This is the sort of film that will do if nothing else is on but not much else. Its a heist film with Kim Basinger and Val Kilmer and everything in it has been done before and done better. The bank robbery at the end is a bit of a let down because it just seems too easy. It was directed by the man who brought us the fabulous Highlander, but sadly also the truly awful Highlander 2, this film is somewhere in between. The only plus points are the always great to look at Kim Basinger, and Val Kilmer in a different sort of role to his usual stuff. I think Kim Basinger is a great actress but like most females in Hollywood seems to struggle to get decent films to star in, not counting the awesome LA Confidential of course. All in all a very average film ***5/10***
21 Reviews
I guess there is only one good reason to watch it: Kim Basinger
philip_vanderveken28 October 2004
This is the sort of movie that will do if nothing else is on, but don't expect too much of it. I guess there is only one good reason to watch it and that is Kim Basinger. I really can't come up with something better.
This is a typical Hollywood bank robbery movie. Nothing wrong with that when it is done right, but The Real McCoy never gets above the average in the genre. The characters as well as the script are average and very shallow. You never get rid of the feeling that you know what is going to happen ... only to see a few minutes later that your feeling didn't betray you.
The bank robbery is perhaps the biggest disappointment. It's unbelievable how these top criminals always seem to know how to avoid every security system thanks to all the gadgets they use (they would make James Bond blush like a little school girl). And then of course we still have the security guards that look like a bunch of idiots that just want to be fooled. Spice this up with a love story that never really takes off and a lot of emotions about a little boy and you know what kind of movie this is.
I just wasn't thrilled after seeing it. I reward it with a 5/10. It just isn't worth more. Too bad.
This is a typical Hollywood bank robbery movie. Nothing wrong with that when it is done right, but The Real McCoy never gets above the average in the genre. The characters as well as the script are average and very shallow. You never get rid of the feeling that you know what is going to happen ... only to see a few minutes later that your feeling didn't betray you.
The bank robbery is perhaps the biggest disappointment. It's unbelievable how these top criminals always seem to know how to avoid every security system thanks to all the gadgets they use (they would make James Bond blush like a little school girl). And then of course we still have the security guards that look like a bunch of idiots that just want to be fooled. Spice this up with a love story that never really takes off and a lot of emotions about a little boy and you know what kind of movie this is.
I just wasn't thrilled after seeing it. I reward it with a 5/10. It just isn't worth more. Too bad.
Bank robber forced into another job to rescue son.
alexcams3 April 2008
Not sure why this film gets trashed as much as it does, since it's pretty good. It's worth watching for the cast alone -- Basinger, Kilmer and Stamp. But it must be said that the British film upon which it's based is better. That would be Bellman and True (from an old English song) starring a cast of people that you probably never heard of, headlined by Bernard Hill as the computer geek who has to go along to keep his son safe. Bellman and True also serves as something of a time capsule, taking us back to a grotty, depressed and depressing London that is barely visible in British films any more. We can probably put the change in tone down to the Four Weddings effect. The comparison of these two movies serves as an excellent example of one of the more interesting questions of popular culture: why are the Brits generally so much better at movies that feature crime than Hollywood? Think of Cracker, State of Play, Prime Suspect, Behind The Lines, and Mobile.
Suspend reality! Fun! Fun! Fun!
bianca-1310 August 1999
The Real McCoy has one of the most impossible storylines around. But how can you not love a movie which contains the line, "What's not normal about getting on a plane with your mom and going down to Rio with 3 million dollars?" Some parts, especially the set-up, are slow, but on the whole it's a great, implausible romp. It's also a must for Kilmer and Basinger fans.
Weak Sauce
Mr-Fusion7 February 2016
From what I've seen (for the most part), if there's a Trans Am in a movie, then the movie's going to be good. "The Driver", "Smokey and the Bandit", "Donnie Darko", "Blue Thunder", all awesome, and each one proudly displaying a Firebird. Pretty good rule of thumb, thus far.
Not so with the "The Real McCoy", which is mostly a brain-dead affair - in the sense that you can be half-comatose on the couch and still follow the plot. This thing's so formulaic, it doesn't take any brain power to keep up. It's just one heist movie cliché after another. They even manage to waste Terrence Stamp on a vanilla bad guy role (dammit, that should be a federal crime!). It's a little shocking just how meek Kim Basinger comes off here, what with her being the numero-uno cat burglar. Who knows, maybe Catwoman ruined me, but they could've hardened this character.
5/10
Not so with the "The Real McCoy", which is mostly a brain-dead affair - in the sense that you can be half-comatose on the couch and still follow the plot. This thing's so formulaic, it doesn't take any brain power to keep up. It's just one heist movie cliché after another. They even manage to waste Terrence Stamp on a vanilla bad guy role (dammit, that should be a federal crime!). It's a little shocking just how meek Kim Basinger comes off here, what with her being the numero-uno cat burglar. Who knows, maybe Catwoman ruined me, but they could've hardened this character.
