Tango & Cash: A Killer Buddy Cop Action Flick

Tango & Cash - a movie title synonymous with perhaps the most popular action genre of the eighties: the buddy-cop movie. In the wake of Lethal Weapon, there were many variations of the formula. Still, perhaps the most testosterone-fuelled was the 1989 cult classic that paired Sylvester Stallone and Kurt Russell as Los Angeles cops framed by Jack Palance’s evil drug lord. With generous helpings of style and tons of action (plus a young Teri Hatcher), the movie was a box office hit, but behind the scenes, it was a mess, with the producers going through (at least) two directors and two cinematographers. In this episode of Sylvester Stallone Revisited, we take a look at the making of the movie and ask ourselves whether or not it holds up so many years later.
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#Tango&Cash #sylvesterstallone

[@mikeyfn-a6684]

RIP to the Maniac Cop himself, Robert Z'dar 🙌 "You broke THAT jaw?" "Yea, well..he deserved it" 😂

[@WhatAboutZoidberg]

An absolute blast of a movie, tons of 1 liners, and a great cast.

[@rigelb9025]

A quintessential Eightie's action flick.

[@jonathanfeldheim6554]

Love this movie: the prison escape scene is classic. Also where I learned what "FUBAR" is.

[@meduseldtales3383]

It was fun to watch Saving Private Ryan being one of the few who knew what that meant from the start

[@deecee9548]

Fubar! 🤣 I still use it!

[@alexanderfloyd5099]

FUBAR!!! This was where I learned that too!

[@RIZEorDIE]

Same here

[@jamesgarner8262]

FUBAR! (F**ked Up Beyond All Recognition) ! Yeah, I get it.

[@UrbanNoizeMusic]

Tango and Cash was of one my favorite action movies growing up as a kid. And still is. The charisma and coolness of Stallone and Russell was unmatched. Makes me feel like it was the precursor to the buddy cop films that came after like Bad Boys. Especially with the whole sister thing 😅. But of course Lethal Weapon & 48 Hours were kings of the hill when we're talking these kind of movies.

[@DNOstalgia]

Absolute childhood classic! I know this movie word for word! Brilliant!

[@acegrafik]

Love that one and it's right up there with "the Last Boy Scout" as a classical , buddy-grudge-action-comedy!

[@robvegas9354]

They packed so much fun into this movie! Non stop action and a great cast (y) 1989 was such an awesome year for movies, Tango and Cash, Ghostbusters2, Batman, Indiana Jones, Lethal Weapon 2, James Bond.... etc. Classic stuff!!!

[@ratedtriplex]

Oh and don't forget No Holds Barred. Yeah yeah it sucked but when I was a kid I was a massive Hulk Hogan fan

[@lexkanyima2195]

Very significant

[@Omar-wq9dz]

Fun fact, this film and Always were the last 2 movies to come out in the 80s, as they both came out on the same day of December 22, 1989 in the U.S

[@lexkanyima2195]

To end the era like that was significant

[@pbxn-3rdx-85percent]

Young Teri Hatcher. Ohhh yeaaahh! Kurt Russel in drag: My eyes! My eyes! Somebody get a doctor! 😆

[@biguy617]

I love this movie. Kurt Russell and Sylvester Stallone are awesome together

[@flyguy7825]

I actually saw this movie a few months back. I forgot how good it actually was at the time. It's dated in some areas but overall it was a fun buddy cop movie. Kurt Russell and Sylvester Stallone have amazing chemistry together. I'm a little surprised they never followed up on this movie

[@virgil3241]

So much rewatchability. Which I have lost count over the decades how many times I have. And now have watched it with my adult boys, and they both loved it. And Teri Hatcher, my lord

[@steliannikolov4163]

This movie is pure gold! Strait in the face action!

[@anthonyclark9441]

The last Film released in the 80's and it was absolutely fantastic. It needs a Sequel; I don't care how old they are now.

