Renegades (1989) User Reviews

Chasing The Sacred Lakota Lance

[bkoganbing · 5/10 · 11 March 2007]

The only reason I give Renegades as high a rating as I do is because I'm a great big fan of the leads Lou Diamond Phillips and Kiefer Sutherland. Rarely have I seen a major theatrical motion picture resting on a supposition as outrageous as this one.

Kiefer Sutherland is a Philadelphia detective gone undercover on his own to find a corrupt cop. He's infiltrated a mob headed by a very cold blooded hood played by Robert Knepper who's planning a jewel heist.

The heist goes off, but with some unforeseen complications. Such as the fact that Knepper while fleeing from the cops in hot pursuit, goes through the Philadelphia American Indian Museum and on impulse steals a sacred lance of the Lakota Sioux tribe. He also shoots Gary Farmer who tries to stop him and cold conks Sutherland who tries the same.

Phillips is Farmer's brother and he and Sutherland form an alliance of convenience to accomplish their separate goals. But I have to say that the whole idea here is just plain preposterous.

Phillips is a stoic Indian figure, he's carrying over his performance from Young Guns where he and Sutherland met and became lifetime friends. Sutherland's performance is a combination of Clint Eastwood as Dirty Harry and Steve McQueen from Bullitt.

For action fans there are enough gun battles and one great car chase as in Bullitt through the streets of Philadelphia/Toronto as some of Renegades was filmed there. As Sutherland and Phillips are good friends in real life as well the spirit of camaraderie does come through. Jami Gertz as Knepper's girl friend has a very nice role as basically an old time gangster moll.

Yet the whole idea behind Renegades is just plain preposterous and unless you're a fan of either one or both the leads you're going to laugh yourself silly.

Standard actioner

[Leofwine_draca · 5/10 · 24 September 2013]

RENEGADES is your standard buddy-buddy action cop thriller from the late '80s, with the twist here that one of the central twosome is a Native American and the other's, well, Kiefer Sutherland. Otherwise it's business as usual as the pair are forced into an unlikely partnership when they have to track down a gang of diamond thieves.

The film benefits immensely from the presence of skilled director Jack Sholder, straight from the excellent B-flick gem THE HIDDEN and bringing plenty of style in his wake. The early heist-turned-chase sequence is the definite highlight of the whole movie and although it never regains this level of expertise, it proves to be perfectly adequate.

The script is fairly routine but the addition of some Indian philosophy (and more than a little mumbo-jumbo) makes for a welcome change. Sutherland is a solid leading man even this early in his career, but Lou Diamond Phillips is the real star, bringing a zen-like calm to his character. RENEGADES isn't brilliant and certainly doesn't have the intensity of the likes of the first two LETHAL WEAPONs but it does pass the time well enough.

Decent Movie, Funnier Now Than Before (Possible Spoilers)

[mwendel · 5/10 · 27 May 2003]

This is one of those films that just grows on you over time because so many of the people have gone on to such better works (and at the same time have had work just as bad, if not worse). This film just shows you how far Kiefer Sutherland and Lou Diamond Philips have come in their careers both in terms of success and acting ability - you can definitely see where Sutherland starting building up his "in pain" acting that he uses so effectively in 24.

The acting is decent, nothing to scream Oscar about, the story is somewhat fleshed out, there are some cinematic holes (like the scene where Lou Diamond Philips is supposedly sitting on the front to the car while Kiefer Sutherland is driving the car backwards with the hood up - the entire scene you can see under the crack of the hood that no one was sitting there - not well thought out in my opinion), but it does keep you guessing until the very end of the movie who the bad cops are and it is a little bit surprising that there is not one, but two bad cops.

Its an entertaining movie that doesn't allow the violence to run the whole show until the very end of the movie. Its got some decent twists, some mild comic relief, the requisite chase scenes and a fairly satisfying conclusion.