5/10
Pleasantly Surprising
rpm2164 July 2007
I'm just a hair or two from labeling the effort above average, though this movie can still supply sufficient entertainment. Were this film to be remade today it would not need much to attain the status of Above Average. I would however abstain from casting the lead with anyone with similar physical attributes as Ms.Basinger only because to date who robs banks and looks like that!! Very "clean" by todays standards for most genre. Terry Stamp plays the villain with just a tad less venom than IS required for his role, he fall short of making me hate him enough, and Val Kilmer does a superb job with portraying his character. All in all absolutely worth the 1 hour & 45 minutes.
Hudson Hawkess......
FlashCallahan25 February 2017
Warning: Spoilers
A woman is released from prison, an expert bank robber who wants to
settle down and go straight.
But then her parole officer and her former employer try to get her to pull one more heist....
This film is just basically the dramatic version of the notorious Bruce Willis vanity project 'Hudson Hawk', but with all the entertainment and fun taken out of it.
The film disappeared without a trace when released here in November 1993, and if my facts are correct, I don't think it's ever been screened on T.V.
Basinger is fine as the titular character, forced into one last job when her son is taken by General Zod, and her parole officer. But she get's to know her son, even though he thinks she is just a friend, and her real mother is dead.
Hence 'The Real McCoy'.
Val Kilmer visits from the set of True Romance as the potential love interest, but he mugs his way through his scenes, and acts like a complete and utter ego maniac, maybe life imitating art.
It's not very exciting, the crew never appear to be in any danger, and then it finishes, where everyone predictably lives happily ever after.
She should have stuck with Boxing Helena, it may be just as bad, but at least it's well remembered.
But then her parole officer and her former employer try to get her to pull one more heist....
This film is just basically the dramatic version of the notorious Bruce Willis vanity project 'Hudson Hawk', but with all the entertainment and fun taken out of it.
The film disappeared without a trace when released here in November 1993, and if my facts are correct, I don't think it's ever been screened on T.V.
Basinger is fine as the titular character, forced into one last job when her son is taken by General Zod, and her parole officer. But she get's to know her son, even though he thinks she is just a friend, and her real mother is dead.
Hence 'The Real McCoy'.
Val Kilmer visits from the set of True Romance as the potential love interest, but he mugs his way through his scenes, and acts like a complete and utter ego maniac, maybe life imitating art.
It's not very exciting, the crew never appear to be in any danger, and then it finishes, where everyone predictably lives happily ever after.
She should have stuck with Boxing Helena, it may be just as bad, but at least it's well remembered.
A Pretty Good Heist Caper - Basinger & Kilmer are Excellent
med_19789 October 2007
Warning: Spoilers
I watched this film last night on DVD. I was very surprised that this was actually quite good, due to the average IMDb rating it has received.
Though not a classic, it is however a very competent Crime Caper. The story is not especially original and Terence Stamp's accent is not good, going between a Georgian (USA) accent and English Cockney accent. The opening is good and reminiscent of Mission Impossible though "The Real McCoy" was made three years earlier. Basinger's Character however has been set-up and is caught by Police.
We then join Karen (The Real) McCoy (Kim Basinger) as she is leaving prison after serving a six year stretch, she is trying to go straight and just wants to see her son (In the film she has been in Athens Womens Correctional Facilty - Kim Basinger was actually born in the town of Athens, Georgia in real life).
The relationship she has with her son is very realistic and touching as Karen values her son above everything else, now that she has served time. Her ex however has told her son that his mother is dead. Val Kilmer comes into the film as incompetent hold up artist J.T Barker, he attempts to hold up a Mini Mart but bungles the job. The ammo falls out of his gun and in one of the funny scenes in the film, he picks up the ammo only to be confronted by the Shopkeeper holding his own larger weapon. The shopkeeper asks "where do you want your new asshole". Kilmer has to hot foot it out of there and drive off quickly.
JT Barker later runs into Karen McCoy noticing her as she leaves a meeting with her Parole Officer wondering who the gorgeous blonde is. When he finds out it emerges that he is a big fan of her work and asks about her previous jobs. Their relationship takes off later in the film after her son is captured and held by Villain Jack Schmidt (Terence Stamp).
I will not go into much more detail in case I spoil it for you guys.
I do however recommend this film to anyone who enjoys a Crime Caper. Please bear in mind this is not meant to be extremely intelligent or have Oscar winning performances. If you do not take the film 100% seriously and watch it for fun, it is good entertainment. It is slick, undemanding, enjoyable and the performances are good and believable (aside from Terence Stamp who is not quite ruthless enough and his accent is not quite right as I stated earlier) the set pieces are not outrageous but realistic and believable in the context of the film. It is also watchable as a family film as it is not violent and there is no sex scenes. 7/10
Though not a classic, it is however a very competent Crime Caper. The story is not especially original and Terence Stamp's accent is not good, going between a Georgian (USA) accent and English Cockney accent. The opening is good and reminiscent of Mission Impossible though "The Real McCoy" was made three years earlier. Basinger's Character however has been set-up and is caught by Police.
