Director: Christopher Coppola Starring: Michael Biehn, Sarah Trigger, Nicolas Cage, James Coburn, Peter Fonda, Charlie Sheen Certificate: 18 (UK), R (USA)
"You won't know who to trust... What to believe... Or where to run..."
Plot When professional con artist Joe accidentally kills his father in a sting gone wrong, he acts on his father's dying words. He searches for an uncle he never knew he had and agrees to take part in the ultimate con.
SPOILERS AHEAD...
Do you ever feel a slight tinge of sadness when you've just finished watching a really fantastic movie for the first time? You realise you're never going to have that initial excitement of seeing that movie for the first time ever again. Well, fear not my friends, because you are definitely NOT going to have that moment with Deadfall. This film makes the 1995 Keanu Reeves sci-fi mess Johnny Mnemonic, a movie in which a fucking dolphin saves humanity, seem Oscar-worthy. (Guess what I've just re-watched).
From researching the making of Deadfall (basically clicking on the always completely reliable 'Trivia' section of IMDB), this was initially a vehicle for Val Kilmer and Joanne Whalley. They pulled out last minute due to marital issues and so up heroically stepped Michael Biehn; I hope for a hefty pay packet.
Deadfall tells the story of a seasoned con artist named Joe Donan (Michael Biehn). We first meet Joe shortly before he accidentally shoots and kills his Dad Mike (James Coburn) during a sting that has gone badly wrong - bummer. Mike incoherently mumbles some dying words about his brother, which sets Joe off in search of his uncle Lou (also James Coburn, sans Just For Men). Along the way, Joe falls in love with the mysterious Diane (Sarah Trigger) and spends time with Lou's strange associate Eddie (Nicolas Cage). Cool cast, right? You'd be expecting something at least kind of respectable. Oh, HOW WRONG YOU'D BE.
The seemingly lovely uncle Lou and Joe bond much to Eddie's increasing annoyance, resulting in an incredible scene involving a toupee and a deep fat fryer. Lou presents Joe with the "ultimate con", which actually just appears to be the exact same sting that Joe had previously shot his dad in but with diamonds instead of cocaine. Sounds a bit suspicious to me; you would think an experienced con artist would realise that something wasn't... quite... right... no? Sigh, ok then...
Deadfall quickly develops into one of those irritating who's conning who movies with a twist at the end that relies entirely on Joe's character carrying out a very specific set of actions. The movie starts to get a little confusing as events move on, so to ensure the audience is kept in the loop throughout, we're treated to the world's most uninspiring narration by Joe.
I've often wondered at what point in the production of D(r)eadfall that Michael realised he was involved in an absolute stinker of a movie. Was it after he'd read the plot hole-tastic script? Or perhaps it was when Nicolas Cage rocked up on set for his first day of shooting with two grams of coke well and truly shoved up those flamboyant nostrils of his. Michael, if you ever happen to stumble across this blog, please send me a message and let me know; I'm intrigued!
I absolutely cannot stress enough how completely off the wall Cage's cocaine enhanced performance is here. He's making weird noises, humping beds, screaming bizarre outbursts ("Viva la fucking France"), you name it, it's in here. Add to this the peculiar way he enunciates his dialogue which changes in just about every scene and the odd wig and moustache combo he's sporting; you'll start to wonder if it was you who took the drugs instead.
You might ask, but why did the director let Cage snort the entire Columbian cocaine market before shooting? Well, I guess that'll be because the movie is directed by his brother Christopher Coppola who I can only assume was a proponent of Cage's performance.
In contrast to Cage, Biehn's acting is very understated. The aforementioned narration is so dry you'll feel like he's reading you a bedtime story to send you to sleep. I wonder if this was a deliberate choice to try and downplay some of Cage's madness; it doesn't quite work, unfortunately. I quite liked Sarah Trigger's character though, she has an air of innocence and exudes sexiness. I was trying to find out a little bit more about the actress, but she doesn't really seem to have done much. She is probably best known for being in the second Bill and Ted movie and hiring a hitman in an attempt to kill her ex-husband Jon Cryer (allegedly).
This was only Christopher Coppola's second movie, the other being the intriguing-sounding Dracula's Widow four years prior. I can't comment on how Coppola's directing skills developed after Deadfall; I'm sure they're fantastic now, it's not like he doesn't have an incredible family legacy to learn from, but this early work isn't all that great. There are scenes where the tops of the set can be seen and one moment where Biehn just appears to be laughing directly at Cage's performance, which definitely doesn't seem to be in character. The director's apparent noir style also looks pretty amateurish and is altogether just a bit dull. As I've said in previous reviews, I'm not into the whole negativity thing when I write reviews, I'm not about putting people's work down, but this one... not so much. Incredibly Coppola's co-writer on this movie was Nick Vallelonga, who went on to become a double Oscar winner for the 2018 movie Green Book, perhaps Coppola should have left all the writing to Vallelonga.
I can't finish this review without mentioning Charlie Sheen, who also rocks up for a non-sensical five-minute cameo in an 'intense' billiard shoot-out with Biehn towards the end of the movie. Sheen appears to have been on his way to a Hugh Hefner fancy dress party when he stopped by and is just making up whatever shit dialogue springs to mind, including at one point just reeling off Mark Twain's body of work for no apparent reason.
I've seen Deadfall a few times now and I can never quite decide if it falls into the so bad, it's good category. It has certainly developed a cult following in recent years. You only have to look at the number of movie podcast episodes dedicated to this film to know it isn't about to disappear easily, probably to the disappointment of the cast.
Conclusion
If you want a giggle at something that is very, very poor, you might end up enjoying Deadfall; it entertains, just obviously not in the manner the director originally intended. I mean it's infinitely more watchable than Megiddo, but then so are most things.
Deadfall is available to rent and buy on Amazon Prime Video and is can also be found on DVD and Blu-Ray.
IMDB: 4.0/10 Rotten Tomatoes: Critics = 0%, Audience = 25% (As of October 2021)
Dies? / Villain? ALIVE! He makes his way out of this one alive, despite much of the other cast not getting to the end / He's a con man, but not the main bad guy here.
What Does Michael Say? "That was Nic Cage undirected, because his brother directed him and I think he just said “Nic, do whatever you want.” I think Nic is best probably when he’s got somebody that just holds him back a little bit." - AICN Legends Interview August 2011
What Did This Movie Teach Me?
I have no clue how billiards is played, nor do I think I ever want to know.
Even Coppolas make bad movies.
Anything Else?
Not to be confused with the 2012 Eric Bana/Olivia Wilde crime drama of the same name. I've not seen it, but I'm going to go out on a limb and say it's probably better.
Is Nicolas Cage wearing a prosthetic nose? I can't decide.
There is a 2017 movie named Southern Fury in which Nicolas Cage reprises the role of Eddie. The movie, which also stars John Cusack, currently has a four out of ten rating on IMDB; ironically the same as Deadfall.
There is a thirty-one minute Nicolas Cage only edit of Deadfall on YouTube. Ideal if you need to punish someone and waterboarding hasn't proved successful.
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