Action Jackson (1988 film)

For other uses, see Action Jackson.

Action Jackson
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Craig R. Baxley
Written by	Robert Reneau
Produced by	Joel Silver
Starring	Carl Weathers Craig T. Nelson Vanity Sharon Stone Thomas F. Wilson
Cinematography	Matthew F. Leonetti
Edited by	Mark Helfrich
Music by	Herbie Hancock Michael Kamen
Production company	Silver Pictures
Distributed by	Lorimar Film Entertainment
Release date	February 12, 1988 (1988-02-12)
Running time	96 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$7 million
Box office	$65 million

Action Jackson is a 1988 American action film directed by Craig R. Baxley (in his feature directorial debut), produced by Joel Silver, and starring Carl Weathers, Vanity, Sharon Stone and Craig T. Nelson. Weathers portrays the title role of Jericho "Action" Jackson, a Detroit Police detective investigating a corrupt auto magnate (Nelson). The musical score was composed by Herbie Hancock and Michael Kamen.

The film was released United States by Lorimar Film Entertainment on February 12, 1988. Although the film was quite successful at the box office, it received mostly negative reviews. Vanity was nominated for a Golden Raspberry Award as Worst Actress.

Plot

Detroit Police Department Detective Sergeant Jericho Jackson, known locally as Action Jackson, was a celebrated lieutenant in the police force. He had been demoted nearly two years prior, because of a case he headed involving the criminal son of successful businessman Peter Anthony Dellaplane. The fallout over the case also collapsed Jackson's marriage and put the Harvard Law School educated, star athlete and hometown hero at odds with the public. Even after his demotion, Jackson's continued interest leads to conflicts with his commander, Captain Armbruster, but he begins investigating Dellaplane's professional exploits, eventually uncovering a string of murdered trade-union members connected to Dellaplane's company. He discovers Dellaplane is secretly maneuvering into a "behind-the-throne" seat of power, and has been using a group of assassins, The Invisible Men, to murder uncooperative union officials.

Jackson is assisted by Dellaplane's mistress, Sydney Ash, a local lounge singer and heroin addict, whom the businessman has assisted financially. He is eventually framed in the murder of Dellaplane's wife Patrice (who was actually killed by her husband, after her discovery of his plot, and her seeking help from Jackson). On the run from the police, Jackson is helped by friends from his old neighborhood: Kid Sable, a local hotel owner and retired professional boxer and Dee, a lively local hairdresser (and gossip informant) who gives Jackson a way to discreetly get to Dellaplane.

Jackson and Sydney arrange a meeting with Dellaplane's figurehead replacement for the auto union, unaware that The Invisible Men had been tracking them and allowed the meeting so that Dellaplane could confront Jackson face to face. Before he leaves with Sydney in tow, Dellaplane arrogantly reveals the reasoning for his plans and intends to exact it using Jackson as a pawn. He intends to kill Jackson, put one of The Invisible Men in his place, have him kill an important union official, and then have Jackson's charred body discovered after he failed his getaway. Jackson is rescued by Sydney's bodyguard "Big" Edd and the pair battle the Invisible Men assigned to kill him.

Jackson's escape leads to a fight at Dellaplane's mansion during the birthday party for the union leader Dellaplane plans to have assassinated. During the melee, the other members of The Invisible Men are killed by Jackson, Edd, Jackson's old partner Detective Kotterwell, and a rehabilitated young thief named Albert, with help from Kid Sable. However, Dellaplane takes Sydney hostage and hides inside a bedroom in his mansion. Jackson fights his way to the room Dellaplane is holding Sydney in. After a brief standoff, Dellaplane, a trained martial artist, challenges Jackson to hand-to-hand combat. At first Dellaplane has the upper hand, but after ramming Jackson into one of the car windows, an angered Jackson rallies and proceeds to thrash Dellaplane. In desperation, Dellaplane goes for his gun, only for Jackson to seize his own and engage in a crossfire exchange, with Jackson killing Dellaplane and receiving a wound in the shoulder. Captain Armbruster arrives with reinforcements, informs Jackson that he wants a full report on his desk in the morning and reinstates him as a lieutenant. Sydney reveals she plans to go "cold turkey" off of heroin, promising Jackson can have her "on Thanksgiving". Jackson replies, "Can I have you any sooner?" Sydney giggles and the two kiss passionately as the credits start.