We then join Karen (The Real) McCoy (Kim Basinger) as she is leaving prison after serving a six year stretch, she is trying to go straight and just wants to see her son (In the film she has been in Athens Womens Correctional Facilty - Kim Basinger was actually born in the town of Athens, Georgia in real life).
The relationship she has with her son is very realistic and touching as Karen values her son above everything else, now that she has served time. Her ex however has told her son that his mother is dead. Val Kilmer comes into the film as incompetent hold up artist J.T Barker, he attempts to hold up a Mini Mart but bungles the job. The ammo falls out of his gun and in one of the funny scenes in the film, he picks up the ammo only to be confronted by the Shopkeeper holding his own larger weapon. The shopkeeper asks "where do you want your new asshole". Kilmer has to hot foot it out of there and drive off quickly.
JT Barker later runs into Karen McCoy noticing her as she leaves a meeting with her Parole Officer wondering who the gorgeous blonde is. When he finds out it emerges that he is a big fan of her work and asks about her previous jobs. Their relationship takes off later in the film after her son is captured and held by Villain Jack Schmidt (Terence Stamp).
I will not go into much more detail in case I spoil it for you guys.
I do however recommend this film to anyone who enjoys a Crime Caper. Please bear in mind this is not meant to be extremely intelligent or have Oscar winning performances. If you do not take the film 100% seriously and watch it for fun, it is good entertainment. It is slick, undemanding, enjoyable and the performances are good and believable (aside from Terence Stamp who is not quite ruthless enough and his accent is not quite right as I stated earlier) the set pieces are not outrageous but realistic and believable in the context of the film. It is also watchable as a family film as it is not violent and there is no sex scenes. 7/10
Hudson Hawkess......
FlashCallahan26 February 2017
Warning: Spoilers
A woman is released from prison, an expert bank robber who wants to settle down and go straight.
But then her parole officer and her former employer try to get her to pull one more heist....
This film is just basically the dramatic version of the notorious Bruce Willis vanity project 'Hudson Hawk', but with all the entertainment and fun taken out of it.
The film disappeared without a trace when released here in November 1993, and if my facts are correct, I don't think it's ever been screened on T.V.
Basinger is fine as the titular character, forced into one last job when her son is taken by General Zod, and her parole officer. But she get's to know her son, even though he thinks she is just a friend, and her real mother is dead.
Hence 'The Real McCoy'.
Val Kilmer visits from the set of True Romance as the potential love interest, but he mugs his way through his scenes, and acts like a complete and utter ego maniac, maybe life imitating art.
It's not very exciting, the crew never appear to be in any danger, and then it finishes, where everyone predictably lives happily ever after.
She should have stuck with Boxing Helena, it may be just as bad, but at least it's well remembered.
But then her parole officer and her former employer try to get her to pull one more heist....
This film is just basically the dramatic version of the notorious Bruce Willis vanity project 'Hudson Hawk', but with all the entertainment and fun taken out of it.
The film disappeared without a trace when released here in November 1993, and if my facts are correct, I don't think it's ever been screened on T.V.
Basinger is fine as the titular character, forced into one last job when her son is taken by General Zod, and her parole officer. But she get's to know her son, even though he thinks she is just a friend, and her real mother is dead.
Hence 'The Real McCoy'.
Val Kilmer visits from the set of True Romance as the potential love interest, but he mugs his way through his scenes, and acts like a complete and utter ego maniac, maybe life imitating art.
It's not very exciting, the crew never appear to be in any danger, and then it finishes, where everyone predictably lives happily ever after.
She should have stuck with Boxing Helena, it may be just as bad, but at least it's well remembered.
Inessential yet Unoffensive Heist Yarn
tehhaxxor3 January 2010
As a director of music video clips, Russell Mulcahy is something of a living legend. Aside from directing the first video MTV ever aired (back when they did that sort of thing), he also helmed the clips for acts like The Rolling Stones, Elton John, Queen, Billy Joel, and a myriad of other artists. It may take a handful of film class periods to wholly examine his prolific work in the eighties.
As a film director, however, his work is much more difficult to digest. "Ricochet" and "Resident Evil: Extinction" are able actioners, but his only real classic is "Highlander". Needless to say, it's classic of the most cultish variety, which was probably inevitable considering lead Christopher Lambert is as wooden an actor as a totem pole. I won't even get into wild misfires like "The Shadow" or low budget television tripe like "The Curse of King Tut's Tomb". It's a tall order to get excited about a director that foists that sort of work on an unsuspecting public.