[@lexkanyima2195]

Significantly

[@Omar-wq9dz]

This movie is not as bad as reviews have it out to be. I remember seeing it and liking it. It’s not up there with best of buddy cop movies like Lethal Weapon 1-2, but it’s definitely watchable and has great action

[@Michael_Chandler_Keaton]

It absolutely IS up there with the best.

[@gmac5112]

Man I love this movie so much. My sister said she would get it for me as a birthday gift back in the day of DVD....... she got confused I got Turner & Hooch🤣

[@deecee9548]

Mate, your sister did it deliberately - it's what we do 😆

[@gmac5112]

@@deecee9548 she says different🤣🤣

[@thespicemelange.1]

Still a good movie but it's no Tango & Cash...

[@lanceyoung9955]

An action classic to be sure.

[@prestonowens4594]

We need more movies like this today. Fun light-hearted action that isn’t about super heroes or tied to a previous franchise. I’m 29 years old and am unsure if people would even go to see something like Tango and Cash or Lethal Weapon in a movie theater anymore. I’d like to see them come back.

[@Fireguy723]

By far the best performance by Sly. Great acting and line delivery with some great comedic chops to go with it.

[@mattblom3990]

Lol, after 15 years I just threw this DVD in the garbage last week because I couldn't see myself ever watching it again. But now I'm here. And I miss Teri Hatcher already.

[@shomaribey2013]

I loved this movie when I was younger. I would love to see a sequel right now while they're both still alive...

[@jasonbosch8135]

Oscar was such an underrated gem. One of my favorite comedies of all time.

[@zerocooler7]

Yes! Stallone can do comedy, and that movie proves it.

[@Paul_Simon]

Came here to say, Oscar is an absolute classic!!

[@jimmymcfarland4184]

Wow the last film of the 1980’s. I collect original movie posters. And I just got Tango & Cash in the mail today!

[@sepollcas]

Love their chemistry together!

[@thorner1975]

This movie was the one I was looking forward to you covering the most. I love this movie!!! It's one of my favorite flicks of both Stallone and Russell.

[@jamesmorgan3212]

Overlooked and underrated. I definitely agree 8/10.

[@Vaporvice84]

Literally just re-watched this on a whim yesterday. Freaky, lol. One of my favorite non-Rocky, non-Rambo Sly flicks, but I think I actually enjoy it more for Russell's performance, as he knows exactly what kinda movie he's starring in, and is just having fun with it. So many great one-liners, a stellar cast, and of course the action is top notch. Sly should've made a sequel to this, Cobra and Nighthawks during the early 90's instead of Rocky 5, Oscar, and....Stop or My Mom Will Shoot.

[@deecee9548]

This is a great light-hearted film I can happily watch with my Dad... for that I will always love it

[@wstine79]

I enjoyed this movie as a kid. Sylvester Stallone and Kurt Russell worked very well together. Jack Palance was an awesome villain.

[@steliannikolov4163]

And Robert Z'dar also.

[@spaceodds1985]

This is one of the last films to get a release in the 1980s, and it would almost become a love letter to the decade.

[@lexkanyima2195]

How ?

[@dropboxmoabit384]

watched it a couple times as a kid but this was never one of my fave stallone flicks. just lacks something. might give it a rewatch now after many years. FANTASTIC SERIES btw. So informative and it makes me want to revisit all these childhood classics.

[@spiderpig9777]

underrated action movie...for sure

[@WookieeMonster1]

The role Teri Hatcher played must have been a deep-cover operative type that existed in a storyline dropped during production and editing. You stated her name as "Alex" (6:30), but all the other characters, including her own brother, call her Katherine (Kiki at the club). I've seen this movie more than a few times, and I'm not sure where you picked that up.

[@RussJericho23]

Was just about to say something similar. Ray Tango’s sister (played by Teri Hatcher) character is called Katherine.