Its a good late night rental for Sutherland and/or Philips fans.

a great formula film

[GURNEYRAMPART · 27 May 2003]

RENEGADES is a great formula film from Jack Sholder. The films format is action adventure with a heavy native american theme. The film tells the tale of police corruption, mafia dirty dealings and the theft of a sacred lance from a native american tribe. The film has predictable elements yet is worthwhile. Of note is the directing style of sholder which is kinetic enough to keep the audience interested. RENEGADES is formula but succeds at being good formula; good formula never fails. I recommend this film as a popcorn and coke film.

What Do You Mean 'We', White Man?

[boblipton · 5/10 · 9 April 2021]

Kiefer Sutherland is an undercover cop trying to take down a dirty cop, which somehow involves him in a museum robbery; jewelry and the Lakota's Sacred Lance are taken, and Lou Diamond Phillips' brother is killing trying to defend it. Sutherland is wounded, so Phillips gets him healed and then proceeds to help him track down the dirty cop, despite Sutherland being one of those mavericks who only work alone, etc. You know the trope; it's usually accompanied by "this time it's personal" because otherwise he'd be in a diabetic coma from all the glazed doughnuts.

Phillips spends a lot of his time in Wooden Indian mode, but is a good enough actor to let us see he's putting it on for Sutherland, whom he constantly shows up, like Tonto telling the Lone Ranger not to step in the kemosabe. Otherwise it's a straight 1980s wrangling buddies movie, in which Philadelphia may be the City of Brotherly Love, but it's portrayed by Toronto, so the frequent gun battle interrupt the bromance.

Dated action film

[ctomvelu-1 · 7/10 · 31 May 2008]

Keifer Sutherland is an undercover cop who has gotten himself in too deep, and Lou Phillips is a long-haired Indian on the trail of a stolen lance sacred to his tribe. The two team up against the bad guys, and all hell breaks loose. Plenty of car chases, shootouts and general mayhem ensue, in the best style of all those late 1980s low-budget crime thrillers. Sutherland and Phillips are always fun to watch, although Phillips is maybe a bit too stoic from time to time. The finale is high on the body count, which is all we can ask from many of these '80s action setpieces. If it all looks a bit dated now, especially Sutherland's funky-chicken hairdo, so be it. They can't all be DIE HARD or LETHAL WEAPON. Having said that, RENEGADES beats TANGO AND CASH any day.

A dry thriller. (spoilers)

[vertigo_14 · 5/10 · 1 June 2006]

I can't understand why the cop drama/action film 'Renegades' has such a steady following (relegating it, of course, to cult status), although I can guess that it's familiar cast--Sutherland, Phillips, and Gertz--had much to do with it, because this is certainly one bland, if not condescending "thriller." Kiefer Sutherland plays good cop and bad cop. He's working undercover investigating a ruthless gang leader who is in cahoots with a dirty cop and brokers a deal with the gang leader on a jewel heist in exchange for giving up the cop's name. But, the ruthless leader is of course, ruthlessly violent, and the heist goes seriously foul. When the leader decides to take with him a valuable Native American relic, killing one young man's brother in the action, Lou Diamond Phillips seeks revenge like a martial arts film.

This movie is wholly unconvincing. You can figure it out almost immediately who the "dirty cop" as it is done without any subtleties. The story lingers on far longer than it should, especially with all of the effects of car chases and explosions of a good (if not cheesy) action film, minus the need for all of it. With either Sutherland's arrogant and seemingly out-of-place character or Phillip's "spiritual-mined" character-with-a-vengeance, this film probably would've been much better, even if following more of a martial arts genre routine, with just the story of the Native American family seeking revenge on the drug dealer. There is something here that does not mesh between the two main leads. And Gertz is wasted altogether.

For a good 1980s cop thriller, look elsewhere.

This is the chief....

[FlashCallahan · 6/10 · 16 January 2011]

Sutherland and Phillips take time out between the young gun movies, and make this pleasant little buddy film.

