Extreme Prejudice: Or so many bullets, so little time

Walter Hill has to be one of the most criminally underappreciated directors in America. Although he is sometimes labeled as a Peckinpah rip-off, at his best he is capable of making exhilarating genre cinema, movies that almost guarantee their status as cult favorites. “Extreme Prejudice” is Hill’s attempt at creating a modern Western and he succeeds admirably. Starring Nick Nolte, Powers Boothe, Michael Ironside, and Rip Torn, this film has enough testosterone for about five other movies. Set in Texas, “Extreme Prejudice” has Nick Nolte trying to thwart Powers Boothe’s drug-trafficking business while contending with Michael Ironside and his team of mercenaries. All of these plot-lines converge for a bloodbath of a finale that must be seen to be believed. Nearly every cut Hill makes begins with a flash of machine gun fire and ends with bodies flying through the air, riddled with bullets. This is one of the few American movies I’ve seen that rivals a John Woo film in sheer violence. Nick Nolte gives a fittingly dry performance as a no-nonsense, distant and emotionally cold Texas Ranger. If you’re looking for a hero with charisma, look elsewhere. Powers Boothe is quite good as the main villain of the piece, capable of drawing both sympathy and hatred from the audience. Michael Ironside and his band of mercenaries are all colorful, fun characters to watch – and I never get tired of seeing intelligent and methodical criminals plan a bank heist. Of course, invariably something goes wrong and the whole job is botched…somehow this formula never gets old! And that’s basically what “Extreme Prejudice” is – an old formula, the American Western, revamped for a modern setting and filled to the brim with violence to accommodate. For fans of director Walter Hill, it’s a must see. “Extreme Prejudice” is no-frills entertainment, deadly serious and full of bloody action.