A story that meanders and sort of goes nowhere despite the best of intentions. Nice cinematography and great cast though, Mel Gibson and Kurt Russell bounce well off each other as two old friends on opposite sides of the law. Michelle Pfeiffer is a perfect addition as the woman they both fall for.I remember liking this movie when I originally saw it, way back when but this time around not so much. Hideously dated sax music throughout -as all the movies from this time 80s tended to have- was partially to blame but the whole story just felt a bit dry.On the plus side the cast is superb Raul Julia steals every scene he's in as Carlos the charismatic dealer, Kurt is sleazy with his cocky cop attitude, cigarettes and slicked back hair, determined to get the girl and bring down his old friend. He actually reminded me of Dano from Hawaii five-0. Michelle Pfieiffer is beautiful and lovely as per, a sweet romance there. Yeah poor Mel, nobody will believe he's gone straight.

I'm betting that writer/director Robert Towne of Tequila Sunrise was a big fan of the great Warner Brothers classic Angels With Dirty Faces. That's the one where two kids who grow up to be James Cagney and Pat O'Brien, because one is caught by the authorities and one wasn't for some juvenile crime, one becomes a gangster and one becomes a priest.Here the mere fact that Kurt Russell was enjoying a midnight swim and Mel Gibson was caught smoking a joint on a Mexican beach makes all the difference in their lives. Russell becomes a cop, Gibson who gets protection in the Mexican prison from Raul Julia drug kingpin goes into the business. Little is left to the imagination about how Gibson enjoyed Julia's favor.Julia's wanted by just about everybody and while Gibson would really like to quit the business, he owes Julia and Julia is coming to the USA for a really big score. Putting Kurt Russell in a precarious position. It gets even more precarious when restaurant owner Michelle Pfeiffer arrives on the scene. She has a thing for both Gibson and Russell.This very unofficial redoing of Angels With Dirty Faces also from Warner Brothers is nicely updated to the glitzy 80s and all the players are doing some really good work here. Tequila Sunrise got an Oscar nomination for Cinematography and the way that fiery climax is photographed I can see why.I will say things work out a tad better than they did for James Cagney.

Robert Towne knows how to write. "Chinatown" is just as perfect as a screenplay can be, coupled with great acting, it's sublime. "Tequila Sunrise" is a reflection of the 80's, and it's a bit dated because one doesn't tend to think of this period as "noir", but it's a terrific piece, and it works because of the terrific group of actors who give it their best. Towne is not Polanski, yet his effort is commendable.At the heart of the drama is a trio of lovers who don't quite know what the other one is doing. Gibson appears to be trying to get out of the business, but his ties are too strong to just walk away. Russell plays a childhood friend who now must follow the rules of his chosen profession, and in the middle is a woman who is not quite sure what to believe and ultimately choose, or does she? Pfieffer is amazing in that role. If you can't be satisfied with that trio, here comes the inimitable Raul Julia as the oily and showy Mexican character who is even more of a puzzle than the relationship between the woman and her two suitors.Following the structure of noir films, we see events taking darker and unexpected turns, and though the ending might be seen by some as a deviation from the formula, we are willing to let it go because of the intense chemistry between the leads. Maybe the tribute to genre deserves an unexpected turn itself. In the end, audiences might feel just fine with the end product.

This was a really dumb movie. It's mainly a silly love-triangle romance with a super-thin, drug caper plot. I vaguely remember watching this one as a kid, and being very bored, but I couldn't remember exactly what it was about or anything. Now, here I am, watching it again, and it really is the same boring, stupid movie. It's nice to see Kurt Russell and Mel Gibson along with Michelle Pfeiffer, but not only that, it's also got Raul Julia and JT Walsh, two late, great character actors, from way back. I just wish it were in a better movie. Ironically, of these two film greats, both of whom I, myself, remember fondly, one's character kills the other, immediately before effectively bringing about his own death, while recklessly lashing out at one of the leads.This movie has some good parts, namely the acting, which I could find no fault with, but the nonsense crime plot and silly romance really hang it up.Frankly, I'm fairly amused by all the positive reviews, but also by the fact that the director, Towne, also wrote Chinatown, possibly the best film of it's type, and which was a far, far, better flick than this one. Worth noting: in addition to Chinatown, (and despite Tequila Sunrise), Towne is also credited with writing multiple other of my own personal favorite movies, such as The Last Detail, Frantic, The Firm, The Parallax View, Bonnie & Clyde, and even a couple of the Mission: Impossible movies. I guess everyone has a bad day, from time to time...