[@Machtimus]

Exactly. Tango was the only one that called her Katherine

[@theresidentteacher2438]

This movie was HBO GOLD at home when I was a kid.

[@onlyme219]

Even at the time being young I thought the supped-up tank/truck thing looked out of place with the movie I still really enjoyed it. I'd love these to old legends do a second one. I'd buy a ticket

[@MaddSweetGT500]

I love this movie, I think she should do a sequel.

[@nate7404]

Still one of my favourite movies of all time. It would be cool to see a sequel or mini series on this

[@asifkhan4822]

Tango & Cash although a very troubled production ended up being an extremely fun movie. Like another troubled production Last Boyscout Tango & Cash is saved by the slick editing and charisma of it's two leads. It has been long rumoured that Stallone had ghost directed parts of this movie when the studio had fired the original director.

[@lexkanyima2195]

Why did Stallone sabotaging the production ?

[@churblefurbles]

Peak Teri Hatcher, and in HD now!

[@LukeLovesRose]

Tango & Cash is a very underrated buddy Cop action comedy in the spirit of Beverly Hills Cop

[@akdollface007]

Oscar and Stop or My Mom Will Shoot are both fun favorites of mine. Loved Tango and Cash too.

[@randomflagg7331]

Ive been loving this movie for years!! Dis is how I do it!!! Yes!!!!!!!

[@TaliaIGhul]

Kurt Russell should be in an Expendables movie.

[@paradox5672]

I love this movie.

[@grapeshot]

I'm not really into cop movies but this is one of my favorite buddy cop movies it's right up there with Hot Fuzz in my opinion.

[@HuskyType]

It’s a shame they don’t really show this movie anywhere, because it’s good old fashion action comedy of the best era. I can easily get sucked back into watching this movie. Easily top 50 faves, along with big trouble in little China.

[@MarioLamRedRebel]

One of the best Stallone movies 🎬🎥👍

[@sampahumeoli]

we need a sequel

[@JoBloOriginals]

First in line if it happens!

[@Valmont1978]

Bro, I can't wait for you to take Stop or my Mom will Shoot! to the woodshed but go easy on Oscar. I think it is an absolutely hilarious comedy of errors with a star-studded cast you could never assemble today and Stallone going Full Tilt goofy gangster. It's one of my favorite movies of all time and it should have done a lot better.

[@jackmackakaheavyguyhaiku545]

This film rocks. My big screen introduction to Teri Hatcher. (I already knew her from Macgyver.) Stallone and Russell were on point in this late 80s action romp. And it had two of my favorite screen killers of that time: Max Jenke (the late great Brion James in The Horror Show, also released in 89) and Matt Cordell (aka the Maniac Cop, played by the equally late, equally great Robert Z'Dar).

[@brettbaratheon9776]

This movie is so great. Loved it as a kid, still love it now. Whoever doesn’t like this movie is FUBAR

[@doctorfeinstone6524]

I learned how electricity works from Kurt Russell 😁

[@ericmason349]

I cannot believe this is not available from Netflix as a DVD. Bummer

[@chrispellicci6587]

Saw it in the movie theaters, it was a good big screen movie 📽

[@deankowalski3222]

I just realized it’s Bad Boys, damn from the rich one to the sister the whole thing

[@DavidLLambertmobile]

Bad Boys at first was Dana Carvey & Jon Lovitz but they could not work the schedules, 💰💰💰 out. The studio took a chance with actors Will Smith, Martin Lawrence.

[@lexkanyima2195]

@@DavidLLambertmobile and thank god it changed into a edgy direction. Imagine if Lovitz and Carvey play as Burnett and Lowrey. It would be a joke.

[@Harri927]

This movie is so much fun and really good. These 2 actors are very awesome.

