4. Twins (1988) vs. Tango And Cash (1989)
This movie pairing will certainly seem odd as one is a straight up comedy and the other is an action comedy, but what I’m specifically exploring here is the ‘buddy’ aspect, as neither Arnie nor Sly have done all that many buddy pictures in their careers.
By this point, Arnie had well and truly established himself on the map as one SOB. So, he decided to do what any bonafide action star would do, he ventured into uncharted waters with the feel-good comedy Twins. Here, he is paired up with Danny DeVito as they play long lost twin brothers who are the result of a genetic experiment attempting to create the perfect child.
Arnie plays Julius, the twin who was raised on an island by one of the scientists involved in the experiment and is well educated and physically perfect in every way. DeVito plays Vincent, the other twin who was put in an orphanage but then escapes and becomes a petty criminal and conman. When Julius celebrates his 35th birthday, he is told he has a twin, which leads to him trying to find Vincent so he can piece together the family that he never had. What follows is over 90 minutes of two people who are as different as chalk and cheese trying to bond and find common ground, with a lot of mishaps and brilliant comic timing along he way.
I loved Twins as a kid, it was one of those movies I didn’t have to beg my parents to let me watch because it was family friendly and it had all the classic Arnie qualities that I could ask for. I actually watched it again recently and it still hasn’t lost its touch, it’s just one of those films that you can always rely on to give you solid entertainment.
It was nice to see Arnie play a softer character here, in the sense that he was so innocent and naive about the outside world after being raised on a beautiful island his entire life. He gets a rude awakening when he meets Vincent, who is the type of person you wouldn’t want to invite over for dinner out of fear that he’ll steal everything you own. But Julius’ love for Vincent is so unconditional that it was just what he needed to begin to open up to the possibility of being a better person after enduring a rather bitter life, and that’s where the movie finds its magic.
Arnie and DeVito made a wonderful team, their chemistry was so natural that they actually achieved the impossible of making you believe that they could in fact be fraternal twins. The movie itself is well written too, with quite the unique premise, witty dialogue, and interesting characters popping up along the way.
Who could forget Julius’ 3 Rules In A Crisis Situation?
Before, and ever since Tango & Cash was released, the buddy cop film has seen many variations and received countless treatments, and as a result, has worn quite thin over the years. What counts these days in the genre, and what always counted from the start, is the worst University subject I ever took: chemistry. If the two leads cast in a buddy movie are compatible and have electrifying chemistry that is palpable from the audience, then shortcomings in the plot and script are more easily forgiven.
Tango And Cash is by no means a groundbreaking or even a particularly well acted film, but it never needed to be. Sly is teamed up with with Kurt Russell here as they play Lieutenants Ray Tango and Gabriel Cash, respectively, who are in constant competition with each other to be top cop. Tango is very suave, clean cut and well-spoken, as he gets around in nifty suits and takes pride in himself, whereas Cash is basically a foul-mouthed slob who will wear any shirt as long as it fits. These little character quirks pave the way for ego clashing fun as the two must work together to clear their names after they are framed for murder.
Ah the chemistry (there’s that word again). I will take the risk of being badgered and say that this would have to be my favourite buddy movie of all time. Sly and Russell were perfection, there’s really no better word I can think of to describe their teaming. I found myself having the best time watching this movie. The action sequences are first rate and the dialogue and banter almost seemed improvised at times, it came across that naturally. Then there’s obligatory 80s ridiculousness with Cash dressing in drag to disguise himself from authorities while he’s on the run. Oh, and the musical score was done by none other than Mr. Beverly Hills Cop himself, Harold Faltermeyer.
To top it all off, the ending of Tango And Cash is the reason I love cinema (minor spoiler). Sly and Kurt high five each other and as soon as their hands collide, Bad English’s Best Of What I Got starts playing. Cheesy as hell, but you just can’t be in a bad mood when you see something like that.
The winner: Tango & Cash. While the buddy aspect of Twins was very strong, Tango & Cash was just too damn fun and had all the right ingredients to make the funniest odd couple of the 80s.