This one got recommended as a kind of a “The Thing in L.A” kinda flick. Couldn’t guess it from the lame-ass poster. But Kyle MacLachlan. 1987. Sure, let’s see where it goes.
It does open with a heckuva bank robbery and car chase involving a not-Fiero known as a Ferrari. High stakes, right off the bat. But things are a bit off. Hot shot good local cop Beck gets requisitioned by FBI agent Llyod Gallagher (MacLachlan) to track down the robber. They Already Got ‘im! But you see right away things are a bit...alien. And no-nonesense Beck is having a hard time copping this one out.
While there isn’t a lot of them, the SFX here are pretty decent. And some good car chases through the city and a lot of gunfire and a few good explosions. I can see why they didn’t know how to market this beyond the two cops chasing down a full-on freak of an unkillable chameleon (though blending in isn’t exactly its strong point). And it loves the metal punk, for whatever reason. It’s not the hardest plot to ascertain what’s really going on, but credit to Michael Nouri as the cop Beck thrown into some shit he’s never seen before in his years on the force. MacLachlan plays his role...suitably. Turns into a good chase movie with decent enough motivations and plottenings and one stripper bar. And Danny Trejo, because he is always the go-to incarcerated guy. Is it “The Thing in L.A.”? Kind of but not really. Not bad overall, definitely more Detectivins than Metamorphosins, with a Sinister Intent.
