Suburban Commando
| Suburban Commando | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Burt Kennedy |
| Written by | Frank Cappello |
| Produced by | Howard Gottfried |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Bernd Heinl |
| Edited by | Terry Stokes |
| Music by | David Michael Frank |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | New Line Cinema |
Release date | October 4, 1991 |
Running time | 90 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $11 million |
| Box office | $8 million[1] |
Suburban Commando is a 1991 American science fiction comedy film starring Hulk Hogan, Christopher Lloyd and Shelley Duvall. Burt Kennedy directed the film based on a screenplay by Frank Cappello.
The film was originally titled Urban Commando, and was intended for Danny DeVito and Arnold Schwarzenegger. When these two opted to make Twins (1988), the script was bought by New Line Cinema as the follow-up to another Hulk Hogan film, No Holds Barred.
Plot
Interstellar warrior Shep Ramsey (Hulk Hogan) is on a mission to capture intergalactic despot General Suitor (William Ball). The general has kidnapped President Hashina, the ruler of an entire planet. Shep boards Suitor's flagship but is unable to rescue Hashina, who is killed by Suitor. Wounded by Hashina in the process, Suitor transforms into a berserk reptilian creature. Shep barely escapes, but is able to blow up the ship as he does so.
Due to his failure to save the President, Shep's superior officer (Roy Dotrice) suggests that he is "stressed out" and should take a vacation. Annoyed, Shep accidentally smashes his control systems and is forced to crash land on Earth, where he realizes he will have to stay until his spaceship repairs itself. Shep has little knowledge of Earth's customs, and his temper and sense of justice cause problems with everyone he meets, especially a mime artist he tries to help in various comical fashions, such as freeing him from his 'invisible box'.
Charlie Wilcox (Christopher Lloyd) is a weak-willed architect working for the fawning and hypocritical Adrian Beltz (Larry Miller). His wife Jenny (Shelley Duvall) unsuccessfully encourages him to stand up for himself. In order to help out financially, she rents out Charlie's hobby shed as a vacation cabin, which Shep leases. Shep's appearance and behavior make Charlie nervous, and he begins to spy on his guest. He soon discovers Shep's advanced equipment and begins experimenting with it, not knowing that the power sources are traceable and its whereabouts tracked by Suitor's men. They send a pair of intergalactic bounty hunters after Shep. Shep also requires several rare crystals to fix his ship, the closest samples of which can be found in Beltz's office. Charlie helps Shep get into his boss's office during a company party before the bounty hunters corner them. After winning a furious fight, Shep and Charlie head home to repair the ship.
After the bounty hunters' defeat, Suitor, who has escaped the destruction of his ship, arrives on Earth. He takes Charlie's family hostage, forcing Charlie to lead him to Shep. Suitor begins torturing Shep, enjoying himself before he intends to kill the warrior. Finding his courage, Charlie injures Suitor, who then turns into his monstrous form. Physically outmatched, Shep is forced to set his ship to self-destruct. He and Charlie manage to escape the ship's explosion, which destroys Suitor for good.
Shep leaves Earth using the bounty hunters' ship. He takes Beltz's secretary, Margie, with him, hoping for a quiet family life. Charlie, however, has become bolder from his experiences; he appears in Beltz's office the following morning, shouting at his boss in front of witnesses, and finally quits his thankless job. Later, Charlie solves his final problem by using one of Shep's weapons to destroy an annoying set of traffic lights that never changed at the right time, receiving cheers from the other motorists.
Cast
- Hulk Hogan as Shep Ramsey
- Christopher Lloyd as Charlie Wilcox
- Shelley Duvall as Jenny Wilcox
- Michael Faustino as Mark Wilcox
- Laura Mooney as Theresa Wilcox
- Larry Miller as Adrian Beltz
- Dennis Burkley as Deak
- Branscombe Richmond as Biker
- William Ball as General Suitor; his mutant form is played by Vincent Hammond
- Jack Elam as Colonel Dustin "Dusty" McHowell
- Jo Ann Dearing as Margie Tanen
- Roy Dotrice as Zanuck
- Tony Longo as Knuckles
- Mark Calaway as Hutch
Reception
The film received mostly negative reviews.[2][3][4] On Rotten Tomatoes the film has an approval rating of 15% based on 13 reviews.[5]
Box office
The film opened with $1.9 million. Overall, the film grossed a total of $8,002,361 in the United States. With a budget of $11 million, the film was not a commercial success.[1]
References
- ^ a b "Suburban Commando". Box Office Mojo.
- ^ "Suburban Commando". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved 2012-06-02.
- ^ "'Commando' a Weak Effort". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2012-06-02.
- ^ "Review/Film; A Space Warrior Learns Suburban Ways". The New York Times. Retrieved 2012-06-02.
- ^ "Suburban Commando". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 26 April 2018.