Cast

• Carl Weathers as Sergeant Jericho "Action" Jackson
• Craig T. Nelson as Peter Anthony Dellaplane
• Vanity as Sydney Ash
• Sharon Stone as Patrice Dellaplane
• Bill Duke as Captain Earl Armbruster
• Robert Davi as Tony Moretti
• Jack Thibeau as Detective Kotterwell
• Armelia McQueen as Dee
• Stan Foster as Albert Smith
• Roger Aaron Brown as Officer Lack
• Thomas F. Wilson as Officer Kornblau
• Edgar Small as Raymond Foss
• Chino 'Fats' Williams as "Kid" Sable
• Prince A. Hughes as Edd
• Francis X. McCarthy as Oliver O'Rooney
• De'voreaux White as Clovis
• Dennis Hayden as Shaker
• David Glen Eisley as Thaw
• Bob Minor as Gamble
• David Efron as Birch
• Brian Libby as Marlin
• Nicholas Worth as Cartier
• Ed O'Ross as Frank Stringer
• Mary Ellen Trainor as Liz Massetori
• Michael McManus as Lionel Grantham
• Sonny Landham as Mr. Quick
• James Lew as Martial Arts Instructor
• Al Leong as Dellaplane's Chauffeur

Production

Carl Weathers later said of the film:

A creation that came about when I was doing Predator and talking to Joel Silver, who loved blaxploitation movies. Joel said, "Well, you know, why don't you put something together?" So during that time of shooting [Predator] down in Puerto Vallarta, I created this story and came up with this guy – or at least this title – Action Jackson. And Joel found a writer [who] wrote the screenplay, and that was it. We got it made.

The film reunited several key players from Predator. Aside from Weathers and Silver, director Craig R. Baxley was the stunt coordinator of Predator, and actors Bill Duke and Sonny Landham appeared in both films.

Filming took place in locations throughout Detroit and Los Angeles.

Paula Abdul was the film choreographer, after auditioning for the role of Sydney Ash.

In a 1988 interview on Star Tribune, Vanity, who played the role of a drug addict, discussed her actual cocaine addiction during the filming:

I was a real closet user when we were shooting the movie. No one knew what was going on, and I wasn't using while I was working, but as soon as we were through for the day, I was into the stuff. I really felt funny playing an addict and also knowing I was one, and maybe that helped me decide that I needed treatment.

Vanity overdosed in 1994 and struggled with health issues until her death in 2016.

Soundtrack

The Action Jackson: Original Soundtrack Album features new music by Sister Sledge, The Pointer Sisters, Vanity, and Herbie Hancock. Vanity's two songs, "Faraway Eyes" and "Undress", were produced by musician Jesse Johnson.

Reception

The film had box office success, grossing $20 million on an $8 million budget, and another $45 million in VHS sales.

It had a negative critical reception. It has a score of 19% on Rotten Tomatoes from 16 reviews. On Metacritic it has a weighted average score of 36 out of 100, based on 9 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews".

Roger Ebert of The Chicago Sun-Times ranked the film at one star out of four, writing "some of the parts are good, but none of them fit and a lot of them stink". He described Weathers as a good actor in earlier supporting roles but as often out-shined by co-stars in Action Jackson and "doesn't have the necessary charisma" to be a leading man.

It was reviewed by the Los Angeles Times and the New York Times.

Weathers said he hoped the film would become a franchise "but Lorimar sold the lot to Sony and sold the library to Warner Bros., and that was that. It never resurfaced again, unfortunately."

In popular culture

In 1990, Weathers starred in Dangerous Passion, an action film released in Germany as Action Jackson 2, although it did not relate to the original film.

See also

• List of action films of the 1980s
• List of American films of 1988

External links

• Action Jackson at IMDb
• Template:Amg title
• Action Jackson at Box Office Mojo
• Action Jackson at Rotten Tomatoes