Review of Extreme Prejudice (1987) by Keith F — 01 Jan 2004

This little overlooked gem from 1987 is one of Walter Hill's best works. A searing performance from Nick Nolte's conflicted hero is matched by Powers Boothe's equally compelling Cash Bailey. I remember seeing this at the drive in on a double bill with Hoosiers, messed up double bill, but hey, I live in Indiana and they would have shown Hoosiers with anything and it would have seemed appropriate. Walter Hill has always been a favorite of mine, even when he's clearly working out his Sam Peckinpah preoccupation, as in the ending of.

Prejudice. It is a wild gunfight that owes a lot to the end of Wild Bunch, but it is riveting nonetheless. Hill is notoriously hit and miss also, with forgotten movies like the Long Riders only two years separated from 48 Hours, which is a full blown classic of all cinema, regardless of genre. Forget about movies like Trespass and focus on gems like Southern Comfort, the brilliant but all but forgotten Johnny Handsome, and of course the goofy but great The Warriors.