It was quite a surprise, then, to find that "The Real McCoy" stands among some of Mulcahy's best film work. The plotting follows a rather formulaic heist tale, which also requires serious suspension of disbelief on the part of the audience as we're supposed to believe Kim Basinger is some sort of master thief. Val Kilmer portrays an amiable yet inept robber while the great Terence Stamp is sadly wasted as the local crime boss. He's essentially playing the same role Ben Gazzara did in Road House, except Englishman Stamp was forced to adopt a horrific Southern American accent for his role.
Despite a predictable plot and somewhat dubious casting, "The Real McCoy" is an entirely enjoyable heist film in the same vein as The Score. Granted, neither are particularly memorable, yet they make for ample entertainment on a rainy afternoon. Highlights include Kilmer's singularly hilarious botched convenience store robbery and the intricate, if entirely implausible, bank heist at the climax of the film.
In summation, if you're able to believe Basinger as a world-class thief who handles with equal aplomb both air compressed second-story apparati and complex computer wizardry, you may enjoy this film. If you can accept that Terence Stamp is attempting to effect some kind of Southern American accent and has absolutely no room within the script to even pretend to act, you may enjoy this film. If you can stomach a vastly dated, ear-grating score that was composed almost entirely on a mid- eighties era synthesizer, you will almost certainly enjoy this film.
As a film director, however, his work is much more difficult to digest. "Ricochet" and "Resident Evil: Extinction" are able actioners, but his only real classic is "Highlander". Needless to say, it's classic of the most cultish variety, which was probably inevitable considering lead Christopher Lambert is as wooden an actor as a totem pole. I won't even get into wild misfires like "The Shadow" or low budget television tripe like "The Curse of King Tut's Tomb". It's a tall order to get excited about a director that foists that sort of work on an unsuspecting public.
It was quite a surprise, then, to find that "The Real McCoy" stands among some of Mulcahy's best film work. The plotting follows a rather formulaic heist tale, which also requires serious suspension of disbelief on the part of the audience as we're supposed to believe Kim Basinger is some sort of master thief. Val Kilmer portrays an amiable yet inept robber while the great Terence Stamp is sadly wasted as the local crime boss. He's essentially playing the same role Ben Gazzara did in Road House, except Englishman Stamp was forced to adopt a horrific Southern American accent for his role.
Despite a predictable plot and somewhat dubious casting, "The Real McCoy" is an entirely enjoyable heist film in the same vein as The Score. Granted, neither are particularly memorable, yet they make for ample entertainment on a rainy afternoon. Highlights include Kilmer's singularly hilarious botched convenience store robbery and the intricate, if entirely implausible, bank heist at the climax of the film.
In summation, if you're able to believe Basinger as a world-class thief who handles with equal aplomb both air compressed second-story apparati and complex computer wizardry, you may enjoy this film. If you can accept that Terence Stamp is attempting to effect some kind of Southern American accent and has absolutely no room within the script to even pretend to act, you may enjoy this film. If you can stomach a vastly dated, ear-grating score that was composed almost entirely on a mid- eighties era synthesizer, you will almost certainly enjoy this film.
Dumb, dumber, dumbest
imseeg20 April 2022
Only 19 reviews, mine included, let's keep it that way, because some movies can better be forgotten.
The bad: trying to cast Kim Basinger as a specialized thief was wrong from the start. There is not a single thread of danger coming from Kim Basinger. She is so lovely, so vulnerable, NOT in any way can I perceive her in her role as a criminal.
More bad: other roles are miscast as well. A total dork (really) was supposedly the ex of the gorgeous Kim Basinger. What were they thinking?
Even mored bad: the dialogues are so annoyingly bad, that I skip forward to the heist scenes. But even those heist scenes werent thrilling.
What a disaster.
The bad: trying to cast Kim Basinger as a specialized thief was wrong from the start. There is not a single thread of danger coming from Kim Basinger. She is so lovely, so vulnerable, NOT in any way can I perceive her in her role as a criminal.
More bad: other roles are miscast as well. A total dork (really) was supposedly the ex of the gorgeous Kim Basinger. What were they thinking?
Even mored bad: the dialogues are so annoyingly bad, that I skip forward to the heist scenes. But even those heist scenes werent thrilling.
What a disaster.
The Criminal Woman
zardoz-1330 May 2012
Warning: Spoilers
Kim Basinger and Val Kilmer make an attractive couple in "Highlander" director Russell Mulcady's "The Real McCoy," but this miscast couple kindles little chemistry. "Johnny English" scenarists William Osborne and William Davies drew their inspiration for this lackluster Universal Pictures release from the Desmond Lowden novel "Bellman and True." The conflict is that the greedy, despicable villain kidnaps a professional criminal's son and forces her to rob a bank before they turn him loose. The haul is an $18 million plus payday, and a well-heeled Atlanta criminal bankrolls the endeavor. Meanwhile, our heroine—fresh out of prison after serving 6 years of a 10 year sentence—struggles to go straight, but she is swept back into the storm.
