There were so many action movies made in the 80s, and even if they were just goofy fun, like Tango & Cash, if there were big names attached, the studio would pull out all the stops. And this one does that, even if the story itself isn’t so great, it’s just so much damned fun.

Sylvester Stallone and Kurt Russell star as the titular Tango and Cash, two supercops who work on opposite sides of town, but end up working the same case – one involving the villainous Yves Perret (Jack Palance). But Perret isn’t going to take these two cops lightly, and while killing them would make them martyrs, he decides, instead, to discredit them and frame them for murder a federal agent.

From there the story just goes bonkers – the boys, who don’t quite get along, are sent to prison, and between scuffles with fellow inmates decide its best to break out, and go after Perret to prove their innocence, and bring the baddie down.

There’s lots of gunfire, throwaway lines, chases, funny moments, and action beats. The cast includes James Hong, Brion James, Teri Hatcher, Marc Alaimo, and Micheal J. Pollard, and features an 80s synth score by Harold Faltermeyer. I mean, it’s huge (albeit formulaic)!

It’s also damned funny to see Stallone playing against type – Tango is a sharp-dressing Wall Street Journal reading and investing cop, who is a bit of an action junkie, while Kurt Russell plays the more fun-loving of the two, and consequently, dresses in a much more relaxed way.

With a supercar to help the supercops, the pair are ready to take on Perret, and they won’t be stopped until they clear their names, and maybe Cash will make some time with Tango’s sister, Katherine (Hatcher).

This one is just a fun no-brainer that you can just throw on and enjoy. It’s disposable entertainment, but in spite of that, it has endured, because of the cast, because of the way they play their characters, and the undeniable fact that the 80s, a decade of excess, knew how to blow things up for an action movie.

I think I’m going to have to revisit more 80s action films, the ones I haven’t done for the blog previous, and maybe see what else is out there. But man, who would have thought that pairing Stallone and Russell could be so much fun?

There’s nothing that isn’t enjoyable about this film. It’s not going to change the world, and wasn’t meant to. It’s supposed to be a popcorn movie that you just have a good time with. So enjoy it!