Bird on a Wire (1990)

Directed by John Badham. Starring Mel Gibson, Goldie Hawn, David Carradine, Stephen Tobolowsky, Bill Duke, Joan Severance, Jeff Corey, Harry Caesar, Jackson Davies, Alex Bruhanski. [PG-13]

After being targeted by a vengeful drug-dealer from his past, relocated informant Gibson goes on the run, bringing an ex-flame (Hawn) along for the ride. Marketed as starring “Mel & Goldie,” this is star-driven action-comedy-romance filmmaking at its most formulaic. Gibson is okay, playing a much tamer variation on his Martin Riggs character from the Lethal Weapon pictures; Hawn is mostly insufferable as the shrieking, shrinking violet—purportedly a tough, accomplished lawyer, but really just a helpless dope. Mildly enjoyable at the outset as the situations start to unfold; then, once the pieces are in place, pretty much worthless for an hour or so until a memorable action climax set inside a very unusual and elaborate “natural habitat” zoo set (it’s almost worth seeing just to get to that sequence…almost). Title is derived from the Leonard Cohen song, “Bird on the Wire,” which is covered by the Neville Brothers on the soundtrack.

46/100