Karen McCoy (Kim Basinger of Never Say Never Again") was also married. After she leaves the Athens Correctional Facility, she learns that her worthless ex-husband, Radly (Alex Van) has told her son that she is dead. Radly informs Karen that he burned all the letters that she sent to her son Patrick. During a convenience store stick-up during a rainy night, Karen encounters a bumbling criminal, J.T. Barker (Val Kilmer of "Batman Forever"), whose pistol falls apart at the scene of the crime. Later, J.T. informs his distant (Terence Stamp) relative about her. J.T.'s relative is none other than Jack Schmidt; he is the same guy who used Karen on a previous job. Karen blew that hold-up at the Atlanta Union Bank and she received a 10 year sentence. Karen wins parole but has the ill luck to land a corrupt parole supervisor, Gary Buckner (Gailard Sartain), who takes her to see Schmidt.
This is another one of those impossible crime capers that Mulcady imbues will reasonable suspense and tension. The protagonists have to find a way to break in and escape despite the precautions that the bank has put in place to thwart criminals. What is different here is that our heroine remotely triggers the alarms repeatedly to wear out the security guards and the Atlanta police. Eventually, the authorities decide that nobody is trying to hold up the facility. Instead, they figure that a flaw in the system activates the alarm so they give it. This is a neat example of the man who cried 'wolf' scenario. At the same time, the filmmakers devise a way for the heroine to succeed without pulling off the robbery because she is supposed to be sympathetic. In other words, "The Real McCoy" succeeds as an incredible caper movie but the heroines don't make society suffer. The chief surprise occurs when our heroine turns the tables on her adversaries. Mulcady and his scribes make the villains look thoroughly reprehensible, particularly Gailard Sartain. The last minute scene on the airport runaway gets pretty tense. Terence Stamp makes a grim criminal. Basinger defends herself well enough, especially when she knees a thug in the groin and disarms him. Furthermore, Basinger isn't required to disrobe. Val Kilmer has his stupid act down pat. Mind you, Mulcady never lets thing dawdle. The scenes in the bank as the cops find themselves being summoned for one more time are amusing. The best thing about "The Real McCoy" is that the heroine and her son gets away. Meantime, she exacts revenge on Jack and his evil cronies.
"The Real McCoy" is formulaic material presented with a modicum of style. Basinger looks beautiful in every outfit that she dons.
Karen McCoy (Kim Basinger of Never Say Never Again") was also married. After she leaves the Athens Correctional Facility, she learns that her worthless ex-husband, Radly (Alex Van) has told her son that she is dead. Radly informs Karen that he burned all the letters that she sent to her son Patrick. During a convenience store stick-up during a rainy night, Karen encounters a bumbling criminal, J.T. Barker (Val Kilmer of "Batman Forever"), whose pistol falls apart at the scene of the crime. Later, J.T. informs his distant (Terence Stamp) relative about her. J.T.'s relative is none other than Jack Schmidt; he is the same guy who used Karen on a previous job. Karen blew that hold-up at the Atlanta Union Bank and she received a 10 year sentence. Karen wins parole but has the ill luck to land a corrupt parole supervisor, Gary Buckner (Gailard Sartain), who takes her to see Schmidt.
This is another one of those impossible crime capers that Mulcady imbues will reasonable suspense and tension. The protagonists have to find a way to break in and escape despite the precautions that the bank has put in place to thwart criminals. What is different here is that our heroine remotely triggers the alarms repeatedly to wear out the security guards and the Atlanta police. Eventually, the authorities decide that nobody is trying to hold up the facility. Instead, they figure that a flaw in the system activates the alarm so they give it. This is a neat example of the man who cried 'wolf' scenario. At the same time, the filmmakers devise a way for the heroine to succeed without pulling off the robbery because she is supposed to be sympathetic. In other words, "The Real McCoy" succeeds as an incredible caper movie but the heroines don't make society suffer. The chief surprise occurs when our heroine turns the tables on her adversaries. Mulcady and his scribes make the villains look thoroughly reprehensible, particularly Gailard Sartain. The last minute scene on the airport runaway gets pretty tense. Terence Stamp makes a grim criminal. Basinger defends herself well enough, especially when she knees a thug in the groin and disarms him. Furthermore, Basinger isn't required to disrobe. Val Kilmer has his stupid act down pat. Mind you, Mulcady never lets thing dawdle. The scenes in the bank as the cops find themselves being summoned for one more time are amusing. The best thing about "The Real McCoy" is that the heroine and her son gets away. Meantime, she exacts revenge on Jack and his evil cronies.