Sutherland plays Buster, with a moustache of jealousy. He is on vacation, but is doing his own thing. When a diamond heist goes wrong, Phillips' brother is killed and his beloved spear is stolen.

so they team up and try to take down the bad guys...formulaic stuff, but thanks to the chemistry of the leads, it's a little above your usual action movie.

Things are the same though. They dislike each other at first, get to know each other, fall out a bit, and then become best mates at the end.

It's the kind of movie, that won't trouble the grey matter, the set pieces are at regular intervals, and there is a little racism on board for good measure.

It's a shame it was released in a year when there were so many high profile sequels and franchise movies, if this was released a little later in the year, it might have been more recognised.

Still forgettable fun though.

Renegades (1989)

[fntstcplnt · 4/10 · 4 August 2019]

Directed by Jack Sholder. Starring Kiefer Sutherland, Lou Diamond Phillips, Bill Smitrovich, Robert Knepper, Jami Gertz, Floyd 'Red Crow' Westerman, Peter MacNeill, Clark Johnson. (R)

Undercover cop Sutherland and Native American Phillips team up to take down criminal scum and retrieve a tribal lance. It's a stretch just to get to that premise (the thieves that Sutherland are after just randomly decide to steal the spear during their diamond heist getaway), and it coasts thin from there on out, relying on the polish of high-concept product to carry the characters from scene to scene. The stars are in respectable genre form and there's some decent stuntwork on hand, but this is just the tired buddy action/comedy formula made without the freshness, sharp writing, electric chemistry and/or pulse-quickening excitement needed to elevate the material. The climax at the villain's ranch, if you're still awake by that point, is especially uninspired. Stick to "Young Guns" if you want to see Kiefer and Lou Diamond in action.

41/100

They trusted no one. Until they had to trust each other.

[hitchcockthelegend · 7/10 · 15 June 2013]

It suffers from the pitfalls of many other 1980s action films, such as plot holes, silly twists and predictability of formula, but there is a very good action film here that's more than a time waster for the so inclined.

Young Guns (1988) stars Sutherland and Phillips (by now firm real life friends) team up again, this time in Phioladelphia with Sutherland as a maverick copper working undercover and Phillips as a Lakota Indian. The two of them are thrown together by fate when a case Sutherland is working on goes bad and Phillips' brother is killed and a sacred Lakota lance is stolen in the process. They are complete polar opposites as characters and struggle to get on with each other to achieve their respective goals. We know they will find a happy ground and kick ass, and with the actors chemistry well founded, it works real well as a buddy buddy action piece.

Director Jack Sholder (The Hidden) has a good knack for action construction, be it shoot-outs or punch-ups, but the highlight here is a blunderbuss extended car chase through the city that wouldn't be out of place in a far bigger budgeted blockbuster. However, with the more character based sections of film the director is not so adept, struggling to get much out of Robert Knepper's villain and letting Jami Gertz wander in and out as a love interest type without any real rhyme or reason. But if frantic action is what you like, you get it here by the bucket load, just enjoy that ride and forget any hope of depth elsewhere. 6.5/10

Revenge of the 80's: Lou Diamond Phillips Superstar.

[Captain_Couth · 3/10 · 28 July 2005]

Renegades (1989) reunites two of the stars of Young Guns I and II. L.D.P. and Kiefer Sutherland are two guys out to get justice for the red man and the down trodden. One funny scene in this movie is when an old "chief:" goes out like his ancestors. Other than that there is nothing worth watching. The acting is mediocre and the direction is pedestrian. L.D.P. mugs for the camera whilst Kiefer Sutherland "carries" the movie on his tired shoulders. Too many movies like these were cranked out during the eighties and they're all bad. But if you're an L.D.P. fan then you'll be in hog heaven!

Recommended for L.D.P. fans. Others will want to stay away!!

