DVDs in Review

The Rookie (Clint Eastwood, 1990)

Title: The Rookie (Clint Eastwood, 1990)

Release date: June 7 2010

Certificate: 18

Format: Blu-ray

RRP: £17.99

Rating: 3/5

Reviewed by Dave Lancaster

‘The Rookie’ is the kind of clichéd action movie that could’ve been made by anyone, but it’s made a lot better because the man behind and in front of the camera is Clint Eastwood.

He stars as the archetypical grumpy, reckless veteran cop given a young, inexperienced but by-the-book partner (Charlie Sheen as the rookie of the title) against his wishes, forcing them to smash a car chop shop ring led by Strom (the ever brilliant Raul Julia)and his cocaine-snorting nymphomaniac assistant (played by Sonia Braga).

It’s a decent cast (which also contains small roles for Tom Skerritt and Lara Flynn Boyle), and any opportunity to see two of the main stars from the seldom seen masterpiece ‘Kiss of the Spider Woman’ (Julia and Braga) is a tantalising one. Unfortunately the two great exotic stars are relegated to silly roles as somewhat inept villains, driven by no real motivation.

However, they get by on their own considerable charisma, and they look like they’re having fun, as do Sheen and Eastwood who get the bulk of the script’s admittedly funny one-liners. If you bear in mind that this isn’t meant to be high art or as intellectually stimulating as most Eastwood crime yarns, you’ll most likely have a good time, even if you can spot almost every turn the plot takes.

Great, epic stunts and dark comedy help make ‘The Rookie’ a watchable, if forgettable, film. Its well-shot action sequences lend itself well to the crisp picture and clear sound of the new Blu-ray transfer. ‘The Rookie’ is worth watching, but maybe try Eastwood’s more regarded films first.

If you feel like adding a brilliant DVD box set to your collection instead of the standalone Blu-ray, this film is also available as part of Warner’s extensive DVD box set entitled ‘Clint Eastwood: 35 Films 35 Years’. which happens to be the largest single artist box set ever created for DVD. The extensive collection represents a perfect introduction to the prolific actor/director who rarely strayed from Warner Brothers, making it an almost complete filmography of the living legend. Titles included are:

1.    Where Eagles Dare (1968)
2.    Kelly's Heroes (1970)
3.    Dirty Harry (1971)
4.    Magnum Force (1973)
5.    The Enforcer (1976)
6.    The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976)
7.    The Gauntlet (1977)
8.    Every Which Way But Loose (1978)
9.    Any Which Way You Can (1980)
10.    Bronco Billy (1980)
11.    Honkytonk Man (1982)
12.    Firefox (1982)
13.    Sudden Impact (1983)
14.    Tight Rope (1984)
15.    City Heat (1984)
16.    Pale Rider (1985)
17.    Heartbreak Ridge (1986)
18.    Bird (Director’s Cut) (1988)
19.    The Dead Pool (1988)
20.    Pink Cadillac (1989)
21.    The Rookie (1990)
22.    White Hunter Black Heart (1990)
23.    Unforgiven (1992)
24.    Perfect World (1993)
25.    The Bridges of Madison County (1995)
26.    Midnight In The Garden Of Good and Evil (Director’s Cut) (1997)
27.    Absolute Power (1997)
28.    True Crime (1999)
29.    Space Cowboys (2000)
30.    Blood Work (2002)
31.    Mystic River (2003)
32.    Flags of Our Fathers (2006)
33.    Letters From Iwo Jima (2006)
34.    Gran Torino (2009)
35.    Invictus (2010)