"The Real McCoy" is formulaic material presented with a modicum of style. Basinger looks beautiful in every outfit that she dons.
good set up but lesser caper film
SnoopyStyle10 September 2016
Cat burglar Karen McCoy (Kim Basinger) is released from prison after 6 years for the bank robbery. She's on parole with only the suit she went to court with. Her ex told her son Patrick that she's dead. Gary Buckner is her harsh parole officer. J.T. Barker (Val Kilmer) is an incompetent robber eager to be in her next job. She's trying to go straight but nobody is willing to hire an ex-con. J.T.'s relative Jack Schmidt (Terence Stamp) wants her to do one more job. Buckner threatens Karen with more prison unless she does the job. When she refuses, Patrick is kidnapped.
The first half sets up for a solid caper movie. Everything is against Karen. She's the underdog with a heart of gold. The caper is functional. It's at least six years since Karen has done a job and she is still up to date with security tech. It's hard to imagine her ex holding off calling the cops. There are a few little things that add up to a less compelling caper movie.
The first half sets up for a solid caper movie. Everything is against Karen. She's the underdog with a heart of gold. The caper is functional. It's at least six years since Karen has done a job and she is still up to date with security tech. It's hard to imagine her ex holding off calling the cops. There are a few little things that add up to a less compelling caper movie.
She robbed banks... while nobody was in them.
mark.waltz25 July 2022
Warning: Spoilers
This starts off truly promising with a very independent Kim Basinger in a bad situation, a parolee just out of prison for having robbed a bank and unable to make her way in a new life thanks to her slimy parole officer, an uncaring ex-husband and a criminal mastermind (Terence Stamp). Outside of a few minor characters that she meets along the way, the only one that seems to care about her is Val Kilmer, a young man who followed her case and happens to see her in her parole officer's office building. He follows her around, questions for about everything, and takes her out to lunch when no one else will give her the time of day. When her parole officer seemingly is making a pass at her, my discust for the film began, but then it was revealed that he was in cahoots with Stamp and that's when I realized what a bomb this was going to be.
There are so many stupid elements within the film, starting with the scene where her ex arranges to meet her to give her belongings that have been in storage, and their son walks in. Obviously if he didn't want her to see him, he would not have brought him. Basinger gives him a deserving slap across the face (which in reality would have landed her back in the hole), and later, she knees the gun carrying gangster associate of Stamp's in the groin, grabs his gun (with no gloves, leaving fingerprints), throws it and walks away. Obviously she could have been set up for any crime with that happening.
Right after the confrontation with Stamp and her parole officer, she finds out that her son has been kidnapped as a way of getting her to pull a heist, and this leads her into a one way battle to find her son. From here, the film just gets more ridiculous, with only one element to save it, the feisty performance of Basinger whom I felt sorry for both for her character's situation and the very flawed script. This film really had potential and they really blew it. It's watchable in spite of all these absurdities, and it's amazing that facing or comes out of this smelling like a rose even though the film is covered in sewage.
There are so many stupid elements within the film, starting with the scene where her ex arranges to meet her to give her belongings that have been in storage, and their son walks in. Obviously if he didn't want her to see him, he would not have brought him. Basinger gives him a deserving slap across the face (which in reality would have landed her back in the hole), and later, she knees the gun carrying gangster associate of Stamp's in the groin, grabs his gun (with no gloves, leaving fingerprints), throws it and walks away. Obviously she could have been set up for any crime with that happening.
Right after the confrontation with Stamp and her parole officer, she finds out that her son has been kidnapped as a way of getting her to pull a heist, and this leads her into a one way battle to find her son. From here, the film just gets more ridiculous, with only one element to save it, the feisty performance of Basinger whom I felt sorry for both for her character's situation and the very flawed script. This film really had potential and they really blew it. It's watchable in spite of all these absurdities, and it's amazing that facing or comes out of this smelling like a rose even though the film is covered in sewage.
Not quite "Ocean's Eleven", but improves toward end
vchimpanzee4 January 2007
After an opening worthy of "Mission: Impossible", Karen McCoy ends up spending six years in prison. When she gets out, she finds out her ex Roy Sweeney has told her son Patrick that she is dead. Her parole officer Gary Buckner doesn't want her to succeed and is being very demanding. She can't seem to get a good job. Not only that, but Roy is having financial problems.
And J.T. (who is working with Jack Schmidt) is a devoted fan who wants Karen to pull another bank job. Atlanta Union Bank is so secure no one can get in. But she can. Karen wants to go straight, but Schmidt is so determined to see her go back to crime that he threatens Karen's son Patrick, who knows Karen only as his mother's friend.
How will Karen get out of this situation? I can say there is a bank robbery, and one with quite a bit of intelligent planning, deception and even humor, though not quite on a par with, say, "Ocean's Eleven". The question is: does Karen get involved, and if so, is she being honest with those involved in the bank job?
