Tango & Cash (1989)
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Two rival police detectives are forced to team up after being framed for murder by a criminal mastermind.
The story
Lieutenants Raymond Tango and Gabriel Cash are the best detectives in the Los Angeles Police Department, known for their daring drug busts. Despite being intense rivals who have never met, they are both assigned to the Narcotics Division. Their success draws the ire of a criminal organization headed by Yves Perret. To ruin the detectives, Perret devises an elaborate scheme to frame them for murder. The plan succeeds when the pair is led to a drug deal where they discover the wiretapped corpse of an undercover FBI agent, leading to their arrest and subsequent imprisonment.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Lieutenants Raymond Tango and Gabriel Cash are rival detectives in the LAPD's Narcotics Division. After being framed for the murder of an undercover FBI agent by crime lord Yves Perret, they plead no contest and are sent to a maximum-security prison. While there, they are tortured by Perret's henchman, Requin, but are rescued by assistant warden Matt Sokowski. After a failed escape attempt, they manage to separate; Tango provides Cash with a contact to help clear their names. They eventually discover that the evidence against them was fabricated by an audio expert and a setup by Requin. After rescuing Tango's sister, Kiki, from Perret's clutches, the duo storms Perret's hideout using an armored RV. They defeat Perret in a hall of mirrors and escape just as the building explodes. The film ends with the detectives being cleared of all charges and returning to duty as heroes.
- First release year
- 1989
- Runtime (minutes)
- 104
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Andrei Konchalovsky; Albert Magnoli; Peter MacDonald
- Writers
- Randy Feldman · screenplay; Jeffrey Boam · rewrite
- Cast and characters
- Sylvester Stallone · Raymond (Ray) Tango; Kurt Russell · Gabriel (Gabe) Cash; Jack Palance · Yves Perret; Teri Hatcher · Katherine (Kiki) Tango; Michael J. Pollard · Owen; Brion James · Requin; James Hong · Quan; Robert Z'Dar · Face
- Genres
- action; comedy; drama
- Themes
- rivalry; justice; brotherhood
- Tone and mood
- action; comedy; campy; satirical
- Premise and plot tags
- buddy cop; crime; prison break; action-comedy
- Source material / true-story basis
- The Set Up
- Reception
- The film received mixed reviews from critics but was a box-office success, earning over $120 million on a $54 million budget. It was noted for its chaotic production and was criticized for being illogical and predictable.
- Reported review scores
- Metacritic · score: 41 · scale: 100 · review count: 15; CinemaScore · score: B+ · scale: A+ to F
- Awards and nominations
- Golden Raspberry Awards · Worst Actor · 10th · Nominated; Golden Raspberry Awards · Worst Supporting Actress · 10th · Nominated; Golden Raspberry Awards · Worst Screenplay · 10th · Nominated
- Production trivia
- The film was originally intended to star Sylvester Stallone and Patrick Swayze.; The film was one of the biggest pirated videos in the history of Russia, with 80,000 pirated copies.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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