A uniquely moody 1980s cop thriller

[daneelo · 9/10 · 5 November 2017]

I first happened on this film on a German satellite TV while channel-flipping one late night over two decades ago. It was one of the early scenes of conflict between the main characters (Kiefer Sutherland and Lou Diamond Phillips). The film instantly sucked me in and I watched to the end well past midnight. With constants re-runs on TV, I must have watched it again at least half a dozen times. Now that Netflix has it, I watched Renegades again, and it still didn't get old for me. Beyond the chemistry between its two leads, I want to emphasize a couple of aspects of the film which stand out to me.

One is the strangely gloomy tone for a Hollywood film. This starts with the setting in Philadelphia's decaying urban jungle, continues with the score (no bombastic 1980s pop-rock but a sad Native American pipe) and finishes with an ending that, although a victory for our two leads, is weighted down by a sense of great loss for both of them.

What I also like are the subtle deviations from the standard elements of the genre. In most 1980s Hollywood cop films, policemen are successful by breaking the rules, especially when it comes to torturing and killing suspects, but they never make an error in judgment. But in this film, Kiefer Sutherland's maverick cop is sometimes a real a**hole just to relieve tension, his undercover work leads to the death of innocents, and confronts the villain's girlfriend under a mistaken notion of her level of involvement. Speaking of the villain's girlfriend, I can't write much about Jamie Gertz's role without spoilers, but suffice to say she makes an impression even though the film completely omits the development of a romantic story-line.

What I found particularly interesting in this latest re-watch was the non-black-and-white bad cop character (Bill Smitrovich), a corrupt person who still has some conscience left. His constant inner conflict was skilfully emphasized by the scriptwriter and the actors by having a second corrupt cop character as contrast, with the pair hating each other's guts.

A final deviation from 1980s common tropes is the main villain. Robert Knepper plays a gangster apparently belonging to the less common type of the upper-class bad apple. But, instead of projecting flair like Sean Connery in The Great Train Robbery or Alan Rickman in Die Hard, Knepper expertly brings out the character's notion of entitlement: it's in the scene that puts Lou Diamond Phillips's character on a war path, in his treatment of his henchmen, and especially in his displeasure at failing to control Smitrovich's bad cop.

Finally, I was surprised to find that the film has such a low IMDb score and many negative reviews, almost exclusively from the USA. It's like other reviewers saw a different movie. I accept tastes differ, but I can't chase away the thought that at east part of it (especially the contemporary reception) was down to unwillingness to confront the Native American themes, from the poverty shown in the opening scene through the racism Lou Diamond Phillips's character confronts as an aside to the history reminder at the end.

Kiefer Sutherland And Lou Diamond Phillips Are Great In This Movie

[monkey-man · 6/10 · 21 December 2005]

Today is Kiefer Sutherlands birth day and he is my favorite actor of all time so i am having a Kiefer Sutherland movie marathon and i am going to watch and comment on a few of his movies.

This movie called Renegads is a good movie about an under cover cop called Buster Mchenry (Sutherland) and he is trying to find out which cops are corrupt but the under cover operation gos wrong when he has to participate in a diamond robbery and 2 people get shot.And as they are trying to escape though another building where some Indians are one of the bad guys shots one of the Indians and steals a sacred Indian spear from an exhibit and buster (Sutherland) gets wounded and one of the Indians named Hank Storm (Lou Diamond Phillips) from the exhibit follows him and captures him and fixes his wound.Hank Storm then makes buster help him find the bad guys that killed his brother and that stole the sacred spear.

This is the 2nd movie that Kiefer Sutherland and Loudimod Phillips have done together the first movie was Young Guns in 1988 and they have been in 4 movies together and a couple of TV episodes over the last 17 years and on screen they have such good chemistry between them and in my opinion they should do a couple of new movies together in the near future.And if u are are a fan of Kiefer Sutherland or good action movies u should rent or buy this movie and u will really like it.

Over all this movie is good and this movie is one of the most underrated movies on this web site and it is not a 4.7 out of 10 this movie is a 6 and a half out out of 10.