Kim Basinger's character is quite good-looking but also very smart and able to get things done. Nick Searcy and Gailard Sartain could have traded roles, but I think the choices in casting them are ideal. Sartain has never been more convincing in a serious role that I have seen, even though he generally plays buffoons. Searcy has been the Frank Burns type in "Seven Days", so he could have easily done the sadistic parole officer (actually, he's more like Montgomery Burns), but I like him as the buffoon.
Once Karen got out of prison, the movie started out slow but eventually ended up satisfying. You won't believe the ending!
And J.T. (who is working with Jack Schmidt) is a devoted fan who wants Karen to pull another bank job. Atlanta Union Bank is so secure no one can get in. But she can. Karen wants to go straight, but Schmidt is so determined to see her go back to crime that he threatens Karen's son Patrick, who knows Karen only as his mother's friend.
How will Karen get out of this situation? I can say there is a bank robbery, and one with quite a bit of intelligent planning, deception and even humor, though not quite on a par with, say, "Ocean's Eleven". The question is: does Karen get involved, and if so, is she being honest with those involved in the bank job?
Kim Basinger's character is quite good-looking but also very smart and able to get things done. Nick Searcy and Gailard Sartain could have traded roles, but I think the choices in casting them are ideal. Sartain has never been more convincing in a serious role that I have seen, even though he generally plays buffoons. Searcy has been the Frank Burns type in "Seven Days", so he could have easily done the sadistic parole officer (actually, he's more like Montgomery Burns), but I like him as the buffoon.
Once Karen got out of prison, the movie started out slow but eventually ended up satisfying. You won't believe the ending!
Nell Carter in The Real McCoy
fosterpeacock-7836217 August 2019
In the 1993 movie "The Real McCoy" I'm positive Nell Carter is in one of the opening scenes as a server in the diner where Karen McCoy (Kim Basinger) is trying to get a job. She only has a couple of lines speaking with Kim Basinger, but I'm telling you this because it seems unfair to me that the late Nell Carter is not included in the credits. She was a great actress who I loved in the movie "Modern Problems".
The Movie's Real McCoy !
elshikh430 May 2011
As a heist movie, I didn't enjoy much. As an action, I have seen better and more memorable. As for the acting, no one did her or his best here. So what's this movie's really interesting point? I'll tell you. It's the title's role.
Movies have accustomed us to watch that kind of roles played by men, not women. That confident, genius, and heartwarming thief has been always a man. This time, it's (Kim Basinger).
Since the 1970s, the American cinema had gone a long way to assure that women can be heroes too. Look closer to 1993 movies: there was violent yet sensitive woman (Point of No Return), a remake of the French movie (La Femme Nikita - 1990), who is a dusty female copy of (James Bond). Funny and philanthropic woman (Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit), a comic copy of (To Sir With Love - 1967). And there was (Body Snatchers) too, a remake of (Invasion of the Body Snatchers - 1959), where the lead role was given to a girl, played by (Gabrielle Anwar). Clearly, it was a man's world, but not anymore.
In another, less daring, less creative, treatment, this could have been a movie for say (Val Kilmer), however - for this movie's good and ours - THANK GOD it wasn't!
So, it's low-tone average entertainment for some afternoon, where its Real McCoy factor is in the sex of who played its Real McCoy!
Movies have accustomed us to watch that kind of roles played by men, not women. That confident, genius, and heartwarming thief has been always a man. This time, it's (Kim Basinger).
Since the 1970s, the American cinema had gone a long way to assure that women can be heroes too. Look closer to 1993 movies: there was violent yet sensitive woman (Point of No Return), a remake of the French movie (La Femme Nikita - 1990), who is a dusty female copy of (James Bond). Funny and philanthropic woman (Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit), a comic copy of (To Sir With Love - 1967). And there was (Body Snatchers) too, a remake of (Invasion of the Body Snatchers - 1959), where the lead role was given to a girl, played by (Gabrielle Anwar). Clearly, it was a man's world, but not anymore.
In another, less daring, less creative, treatment, this could have been a movie for say (Val Kilmer), however - for this movie's good and ours - THANK GOD it wasn't!
So, it's low-tone average entertainment for some afternoon, where its Real McCoy factor is in the sex of who played its Real McCoy!
Above Average Crime-Thriller
tabuno24 January 2019
9 March 2005. The plot is typical, yet the additional flair and direction along with the acting make this movie a captivating and entertaining fare. The interplay between mother and son is somewhat unusual, the double cross twists fun to experience. There is more going on in this movie than typical along with a well acting sinister bad buy played by Terence Stamp in one of the better character roles in movies. Val Kilmer and Kim Basinger do well. The little cute bits from Val Kilmer are a little too few and far between to make the movie consistent and when he does his little deal, its nice but somewhat out of character/place. The Kim Basinger character seems too good to be true and the husband and his her girlfriend are not used to the greatest effect. It's the probation officer that's the most curious and somewhat awkward piece in the movie. Seven out of Ten Stars.
