I have to be honest. I love Fifty/Fifty and I make no apologies for doing so. Here is why:
I caught some of this on TV one night when I was quite young and found it pretty agreeable. Sometime later I happened upon it in a video library, in a very well preserved ex-rental VHS box that I wish I had held onto. This was then superseded by a DVD I grabbed from Ebay in the early 2000’s and I have it to this day.
I realise this movie is far from highly thought of and I can see some of the warts that the critics marked it down for (far too heavily.) Certainly, at the time of release the story broke no new ground and was outdated, especially as Cannon had milked Rambo’s impact with jungle warfare movies like Missing in Action for everything it had in the years previous. Time has passed and the lethargy for this type of movie has waned allowing for a fresher appeal and a finding a new audience.
Fifty/Fifty started life as a buddy movie with Sly Stallone and Eddie Murphy. Evolving over the years and studios into Peter Weller and Robert Hays playing a couple of likeable Soldiers of fortune who become involved with freedom fighters and stage a coup on the mythical island of Tengara on behave of the CIA. Fifty/Fifty plays more like an episode of The A-Team than Rambo. Whilst not entirely a farce and possessing a few serous moments, the film balances quite well. Charles Martin Smith appears in front of and behind the camera. Smith has helmed a few films but is more recognisable as the nerdy one from both from The Untouchables and American Graffiti.
The most obvious highlight of Fifty/Fifty is the chemistry between the two leads. Hays and Weller are terrific fun and seem to be really enjoying themselves. Weller, in what is more likely the Stallone role, would have been the bigger star having Robocop and Naked Lunch more recently released, however, his appeal may have been in decline. Hays struggled for most of the 80’s to have a film anywhere near the success of Airplane. Together they needed this to work and the film benefits from their enthusiasm. Still flopped, but it’s far from their fault.
The rest of the cast is functional and enjoyable. The slew of local players in the cast in extra roles doesn’t really do much to progress the story other than giving the audience a giggle as the American saviours work to fix the island’s political corruption. There is a potentially intriguing turn of events as the local “hot” resistance fighter, Ramona Rahman, refuses Hays’ advances stating that there are better men in the village than him, however, she then falls for Weller…
The storyline is deeply clichéd for this type of film and the script is far from original. With the potential casting of Eddie Murphy I think the script might have been written with the opportunity for Murphy to improvise and this made Beverly Hills Cop and 48 Hours work so well. Hays handles the script with a natural wit and I dare say a lot tamer than what could have been. He shows some versatility with moments were he is required to lose his temper whilst also performing outside of his comfort area with the action sequences. Hays isn’t known for his action mantra but the film benefits from his casting and really adds a likeable quality to the film.
There are a few wasteful scenes, that are mildly amusing but could have been replaced with something more original. The training sequences of the locals building the army are tired, however, Weller and Hays are breezey enough to keep them interesting, but the time could have been better spent. Additional moments of tension add a decent amount to the ongoings, particularly the loss and retrieval of the key in the scene with Weller’s adventures in the cupboard.
Fifty/Fifty has a few notable action sequences and they are great fun, however, the sequences are a little too few and far between. As the climax rolls around, it does not land as well as the mid film ground to helicopter battle. There is a focus to make Weller and Hays resemble Butch and Sundance and feels a little too obvious.
Despite being ready to go in 1991 the film was delayed by Cannon and it’s lack of money. It squeaked out to a limited theatrical run in 1993 destroying any chances of this being seen by a wide audience. When it did arrive it attained, at best, mediocre reviews at a time when audiences were tired of jungle action movies. I get a real kick out of Fifty/Fifty and have seen it more times than I care to mention. It feels like a Greatest Hits compilation of 80’s jungle action movies, whilst being undemanding, simple and just silly enough to be fun.
There isn’t a huge variation of poster art for Fifty/Fifty, but it’s quite effective. The first poster I know from the VHS and DVD covers and the second is worn by the DVD itself. The second does seem to lean a lot more into the comedy side than the others.
You can get Fifty/Fifty on VHS and DVD and Amazon carry it, however, you need to watch your region encoding.
As for a Blu ray, there are no rumours, however, being of the Cannon back catalogue there is a chance we might see it in the future. Hays has spoken about the film in interviews and remarked that he and Weller got on well, it would be great to see the two unite for a commentary. Come on 88 Films… you know you want to!!
