Pink Cadillac (1989)

“I have strong feelings about gun control. If there is a gun around, I want to be controlling it. ” – Tommy Nowak

Number of Times Seen – 1 (1 Apr 2019)

Brief Synopsis – A bounty hunter is given the task of bringing in a woman on the run from both the law and her husband’s Neo-Nazi group after she steals her husband’s car that is filled with lots of counterfeit cash.

My Take on it – This is a film that I heard about years ago yet never had the chance to see what it was all about.

As I’m trying to watch more Clint Eastwood films, I decided to give it a try.

It’s actually a fun film even if the premise itself is a bot weak.

Eastwood is quite good in the lead and is able to create a character who is gruff and tough on the one hand but also intelligent and street smart on the other which makes him a formidable bounty hunter who knows how to catch any fugitive on the lamb.

His chemistry with Bernadette Peters is also good and I loved the banter between the two of them as he tries to bring in her to face the court system.

The biggest problem with this film tho is the fact that the Neo-Nazi group that serve as the bad guys aren’t menacing or scary enough and it’s so hard to believe that they could be so intimidating to anyone.

They are all stereotypical caricatures and come across as more of a group of buffoons than characters who should be presented in a more threatening manner.

This, unfortunately takes so much away from the tone of the film and things feel much more light hearted than thrilling, powerful or even suspenseful as a premise like this probably should be.

Bottom Line – Fun film that delivers what it tries to. Eastwood does a fine job in the lead and does the best he can with this character who is intelligent and gruff and knows how to bring in any fugitive on the run. He has great chemistry with Peters as he must deal with her as he tries to bring her back to face justice. The Neo-Nazi group is quite pathetic and they are filled with lots of stereotypes instead of any characters who would feel more threatening and that takes so much away from the tone of this film since it is more light herated than powerful.

MovieRob’s Favorite Trivia – Prior to this Clint Eastwood movie, in popular culture, the Pink Cadillac was, and still is, a car very much associated with Elvis Presley. In this movie also, Jim Carrey impersonates Presley. In a 2010 interview with ‘USA Today’, Eastwood said that he used to play ‘fast draws’ with Presley. During the 1960s, Presley and Eastwood were often filming next door to one another in the studio and struck up a friendship. Eastwood said: “I was always wearing a gun…Presley loved to do fast draws and stuff, so we always did fast draws together…I liked him…He seemed like a good guy. Had a lot of guys hanging around, big entourage’. I get a kick out of my wife, who is quite a few years younger. She’ll say, ‘Did you know ‘Elvis Presley?’ I’ll say, Sure. James Dean? Yeah. Bobby Darin?’ Yeah. She’ll look at some old picture of me and say, ‘What a babe!’ (Laughs) We were all hanging around at the same time, in the 1950s. We were all here in town, and all struggling in various things. I was doing Rawhide (1959). There was a camaraderie among the younger group”. (From IMDB)

Rating – BAFTA Worthy (6/10)