Dude, Where's My Lance?

[refinedsugar · 5/10 · 13 June 2001]

Kiefer plays an undercover cop who infiltrates a gang and takes part in a heist. Here enters Phillips as a quiet dignified Lakota Indian who teams up with Kiefer because the baddies stole his people's sacred lance. Yes, I said sacred lance. The supporting cast don't help matters any. Bill Smitrovich appears in the one note role as Sutherland's police superior and the moment Michael Moriarty shows up it's the "Hey I'm this movie's dirty cop. Yeah me!" dance.

The only noteworthy element is how quick the police response time is. Anything breaks out and they're on the scene pronto! In most movies, there's enough time to kill twenty people, blow up a building and have a car chase before the police even show up.

I should mention the whole Native American Indian sub-plot. They don't use it as an attempt at mixing cultures. It's only surface level. Another variation on the whole buddy cop movie. Who's going to be the white guy's partner. Teaming up because of the sacred lance is equal parts funny and lazy. 'They stole my secret lance now we're partners'. Give me a break. 'Renegades' is nearly two hours long if you've got the time for this caper.

Gertz, Kiefer and Lou Shine

[rosemcgowanrulez2001 · 9 November 2001]

I will always like this movie for 3 reasons- 1. That Jami Gertz was in it--2. That fellow Canadian Kiefer Sutherland was in it and 3. It was shot here in Toronto,Ontario downtown and I watched alot of the location shooting. I remember watching alot of the filming downtown and they had alot of the streets blocked off that made for traffic nightmares donwtown Toronto. But getting to meet Jami Gertz was the exciting part. She was very friendly to the people who would be standing around watching the filming. At this time I had only known who she was from Lost Boys and the TV Show Square Pegs.

Anyhow Kiefer is great in this as a cop who is on a corruption in the police force task force but seems to never have the best luck. Lou Diamond Phillips plays a native indian and he is not too bad in it. But Jami Gertz I say steals this movie for sure. Lots of pretty good action and shoot ups. I don't see what people never liked about it. I guess nowadays it is just waaay too hard to have a viewer actually not go into watching a movie with a closed mind nowadays unless someone like Tom Cruise or Brad pitt is in it. I didn't really see any boring parts in it and Sutherland,Phillips and Gertz all together have some charisma on screen. Surprising with Phillips who is usually hot and cold in his flicks.

a great wannabe dirty-cop-killer story

[hr-tudse · 3/10 · 25 January 2003]

in that dying minute of the action part of the movie, that seems to last an hour, the conflicts between the aspiration of the scriptwriter and the inspiration of the filming crew is revieled. from an A to a F in just 1 mínute, huh?

however what is more worrying, is that this recipe has been used to cook up that world famous jack 24 hour bauer story, that makes you wanna move to the country or beyond!

"I'm a police officer. I was working undercover."

[lost-in-limbo · 6/10 · 16 July 2011]

After appearing in "Young Guns" a year earlier, Kiefer Sutherland and Lou Diamond Phillips would reunite again in this very clear-cut and wry, but well executed chase action thriller by director Jack Sholder (The Hidden '87'). Quite a cosy formula with no surprises, but the taut action when it erupts is blistering (from the frenetic shoot-outs to the intense chase scenes and the death by flaming spear). While Sutherland (reckless) and Phillips (spiritual) make a fitting combination, where the two go after the same criminal (for different reasons) and from that learn a mutual respect for each other, despite a bumpy first meeting. Robert Knepper malevolently hams it up in the villain role with cold glee. An undercover maverick cop is left for dead after a diamond heist, but is saved by a Lakota Indian who needs him alive as a sacred lance of his people was stolen by one of the robbers who also shot his brother. So now the two team up, unwillingly at first, but differences aside they realise they are after the same man. Enjoyably no-nonsense, filled with high energy and snappy dialogues as we watch how two opposites attract. The story is well meaning in its context; sharing some light on the Lakota Indians and the typical angle of honour/revenge. Traditional, but unassertive. Also showing up is Jami Gertz in nothing more than a minor sense. Schematically earnest late 80s action thriller.

