Under the Gun

1987
R
1h 26m

IMDb RATING

4.7/10

170

YOUR RATING

Vanessa Williams and Sam J. Jones in Under the Gun (1987)

Action Comedy

Mike Braxton (Sam Jones) a St. Louis cop, receives an urgent call from his brother Tony (Nick Cassavetes), a small time thief in Los Angeles. The call ends abruptly and Mike rushes to LA to ... Read allMike Braxton (Sam Jones) a St. Louis cop, receives an urgent call from his brother Tony (Nick Cassavetes), a small time thief in Los Angeles. The call ends abruptly and Mike rushes to LA to find his brother has been murdered. When questioning Tony's girlfriend, she's gunned down ... Read allMike Braxton (Sam Jones) a St. Louis cop, receives an urgent call from his brother Tony (Nick Cassavetes), a small time thief in Los Angeles. The call ends abruptly and Mike rushes to LA to find his brother has been murdered. When questioning Tony's girlfriend, she's gunned down in front of him. Mike quickly learns Tony was a courier for Simon Stone (John Russell), a ... Read all

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

4.7/10

170

YOUR RATING

See production info at IMDbPro

Trivia
Final film of John Russell. Russell would pass away 3 years later at age 70 after an acting career that spanned 43 years.

Connections
References Robotech (1985)

Soundtracks
Talkin' 'Bout Love
Performed by Debra Laws

User reviews6

Review

Featured review

Fine B-action pic

My review was written in February 1989, after watching the movie on Magnum video cassette.

Vanessa Wiliiams makes an impressive feature film starring debut in "Under the Gun". Competently made actioner was shot in 1986, before her current singing career.

Sam Jones ("Flash Gordon") toplines as a folksy St. Louis cop who heads to L. A. to help his younger brother (Nick Cassavetes). He'd phoned for help just before being killed by henchmen of corrupt arms dealer John Russell.

Jones attempts revenge against Russell by teaming with innocent bystander Williams, cast as Russell's new lawyer. She has access to the records which can put him away for good.

Helmer James Sbardellati stages fine action sequences as everyone curries around trying to get their hands on some stolen plutonium.

Cast does a good job, particularly Williams who's both glamorous and feisty. Producer Warren Stein and his fellow filmmakers are to be congratulated for casting her in a non-exploitative role which never identifies or pigeonholes her character on the basis of race.