No Man's Land (1987 film)

No Man's Land
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Peter Werner
Produced by	Joseph Stern Dick Wolf
Written by	Dick Wolf
Starring	D. B. Sweeney Charlie Sheen Randy Quaid Lara Harris
Music by	Basil Poledouris
Cinematography	Hiro Narita
Editing by	Steven Cohen
Distributed by	Orion Pictures Corporation
Release date(s)	October 23, 1987
Running time	106 min.
Country	United States
Language	English

No Man's Land is a 1987 film directed by Peter Werner and starring D. B. Sweeney, Charlie Sheen and Randy Quaid. Brad Pitt made his acting debut in this film as an uncredited extra.

Plot

When a detective is gunned down while investigating a string of Porsche thefts, Lieutenant Vincent Bracey (Randy Quaid) assigns 22-year-old San Diego rookie officer Benjamin "Benjy" Taylor (D. B. Sweeney) to go undercover and infiltrate a Porsche garage suspected to be the front of the grand theft auto scheme. Benjy is chosen because of his extensive mechanical knowledge of German cars and his rookie status, which prevents others from suspecting that he is a cop. Bracey also wants Benjy to obtain evidence that millionaire Ted Varrick (Charlie Sheen) is the mastermind behind the thefts and the murder of a fellow detective. Using the alias "Billy Isles", Benjy moves to Los Angeles and quickly gets a job at Technique Porsche as a mechanic. After Benjy fixes Ted's Porsche one night, both men become close friends while Benjy slowly becomes romantically attached to Ted's sister Ann (Lara Harris). Benjy also discovers the presence of a rival syndicate led by Frank Martin (R. D. Call), which leads him to believe that Ted is not the prime suspect.

One day, Ted brings Benjy into his side business of stealing Porsches, with the garage manager Malcolm (Bill Duke) coordinating the operations. While doing a job at the mall, both men are shot at by members of the syndicate, but they manage to lose them in a lengthy car chase. The next day, Ted goes to Technique Porsche and discovers that Malcolm has been murdered. In retaliation, he kills Frank at a night club. During a phone conversation at a party, Lieutenant Curtis Loos (Arlen Dean Snyder) - who was hired by Ted to take out the detective earlier in the film - tells Ted about Benjy's real identity. The next night, Ted has Benjy meet up with Loos at a warehouse and hand him some cash. But when Loos prepares to kill Benjy, Ted runs him over to save his friend. Later, Benjy stops at Bracey's house to inform him of what happened with Loos and accuses Bracey of being in cahoots with him. Bracey kicks Benjy out, but tells him to call in the morning so they can work things out. Benji drives off, unaware that Ted was nearby, spying on him. The next day, Benjy's cover is blown in front of Ann when his uncle Michael (Philip Benichou) pays him a visit at his apartment. After Ted murders Bracey, he meets up with Benjy at the mall, where Benjy tells him he will put him away for the murders. The argument becomes a gun fight; Benjy is wounded, but he kills Ted before the police arrive.

Cast

• D. B. Sweeney - Benjamin "Benjy" Taylor a.k.a. Billy Isles
• Charlie Sheen - Ted Varrick
• Lara Harris - Ann Varrick
• Randy Quaid - Lieutenant Vincent Bracey
• Bill Duke - Malcolm
• R. D. Call - Frank Martin
• Arlen Dean Snyder - Lieutenant Curtis Loos
• M. Emmet Walsh - Captain Haun
• Al Shannon - Danny
• Bernie Pock - Ridley
• Kenny Endoso - Leon
• James F. Kelly - Brandon
• Lori Butler - Suzanne
• Clare Wren - Deborah
• Philip Benichou - Michael
• Linda Carol - Party Girl
• Danitza Kingsley - Margot
• Peggy McCay - Benjy's Mom
• Linda Shayne - Peggy
• Robert Pierce - Jim
• Claude Earl Jones - Uncle Roy
• Jan Burrell - Aunt Rhea
• Channing Chase - Aunt Fran
• Jessica Puscas - Mary Jean
• Molly Carter - Colleen
• Guy Boyd - Jaws
• Henry G. Sanders - Heath
• Gary Riley - Cal
• Jenny Gago - Tory Bracey
• Scott Lincoln - Bailey
• Tom Santo - Juio
• Michael Riley - Horton
• Denis Hartigan - Duncan

Soundtrack

The original music score was composed by Basil Poledouris. Ska band The Untouchables performed live in the first party scene.

Reception

The film has received mixed reviews, with a score of 50% on Rotten Tomatoes.^[1] Roger Ebert gave the film three out of four stars, saying the movie "has lots of scenes of Sheen and Sweeney stealing cars, and it dwells on the details of their crimes, and the reckless way they risk capture. This is a movie about how money and excitement generate a seduction that can change personal values; it's better and deeper than you might expect."^[2]

References

1. ^ No Man's Land at Rotten Tomatoes
2. ^ Roger Ebert - No Man's Land

External links

• No Man's Land at the Internet Movie Database
• No Man's Land at Rotten Tomatoes