had such an accurate tracking system they knew down to the penny how much loot they stole? Nothing ground breaking here, but still a good film.
