Hot Shots! Part Deux (1993)

Memorable, crazy movie

best movie i've ever seen.

Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.

The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;

After the success of the 1991 comedy spoof Hot Shot which carried on in the same vein as such movies as the Airplane and Nake Gun movies, Pat Proft along with Jim Abrahams attempted to replicate the same winning formula that helped them score the same box office bonanza. So along came Hot Shots Part Deux, which one might be so cynical as to say was just another attempt to ride the coattails of it's predecessors popularity. After all, raking $181 million on what was a a $26 million budget, you don't have to be an economist to know that it had turned in a nice profit. Two years later, we see Topper Harley now living in a Buddhist monastery and eking out a modest living in Thailand is approached by Col Denton Walters (Richard Crenna) and CIA representative Michelle Huddleston (Brenda Bakke) who want him to be a part of a mission in Iraq. The purpose of which is to bring back the men, who went in to to bring back the men who went in to assassinate Saddam Hussein. Topper refuses but when Denton and his soldiers are captured in the midst of their mission, our hero springs in to action to lead the troops who are now being sent to bring back the me previously sent to to bring back the mean who went in to bring the men. Are you following this now? That pretty much sums things up and while no where near as funny as the first outing, failing to deliver the same ratio of gags that hit the right mark there's still some fun to be had from Hot Shots Part Deux. While it's a wry and presumably affectionate parody of the Rambo movies (as opposed to the first which spoofed Top Gun) it also lampoons No Way Out, Home Alone, Apocalypse Now, Star Wars, Basic Instinct and Terminator 2 to name but a few. Opening with a on screen literary narration, which leads in to frankly clownishly surreal, yet uneven opening which sees Saddam Hussein cosily preparing himself for bed as a U.S. task force is meanwhile infiltrating his heavily guarded palace. A scene involving him undressing for to where we see him removing his shirt to See bra-lines where a brassiere was once worn summing up the offbeat tone that Pat Proft and Director and co- writer Jim Abrahams are aiming for. While it's no where near as funny as the first outing, it partially does what it sets out to do, and it's great to have seen the late Richard Crenna wonderfully sending up his own character, Col. Trautman from what was then the iconic action trilogy. Charlie Sheen does an efficient job of playing things straight as should it be while clearly playing the right note of absurdity, as the comedic tone should allow. As for the rest of the cast which includes Miguel Ferrer who sadly passed away fairly recently, Valeria Golino, Ryan Stiles (who incidentally would go on to have a recurring role alongside Charlie Sheen in hit sitcom Two and a Half Men) and Rowan Atkinson more than adequately hold up their end. The best laughs come however from Llyod Bridges, who frankly I think the film might have benefited from more of his presence. Overall the film just doesn't have quite the same level of overall freshness in it's creativity with some set- pieces and gags being trite. However as you would come to expect from Jim Abrahams who also helmed the first movie as well as Airplane and The Naked Gun trilogy he manages to keep things running at a well oiled pace and adeptly shooting it's elaborately comical set-pieces. Flawed but an over-all noble effort which not hitting the heights of it's prequel it's worth a look if given the opportunity. Just don't expect to be rolling on the floor in tears of laughter with the same frequency as it's prequel.

This is a sequel to Hot Shots! from Jim Abrahams, spoofing Rambo in which Topper Harley (Charlie Sheen) leads a rescue team into Iraq to save Iraqi war prisoners and soldiers that were part of previous rescue teams.It's non-stop gags from start to finish, from the Rambo parodies to harmless sexual humor, and from funny Commando-like action scenes to the spoof on Saddam Hussein. The acting was great, each character delivering nonchalant funny performances that made the story engaging. Like the previous film, I especially liked Lloyd Bridge's clueless and comedic performance as the incompetent President Benson.While good, I thought this film lacked a little bit of energy and laugh-out-loud comedy that were found in the original movie. The film's plot was also a little slower, but nonetheless, it's still a good comedy that is great for family entertainment! Grade B

While not as good as Hot Shots this is still a pretty funny parody. Charlie Sheen is back as Topper Harley and so are some of the other actors from the first one. Sheen is extremely buff for this movie. Why do actors buff up and then let it slide? After so much work to get there I would try to at least keep some of it. Rowan Atkinson is his typical understated self as one of the rescued prisoners. Lloyd Bridges reprises his role as the goofy admiral with great elan. Valeria Golino is back as Ramada but she goes from a shrink to a guide. The guy who plays Sadam Hussein is unreal in his look alike role. The end of the fight scene between Bridges and Hussein is pretty good and the reconstitution when Hussein becomes part namby-pamby dog is good. Brenda Bakke is good as the turned security adviser who does all she can to destroy the rescue mission. The vault from the head board is awesome. Of course I assume (I know) it was done by a stunt person.

I watched "Part Deux" just a day after the original and found it just a couple of notches below its predecessor. The spoof target is mainly "Rambo-First Blood", but as before many other films are referenced, like "Basic Instinct", "Apocalypse Now" (naturally) "Robin Hood Prince of Thieves" and even Disney's "The Lady and the Tramp". it's all part of the fun, of course, as well as making sure you watch the background, where a sight-gag is invariably playing.Charlie Sheen is all pumped up with somewhere to go, although this time I found too much camera time devoted to Lloyd Bridges' president, even if he does seem to anticipate Dubya years in advance. There are some comic gems, like the "Geronimo" sketch, heck I even laughed out loud at the map showing a no-man's land between Iraq and A Hard Place. If that kind of humour tickles you, there's plenty more, for better or worse, from where that came from, although the first in the series, where the characters and situations were fresher, in my opinion, edges out its follow-up in the comedy stakes.