[@strayscatskittens]

I thought saving private Ryan was when I first heard fubar till j saw this film it brought it all back

[@mrsam0496]

Imagine trying to choose between Patrick Sawyze and Kurt Rusell for an action movie along side Stallone in 1989 lol

[@lexkanyima2195]

Russell had the IT in him which he fits as Cash

[@jonnyfennessy9812]

Dude... drop the duck. Lol my pops took me to this movie. That truck as a 9yr old was bad ass.

[@iLLWiLL173]

Ahh man the editors saved this movie...you can tell by watching it today how the tone and scene transitions are all over the place.....but I absolutely loved T&C....one of the greatest things to come out of the 80s...I put it up there with lethal weapon 2...great fun!

[@lexkanyima2195]

What do you mean by that ?

[@derekkelly2185]

Classic '80s movie

[@100smiles4]

Great film 👌👌

[@_face773]

And Oscar was one of my favorite movies as a kid...

[@fredskull1618]

This movie has an interesting parallel with The Gray Man: Sometimes a movie can be a (financial) hit if you have enough charisma in the cast and enough money is thrown at it.

[@shainewhite2781]

This movie has a lot of production problems and a lot of deleted scenes that can be found in the trailer, but it's an underrated Action Adventure Comedy Film that everyone should appreciate.

[@lexkanyima2195]

So many tensions

[@dutchman8129]

This was the one with captain dynaball, wasn’t it? Childhood memories this movie.

[@Paul_Simon]

Kurt Russell….was Disney’s top child star in his youth. You sort of missed that part when describing his “early career” and the two Carpenter “flops” as explaining his early career.

[@_face773]

Love this movie.

[@K8TPOCKET]

Oh this is no doubt in my top ten movies and I have no shame of that 😂

[@Geekysam713]

I want a video game based on this like how Far Cry 3 Blood Dragon was a tribute to 80s serious action movies we need one based on 80s Buddy cop movies.

[@lowpolygon]

I really liked this movie. It is not gonna win any award, but it is very entertaining

[@jamesmorant1406]

Good fun action flick I know it had a lot of behind the scenes problems but I enjoyed it Sylvester Stallone Kurt russell you can't go wrong

[@lexkanyima2195]

But it wasn't caught on camera.

[@jamesmorant1406]

@@lexkanyima2195 I know

[@lexkanyima2195]

@@jamesmorant1406 which is a shame, remember the interview of the movie was really odd, it was rushed and can't explain the details.

[@jamesmorant1406]

@@lexkanyima2195 very strange

[@lexkanyima2195]

@@jamesmorant1406 there were so many tensions, that Sly and Kurt kept really cool.

[@travismiller4320]

I still use the good news, bad news line. We are almost OUTTA GAS, We are ALMOST outta gas.

[@tkskagen]

With this Movie you get to experience "EXCAPE FROM NEW YORK meets RAMBO"!

[@thrillswilbury7057]

I haven’t seen it since it first came out on vhs but I remember enjoying Oscar.

[@ronaldwarner3469]

I love this movie

[@neilmatthews5590]

Maybe my favourite cop buddy flick and that's saying something

[@Elementalism]

"Reaaaaalll badass cops"

[@Deathstroke4200]

I loved this movie as a kid. Kurt Russell dressing up as a woman had me rolling 🤣

[@pbxn-3rdx-85percent]

Kurt in that outfit complete with lipstick and stockings was horrifying and hilarious at the same time. Thank God young Teri Hatcher was there and washed that awful apparition out of my eyes.😂

[@mmyers6441]

Yep, but i had my eyes on Teri Hatcher most of the time ❤️

[@ColemanJRimer]

As a kid, I thought that was the coolest truck ever made. It's so ugly! lol I still love this movie.

[@meduseldtales3383]

Great movie, love the soundtrack, but there's so clearly half of the stuff missing from the big car fight it's always bothered me.

