Retro Review: Harley Davidson and the Marlboro Man (1991)

My dad was the movie fan in our house when I was a kid and, growing up, we watched a lot of his favourite genre -- the Western.

I saw Harley Davidson and the Marlboro Man when it was first released, and instantly knew it would be a movie dad would enjoy. It's a Western dressed up in semi-futuristic clothing. There's the noble outlaws, a train robbery (in this case an armoured car), a showdown right out of Pale Rider, and, you know, the Marlboro Man IS a cowboy.

Dad and I tried to watch Harley Davidson and the Marlboro Man together, but he died weeks after it came out. So, when I sit down to enjoy a viewing with Harley and Marlboro, I'm pretty much watching it for him.

Sentimentality aside, this is THE ultimate guy movie. It's got motorcycles, guns, hot chicks, boobies, one liners, a titch of drama, and a lot of machismo. The film doesn't take itself too seriously, but is played pretty straight. It's a perfect blend.

And we've got a young Tom Sizemore, who is just reaching his bad-ass potential, an even younger -- and smoking hot -- Tia Carrere, and one of the best buddy duos ever in Mickey Rourke and Don Johnson.

The film is highly quotable. I've lost track of how many "My old man used to say, before he left this shitty world"s my buddies and I have said over the years. Ditto "If I had a nickel for every time some piece of shit..." Well, you get the point.

Harley Davidson and the Marlboro Man is a classic. It's too bad it didn't do better at the box office, as I'd of watched a dozen more movies with these characters. At least it remains alive and well on Blu-Ray, and dad and I can catch it a couple of times a year.

A Good.

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