Plot Details: This opinion reveals major details about the movie''s plot.
Bird on a Wire throws together Mel Gibson and Goldie Hawn in an action thriller comedy directed by John Badham. It has all the ingredients of an enjoyable movie and, stirred well, doesn’t come out half-baked.
Goldie Hawn plays Marianne Graves, a lawyer whose life is turned upside down when a former lover, Rick Jarmin (Mel Gibson) turns out not to have been dead for 15 years after all. In fact he’s constantly changing location and identity in the FBI’s witness protection programme – but the person he testified against is about to come out of jail and has friends in high places, so Rick’s identity – and life – can no longer be guaranteed protection. Together Rick and Marianne must stay alive long enough to rekindle their love, and find out their pet likes and dislikes about each other all over again…
The plot moves along at a jolly rate, which is just as well because it would fall apart under heavy scrutiny. Set to an 80s soundtrack and music score by Hans Zimmer that just didn’t quite work for me (one of the very few scores of his that I haven’t really liked), and with Gibson / Hawn never really seeming to have much chemistry, there are enough things about this movie to still make it highly enjoyable. There are several action sequences that are very well shot, and a couple of chase sequences that perfectly combine humour and action into some of the most bizarre scenes I’ve seen for a while. There is plenty of humour throughout, though not all of it works, and the film is biased more towards the action side of things. Gibson relishes this sort of ruff and ready hero role, and from that point of view he is well cast here. I’ve always felt that Goldie Hawn on the other hand has more of a talent for comedy than action, but to her credit she really throws herself into the action scenes. Unlike so many movies the heroine actually gets a few cuts and bruises along the way, which kind of adds to her believability as a character.
There were really no stand-out performances in the supporting cast, though none were terrible either. (David Carradine, Bill Duke, Stephen Tobolowsky, and Joan Severance play the more important peripheral characters.) Rick has made many friends (and a few enemies, perhaps) in his years as an identity-shifting FBI protectorate, and calls on quite a few of these along the way. There’s a barber shop who’s owner he still owes money to, a vet who’s still in love with him on the verge of her wedding day, and some other goofy characters. They’re all a bit far-fetched, but then so’s the whole movie. The dialogue is pretty good in most places, though again the lack of chemistry between the main stars tends to stop it from really shining. The FBI are on their tails the whole way through, but is it the real FBI or fakes? I’ll let you find that one out…
Overall it’s a very enjoyable film, but falls short of brilliance. If you like action comedies then I’m sure you will enjoy it, but Gibson and Hawn just don’t really gel onscreen. (I would have loved to see this film with Kurt Russell playing Gibson’s role, I think that would have made it an excellent movie.) As it is, Bird on a Wire is certainly solid entertainment, and the chase scenes are among the most amusing I’ve seen on film. Recommended, just not fantastic.
Other Information
Year of release: 1990
Runtime: 110 minutes
Rating: 15 (UK) PG-13 (USA) – for some swearing, violence, and nudity. There’s a little of each but not a lot of any of them, if you see what I mean.
Quotes
Rick Jarmin: You come to Detroit and you rent a Beamer? That's like going to Germany and eating Jimmy Dean sausages!
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Workman: What are you doing with your face in my sidewalk?
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Marianne Graves: I need a bed. I need a bath. I need a massage. I need a manicure... I need my therapist.
Happy-go-lucky hairdresser Rick Jarmin Mel Gibson did a good turn fifteen years ago when he gave the government a much-needed testimony in a court cas...More at Family Video
Superstars Mel Gibson and Goldie Hawn team up in this non-stop action-comedy directed by John Badham. Hiding under the FBI Witness Protection Program,...More at Buy.com Marketplaces
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