THE 1989 ACTION DUO: OUT ON BAIL & BAIL OUT
Forget the big-budget spectacles of '89. This morning, we're mainlining the unassuming, straight-to-video grit of two films whose titles are so similar they form a perfect, accidental thesis on the desperation of the late 80s: You either get Out on Bail or you Bail Out entirely. These movies are not sequels. They are cosmic echoes.
Grab a dollar store action figure and your darkest pair of sunglasses. We’re in South Africa and Mexico, baby, and the justice system is a myth.
SIDE A: OUT ON BAIL (1989) - Justice is a Drifter
This one is a revelation. Our protagonist is John Dee (played by the great, rugged Robert Ginty), a drifter who witnesses a massacre and finds himself sucked into a conspiracy involving a crooked sheriff and town officials. Set in the dusty, sun-baked landscape of South Africa (a cheap stand-in for the American South, naturally), this is pure Post-Vietnam Vigilante Cinema filtered through a Cannon Films aesthetic.
Why It Rules:
Ginty's Stare: Ginty perfected the "I'm just a drifter, but I will ruin your entire illegal operation" look. He's a man of few words and many high-impact takedowns.
The Plot Grind: The narrative is tissue-thin and glorious for it. It’s all about a lone hero trying to set a small, corrupt town straight. It’s simple, it’s angry, and it delivers exactly the righteous beatdowns you crave.
Accidental Social Commentary: Though pure exploitation, the plot about town officials killing a civil rights activist before Ginty gets tangled up in it gives the film a surprisingly dark undercurrent. It's the action movie that accidentally stumbled into heavy themes.
This is the movie that reminds you the only person you can truly rely on is a man with a motorcycle and a mysterious past.
SIDE B: BAIL OUT (1989) - The Baywatch B-Team Hits Mexico
Ah, the pure, unadulterated cheese. Bail Out (also known as W.B., Blue and the Bean) is the perfect antidote to Ginty's grim justice. This is David Hasselhoff (fresh off Knight Rider) and Linda Blair (The Exorcist) teaming up in a loud, messy, action-comedy about three bounty hunters hired to protect a wealthy heiress from a drug cartel.
Why It's Essential:
The Cast Power-Up: You get the Hoff, you get Blair, and you get John Vernon (Dean Wormer from Animal House) playing the sleazy bondsman. This is a celebrity grab-bag that makes zero sense and therefore makes perfect sense.
The Action-Comedy Fail: The film is trying to be Lethal Weapon but with the comedic timing of a brick. This failed ambition is pure gold. It's goofy, it's frantic, and it features an excessive amount of explosions and questionable '80s rock music cues.
White Bread, Blue, and the Bean: The names of the three bounty hunters are truly one of the most baffling decisions in cinematic history. "White Bread," "Blue," and "The Bean." Bask in the ridiculousness.
This is the film that confirms that a paycheck and a trip to Mexico are the only two things required for a late 80s action flick.
THE DELUSION: YOUR NEW ACTION GODS
What do these two films, completely unconnected yet released in the same year, tell us?
1989 was the year when getting justice (or just getting paid) meant ditching the system. Whether you were Ginty taking on a crooked sheriff in an unnamed town or The Hoff diving headfirst into a cartel hideout, the lesson was clear: If you want anything done, you have to do it yourself. And probably get a terrible perm in the process.
Skip the classics today. Pop in these twin towers of 1989's Action-Sleaze. They are a double-dose of forgotten adrenaline that will clean the corruption right out of your soul.
GO OUT THERE. GET JUSTICE. GET PAID. GET BAIL.
(Warning: Exposure to David Hasselhoff's filmography may cause an uncontrollable desire to sing the theme from Knight Rider.)
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