[@garyhunt8067]

Brion James puts on the worst London accent ever 😂 😂 😂 😂

[@reeltimegamer7708]

7:07. Reminds me of Willem Dafoe's disguise at the end of Boondock Saints

[@matthewking4259]

I gotta disagree with your assessment of Kurt Russell's career. He was huge star starting in the 60s, and the 80s were prime KR time. I agree that Tombstone may be the ultimate KR movie, but I'll put his 80s movies against his 90s movies any day (notable exception to Tombstone).

[@lexkanyima2195]

Russell was not knowed yet in the 60's

[@gallactorme]

Stop or my mum will shoot, actually isn’t that bad. In fact I kinda like it, it’s a fun light hearted action comedy

[@SirTyJensen]

Awesome movie!

[@neiltaylor6645]

Remember this vividly went to see this at the Warner west end in Leicester Sq i my brother bought himself a hotdog 🌭 but I did not get one enjoyed the film though

[@adamcade604]

Underated 80s action classic!

[@antoniobotello4996]

I really like TANGO AND CASH, good humor with lots of action, any other buddy cop films don't match up to them and yes a sequel and maybe a trilogy would do it unfortunately studios have their thumbs if not their heads up in their asses. For SYLVESTER STALLON his first comedy flop film was 1984's RHINESTONE with DOLLY PARTON.

[@jironthunder7519]

bummer there was no sequel!!!

[@TheSpeedfreak665]

Shame there's no special edition of this movie on Blu-ray or DVD.

[@PhoenixHavenGarage]

8:45 I still remember Comedy Central/City/Channel playing this clip on repeat 100x a day when the channel 1st launched back in the day. They only had like 2 or 3 actual programs and filled the dead air time with the same movie clips over and over and over...

[@leejohnstone4663]

Patrick Swayze was considered for the role of Cash

[@grandmufftwerkin9037]

This movie was either made with too much cocaine......or not enough.

[@billycranston5481]

It has Kurt Russell in it so it’s bound to be good.

[@eddead4235]

I love sly dredd and this

[@johnburns9634]

Kurt Russell was considered for the role of Riggs in Lethal Weapon. Mel Gibson and Kurt Russell were in the movie Tequila Sunrise in 1988. Mel quipped after Tango and Cash came out, "I see they found someone to play my character in the sequel." Not mentioning Escape from NY earlier in Kurt Russell's career was poor researching on your part. Kurt also read for the part of Han Solo.

[@lexkanyima2195]

You sure ?

[@johnburns9634]

@@lexkanyima2195 From IMDB trivia. Christopher Reeve, Kurt Russell, Patrick Swayze, Richard Gere, Kevin Costner, Michael Douglas, Harrison Ford, Michael Nouri, Christopher Lambert, Michael Biehn, Jeff Bridges, Alec Baldwin, Michael Keaton, Robert De Niro, Jeff Goldblum, Charlie Sheen, Nicolas Cage, John Travolta, William Petersen, Al Pacino, Dennis Quaid, Nick Nolte, Don Johnson, Tom Selleck, Sylvester Stallone, Mark Harmon, Richard Dean Anderson, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Mickey Rourke, Michael Madsen, William Hurt, Rutger Hauer, Stephen Lang and Bruce Willis were considered for the role of Martin Riggs, but all turned it down for different reasons.

[@lexkanyima2195]

@@johnburns9634 wow that is huge line up of the cast

[@johnknight5000]

Now make a video about last action hero.

[@fox-jake8784]

I love Tango & Cash. Sure it's cheesy as hell, and goofy but it's sure as hell entertaining! Sly and Kurt make a great duo and Jack Palance is just a blast to watch him play literally every other Saturday morning cartoon supervillain. It's essentially a comic book style B movie like Showdown in Little Tokyo but with a $50 million budget. Rumor has it that Stallone wanted to get a sequel off the ground since the 1990s, but nothing came to fruition. But what do you guys think? Does Tango & Cash deserve a follow up?

[@fletchkeilman2205]

Palance....Hong....and Z'dar! How can you go wrong?