"I'm a punk and you're a dirty cop."

The Flaming Lance!

[lastliberal · 5/10 · 1 July 2007]

Jack Sholder may do well with fantasy and horror (Aracnid, The Hidden), but not so well with cop dramas.

I only tuned in as I like Lou Diamond Phillips (La Bamba, Courage Under Fire, Stand and Deliver, Young Guns); not so much his good buddy Kiefer Sutherland. The fact that this is the best of the four movies they have done together is no recommendation.

Some funny scenes, and one of the most outstanding car chases I've seen, but the rest just stretches the imagination.

A whole house full of mobsters against two intruders. It is so hard to get good help these days.

Crime thriller in Philadelphia featuring Kiefer Sutherland and Lou Diamond Phillips

[Wuchakk · 6/10 · 24 March 2019]

On a case to nail a bad cop, an undercover cop in Philadelphia (Kiefer Sutherland) teams-up with an AmerIndian (Lou Diamond Phillips) to get back a sacred Lakota lance stolen during a diamond heist.

"Renegades" (1989) is a crime drama/thriller that mostly takes place in the working class districts of the big city. There's one brief scene on a reservation and a longer nighttime sequence at a wooded ranch outside the city. Some of the action scenes are a little overblown to the point of being eye-rolling, but the troubled partnership between the two protagonists is decent. Jami Gertz is on hand in a small role.

Log this under decent but underwhelming big city cop/crime thriller. Every Dirty Harry movie is a superior choice. But, if you favor the actors, check it out.

The movie runs 1 hour, 46 minutes and was shot in Toronto and Camp Samac Oshawa, Ontario, with I presume some establishing shots of Philadelphia.

GRADE: C+/B-

All too forgettable

[gcd70 · 2/10 · 28 August 2008]

Very poor and unimaginative action pic which finds detective Buster McHenry (Kiefer Sutherland) teaming reluctantly with American-Indian Hank Storm (Lou Diamond Phillips) in order to catch some crooks who stole a priceless Indian spear.

The story, from David Rich, is little more than an excuse to get these two former brat-packers back together for one last fling. As a pairing they are pretty good, but neither of the two really put out in this flat, predictable cops and robbers garb. Jami Gertz (from "The Lost Boys") pops in as the heavy's girl.

Over all this was an all too forgettable way for these two young, potential laden actors to close out the eighties.

Tuesday, November 3, 1998 - Video

Under-rated! A straightforward plot, 2 mismatched leads and the bad guys end up dead.

[oneguyrambling · 7/10 · 14 November 2010]

Given the sheer number of successful buddy films in the 80s and 90s you might wonder how such a simple formula could be misused? After all, the buddy shtick is simply there to justify a bunch of action sequences and perhaps some snappy dialogue.

First the formula for a good buddy picture. Have one guy meet another guy he shouldn't get along with, give them both a bad guy to hate and cue the explosions and car chases!

Get it? Just keep it simple, don't try too hard and make sure a bunch of guys end up dead.

In Renegades, two guys from disparate backgrounds are drawn together when they must unite to track down a bad guy who has done done them wrong!

Bingo! Put some titles at the front and credits at the end and I'm in!

The two guys are Buster McHenry (Keifer Sutherland) and Hank Storm (Lou Diamond Phillips) who play an undercover cop and a person of Native American heritage respectively, an Indian for the cheap seats.

As you can see above Keifer and Lou (sounds weird with the DP part), fresh of The Lost Boys and La Bamba respectively and Young Guns combined, went into what should be a B-movie and kicked it up a notch.

One thing I can say for Keifer is that he always seems to be trying, he won't allow himself to just coast through a film, and I always thought LDP was cool even with his slightly girly hair.

