Review of Johnny Handsome (1989) by Naische F — 22 Dec 2008
Walter Hill brings an electrifying sotry to the big screen starring Mickey Rourke as Johnny Handsome, a disfigured man with bad luck who had embarked on a life of crime and was betrayed during a heist gone wrong.
He is then given a second chance to redeem himself from a prison surgeon who reconstructs his face, a sort of alternative modern-day 'Elephant Man' story at times. Excellent direction from Hill who skillfully blends comedy, action, romance, suspense, mystery and tragedy with great acting and wonderful writing.
This is arguably among Rourke's best performances of the 1980s, especially before the actor turned to professional boxing and dissapeared from Hollywood. Forest Whitaker plays the sympathetic surgeon.
Morgan Freeman is the detective investigating Rourke and has hunches about his former identity and life. The villains are superbly played by Lance Herriksen and Ellen Barkin and make a great villain duo, not since Penguin and Catwoman in Tim Burton's 'Batman Returns'.
The movie flows elegantly from start to finish with finely developed characters. Revenge has a new face and it is Johnny Handome, a lost classic from the 1980s that features one of the finest actors ever to grace the silver screen.
When is the remastered HD Blue-Ray version being released?
This review of Johnny Handsome (1989) was written by Naische F on 22 Dec 2008.
Johnny Handsome has generally received positive reviews.
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