Some are quick to judge
garyoa19 March 2021
Most have been missing the back story. Not just a "crime" flick. It's about life and how it can sometimes be screwed up. But also, some have been missing a point. There was no trans am in this movie. Trans am has the bird on the hood. The fire bird, oddly enough, does not. Never could figure out the reasoning why GM made that decision. But, all in all... enjoyable movie.
Kim Basinger is the one big reason to enjoy this caper
rsridhar200510 February 2024
Very decent thriller considering its release some 33 years back.
Kim Basinger is very cute as McCoy. Val Kilmer fits into play the second fiddle merrily.
The story, despite some goofs, is really enjoyable. The acting by Kim (as Karen McCoy) is topnotch.
The director of this heist movie is Russell Mulcahy and surprised to know he has directed 167 movies! My god! Must have been a busy man those days.
Enjoyable weekend movie. I, especially. Like Kim Basinger very much.
Both Terence Stamp and. Gailard Sartain did justice to their menacing roles.
Again to reiterate my point, the main plus points is it is always great to look at Kim Basinger and her acting.
Kim Basinger is very cute as McCoy. Val Kilmer fits into play the second fiddle merrily.
The story, despite some goofs, is really enjoyable. The acting by Kim (as Karen McCoy) is topnotch.
The director of this heist movie is Russell Mulcahy and surprised to know he has directed 167 movies! My god! Must have been a busy man those days.
Enjoyable weekend movie. I, especially. Like Kim Basinger very much.
Both Terence Stamp and. Gailard Sartain did justice to their menacing roles.
Again to reiterate my point, the main plus points is it is always great to look at Kim Basinger and her acting.
Steal This Movie!
The_Film_Cricket25 May 2014
Warning: Spoilers
'The Real McCoy' is a heist movie in which the heroine can work her way into and out of the most complicated of security devices but strangely enough can't seem to get out of a tired, predictable cliché-ridden script.
It stars Kim Basinger as a burglar so good at her job that she has become famous as The Real McCoy. We meet her coming out of a six year prison term after being set up by Schmidt (Terence Stamp) one of those irritating movie villains who lives in a mansion and exists in the movie only to issue an ultimatum to the hero.
Turns out that Schmidt was the one who set her up, after helping her to break into a bank and trapping her inside. He and her parole officer devise a little scheme to kidnap her son and hold him hostage until she pulls a major bank job for them. And yes, like countless career criminals in the movies, she wants to go straight.
Here's where the movie loses me: The bank that Schmidt wants her to break into is the same bank that he trapped her in six years ago. Why did he go to the trouble of double-crossing her in the first place? Because the screenwriter doesn't think that the audience is smart enough to ask that question.
The biggest disappointment to me is the bank vault itself, which is of course peanuts to this professional. I am always dazzled by overwrought security measures taken in the movies. Look at the 150+ floors and 9 security doors that Sean Connery and Catherine Zeta Jones had to go through to get into the bank vault in 'Entrapment'. Or look at the security gates, the basement dwelling and the thick wall of plexiglass that held Hannibal Lecter in 'The Silence of the Lambs'. The vault in this movie by comparison is a big yawn.
Oh, and Val Kilmer shows up to befriend Basinger mostly because the filmmakers don't trust her to be the sole hero in a caper movie. Everyone in this movie right down to the kidnapped son is a chess piece set in place and then used as ordered by the rules of caper movie conventions.
It stars Kim Basinger as a burglar so good at her job that she has become famous as The Real McCoy. We meet her coming out of a six year prison term after being set up by Schmidt (Terence Stamp) one of those irritating movie villains who lives in a mansion and exists in the movie only to issue an ultimatum to the hero.
Turns out that Schmidt was the one who set her up, after helping her to break into a bank and trapping her inside. He and her parole officer devise a little scheme to kidnap her son and hold him hostage until she pulls a major bank job for them. And yes, like countless career criminals in the movies, she wants to go straight.
Here's where the movie loses me: The bank that Schmidt wants her to break into is the same bank that he trapped her in six years ago. Why did he go to the trouble of double-crossing her in the first place? Because the screenwriter doesn't think that the audience is smart enough to ask that question.
The biggest disappointment to me is the bank vault itself, which is of course peanuts to this professional. I am always dazzled by overwrought security measures taken in the movies. Look at the 150+ floors and 9 security doors that Sean Connery and Catherine Zeta Jones had to go through to get into the bank vault in 'Entrapment'. Or look at the security gates, the basement dwelling and the thick wall of plexiglass that held Hannibal Lecter in 'The Silence of the Lambs'. The vault in this movie by comparison is a big yawn.
Oh, and Val Kilmer shows up to befriend Basinger mostly because the filmmakers don't trust her to be the sole hero in a caper movie. Everyone in this movie right down to the kidnapped son is a chess piece set in place and then used as ordered by the rules of caper movie conventions.
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