Unfortunately after both enjoyed the 80s and early 90s hot streak their careers went in opposite directions, Keifer ultimately landing the well respected and long running 24, and LDP being left with the reality of being little more than a direct to video guy and TV show guest actor.

Keeping with the broad stereotypes the bad guys are a faceless Italian-American crime syndicate lead by a charismatic but vicious bloke who looks like a 5% off Johnny Depp, the real JD would have made this the perfect 80s movie, but I think he was still Jump Streeting at this stage.

How he caused the respective gentleman grief is not important: aside from motivating them to hunt him down for their own personal reasons, good old fashioned vengeance and a sense of justice among them. It also leads to some solid and in this case, extremely inventive set pieces that push Renegades ahead of several other pretenders from the era.

The first car chase after a botched diamond heist into which Buster is inadvertently involved is a doozy, it takes around 12 minutes and seamlessly embroils Hank into the proceedings at the half way point.

So once the boys band together to further unite them against a common foe events transpire that they are being hunted by both the Mafia crime family and the cops, meaning they must rely solely on each other, for a brief time the film also introduces a young woman, for what reason I am unsure, as she is not a love interest as much as someone who is in a few scenes before being shot. I'll leave it at this: There is a reason Jami Gertz is not on the cover of the DVD.

Some of the best scenes emanate from the fact that Buster wants to work alone, and that Hank needs him as he is not a local and doesn't have the contacts Buster has. So the dynamic is that Buster is continually trying to ditch Hank, who is always trying to either stop this from happening or rejoining with Buster after being ditched.

In short everyone how is not on the poster dies at some point in this film, the goodies die to add importance and gravitas to the film, and build the need for vengeance, the bad guys because bad guys deserve to die and because someone has to win.

As you can see that is a lot of people, in true buddy tradition the guys that deserve it more die in a more graphic and painful manner. This is called Movie-Karma.

One last point: There are many times in this film where there is gunfire or the need for police intervention, but the police response times in Renegades are simply off the charts. In more than three occasions, if my memory serves they are on the scene less than a minute after the first shots are fired. In the case of the finale no sooner has the last shot rung out and the required bad guys have eaten lead the cops are there, which might not be such a big deal if the film hadn't indicated that the location was in the middle of nowhere and a long drive though empty territory!

Final Rating – 7.5 / 10. The simple things are often the best. Broad stereotypes, obeying the formula and in this case leaving out the snappy and inane death quips leads to an excellent and too often overlooked action flick.

If you liked this review (or even if you didn't) check out oneguyrambling.com

"At the first sign of trouble I'll break your neck, buster!"

[gettodamoofies · 5/10 · 5 August 2023]

FILM: 5.5/10.

As a fan of Kiefer Sutherland, I was eager to watch Renegades. The movie attempts to ride the wave of buddy cop films that were popular in the 80s, but unfortunately, it falls short in both style and substance compared to the best in the genre.

Kiefer Sutherland does his best to keep the film afloat with his charisma and screen presence. His performance adds some much-needed spark to the otherwise lackluster plot. However, even his efforts can't entirely salvage the film from feeling like a mediocre imitation of better buddy cop flicks.

Lou Diamond Phillips, on the other hand, doesn't get much of an opportunity to showcase his range as an actor. His character feels underdeveloped and often takes a backseat to the dynamic between Sutherland's and other supporting characters. It's a missed opportunity, considering Phillips' potential as a talented actor, even if both he and Sutherland pair well together.

The action sequences are decently executed, but they lack the intensity and excitement that would have elevated the film. The writing also leaves something to be desired, as the dialogue feels clichéd and predictable at times. Even the aesthetics fail to impress, leaving very little in the plus column to mask the film's shortcomings.

While Renegades may find some appeal for die-hard fans of 80s buddy cop movies or Kiefer Sutherland enthusiasts like myself, it doesn't quite deliver the entertainment value or memorable moments that would elevate it to the level of the genre's classics.

In the end, I enjoyed seeing Kiefer Sutherland on the screen, but I couldn't help but feel that Renegades missed the mark in capturing the magic of the best buddy cop films from that era. It's a middling entry for me, with both Sutherland and Phillips deserving better opportunities to shine.

FORMAT: Blu-ray

VIDEO: 6/10.

1080p presentation, Detail level: Moderate, Colour reproduction: Good, Level accuracy: Good, Encode: Moderate, Master condition: Moderate

AUDIO: 7/10.

Lossless DTS-HD MA 2.0 audio, Dialogue reproduction: Good, Soundtrack & effects clarity: Good, Dynamics: Good, Surround sound presentation: N/A, LFE content: N/A

MOOFIEMETER: 5/10.

Don't mess with these renegades

[videorama-759-859391 · 8/10 · 7 November 2019]

What I'll always remember about Renegades, is Kiefer bleeding profusely for about twenty minutes. Renegades is a solid underrated actioner, with some surprises and predictability. Kiefer and Indian blooded Lou, who's always impressed me as an actor, make a top notch partnership. A good actioner yarn movie with dirt bags, and good guys, determined to see justice served. The movie has heart, and was a fresh action movie when released, where, like many others, time has painfully, evidently withered it. Kiefer and Phillips, with cool character names, give bold, unflinching performances, that do not disappoint. Gertz as the girl of the head bad boy, almost ceases to exist in this, for me, where at no point did I really care for her welfare or performance. The story serves an interesting premise, involving an Indian artifact (a lance) so cheaply stolen from Diamond's murdered Indian relative, in the aftermath of a bungled bank robbery, by the baddies (the two bid kind) where Kiefer was working undercover, and basically you can fill in the rest. Renegades rises above the routine or norm of action film. It just has something more. Kiefer's character is intriguing, joining those few other cop leads, you wanna know more about, I will say, where Diamonds, is too, and I liked his character's background, and the little history before and after. This and the characters is what really gives this film standing. As I said, earlier, the film has heart, and some great action.

Blood Everywhere

[davyd-02237 · 3/10 · 5 May 2018]

If you like a very violent, blood everywhere, with thoroughly evil "baddies" who will kill anyone and everyone, swear profusely and blaspheme almost constantly then this is the movie for you...the good guys language isn't much better. The premise of a stolen indian lance is a good one, but given the language and violence, not an easy film to watch

a great film

[UNISOM · 28 October 2001]

THE film RENEGADES, was a movie shot in ONTARIO and used such locations as a building used by TORONTO POLICE 42 division or a similar unit. The film was also shot partially in Pennsylvania. The film had moments of on screen brillance which is a trademark of all the JACK SHOULDER aka SHOLDER movies I have seen. The film should have had a alternate version. I am a fan of such films as the COWBOY WAY which use projects modeled after the "big city modern western approach" of film plots. This film has a big city western feel yet, also has a supernatural polt which ties in with indian myths and religion. RENEGADES also featued a early appearance by the respected actor who played LIAM KINCAID on EARTH FINAL CONFLICT (VON FLORES. I would have done things differently yet, i am nobody. The film was not a bad film, yet, could not LOU DIAMOND PHILLIPS have played a triabla cop in pursuit of a criminal or a PI? Yet, giving him the role of a normal citizen who can handle himself is possibly better. This avoids cop movie cliches. In the film BUSTER and "CHIEF" played by Phillips get caught up in a mob war after a well financed mob thug steals a sacred relic. This film is not the DEER HUNTER but is worth a evenings view and features BILL SMITROVICH doing a great job playing a role we have seen in the movies one hundred times...I liked the character. Formula, well made formula sells. Or is that statement trite on my part? RENEGADES has the edge on being a restrianed action piece which brings it down to earth on believability. I enjoy seeing Sutherland playing agood guy hot off the heels of playing a psychotic in THE KILLING TIME...one of his best roles.