Lightning Jack (1994)

Brilliant Western funny. All the cast do a good job with the movie.

Fmovies: Lukewarm attempt to revitalize the Comedy Western in the great tradition of BLAZING SADDLES (1973) with Paul Hogan playing the Paul-Hogan-role in a CROCODILE DUNDEE-like charmer with action, gags and romance, but sadly this time it needs a lot more to make a good movie than outback charm. Hogan is funny as usual in the title role of gun-waving, but short-sighted bank thief Lightning Jack, who takes mute, but smart Cuba Gooding, Jr. as his assistant and tries to escape the law (Pat Hingle & Co.) while flirting with Beverly D'Angelo. The mediocre script doesn't work, some gags work, others don't, the direction by Simon Wincer is boring, but Hogan's charisma holds it together for most of the time, although Gooding, Jr. does some good scene-stealing.

Lightning Jack is directed by Simon Wincer and written by Paul Hogan. Hogan stars as the title character and he's supported by Cuba Gooding Jr., Beverly D'Angelo, Pat Hingle and L.Q. Jones. Music is by Bruce Rowland and cinematography by David Eggby.

Having burst onto the scene in movie world with Crocodile Dundee in 1986, Paul Hogan it seemed was set for a tilt at being a fully fledged film star. As it transpired, in spite of the first Dundee sequel proving popular, Hogan didn't have much of a film career at all. So it's with great interest to revisit his non Dundee films.

Lightning Jack is a comedy Western that pitches Hogan as outlaw Lightning Jack Kane, an Australian in the Old Wild West of America. He hankers to be more well known, to be wanted with a big reward on his head, so after (mis)fortune pairs him up with mute Ben Doyle (Gooding Jr.), they promptly go on an adventure of becoming criminally well known.

It's really as simple as that, and if we break it down to the bare facts, it's really just a chance for Hogan to play Hogan in a Wild West setting. But this is harmless comedy fare produced by an engaging comedy actor, okay so it may not be uproarious or have the fresh comedy finesse of Crocodile Dundee, but did it really deserve the scorn it got from critics?

Well it's very thin on plot leaving us with a film that's more a stitched together job of funny set-ups (your comedy barometer needs setting at amiable), but it is fun and likable due to Hogan and Gooding being easy to engage with. It also boasts gorgeous scenery, the locales sparkling thanks to smart work by Eggby (Mad Max/Quigley Down Under).

D'Angelo gets to be more than a token hooker with a heart, and is lovely into the bargain. Elsewhere, the presence of L.Q. Jones (Ride the High Country/Major Dundee) and Pat Hingle (Nevada Smith/Hang 'Em High) gives some Western solidification, and interesting cameo appearances by Roger Daltrey and Roger Clemens remind us that it's just a bit of amusement after all.

Not up to the standard of the criminally under valued Almost An Angel, and of course the first two Dundee movies are on a different plane to this. But it has its moments and is a decent time waster for genre fans in need of a gentle perk me up. 6/10

Lightning Jack fmovies. Lightning Jack is an average Western Comedy that has a few laughs. It though a lot of the well known and established formulas and is neither better nor worse, than a lot of other comedies out there. Paul Hogan stars as Jack Kane a veteran outlaw who finds himself part of a dying breed an unable to get a decent headline. Cuba Gooding Jr. stars as the mute clerk Ben Doyle who wants to join up with Kane and become an outlaw.

The acting is average. Hogan seems to run on much of his routine from Crocodile Dundee. Some of the time though he seems to have trouble delivering his lines convincingly. Cuba Gooding Jr. is amusing as the mute Doyle but occasionally overacted to the point where it made me cringe. The chemistry between the two isn't bad, but it isn't great either. Much like the film itself.

There's nothing noteworthy about the direction or cinematography. The story moves along alright, but the script is mediocre and gives us a few completely unnecessary scenes. There is rarely any musical score to take note of, and what little there is, is average stuff to enhance the comedic elements.

The film is not a complete waste of time. Some of the jokes do hit their mark, and Hogan has charm. There are several better Western comedies out there though, such as Maverick, but if you're looking for some mild entertainment some rainy day, Lightning Jack can prove to be entertaining enough.

Funny little time burner has Paul Hogan starring as an Australian outlaw in the U.S. old west. A robbery leads to him kidnapping a young black mute man (Cuba Gooding, Jr.). They become the strangest of friends and have the wildest adventures as they try to become known criminals in a time and place that just does not seem to care about them. High-class prostitutes Beverly D'Angelo and Kamala Lopez-Dawson are also along as the duo's love interests. The film uses its gimmick well early, but then starts to drag as it hits its latter acts. Hogan and Gooding make a surprisingly impressive team, but really they were not given enough material to run with. The rest of the cast is touch and go as once again Hogan is left to carry a production and he is only minimally successfully. 2.5 out of 5 stars.

Basically a standard western story with a few gags thrown in, this is alright if you're a fan of either star but doesn't really do much, Hogan is just a slightly pathetic version of his Crocodile Dundee persona, an outlaw who never quite makes it to the big time fame he's always longed for, while Gooding does another soppy turn as a mute who communicates by gurning and simpering. But it's fairly easy on the mind if you've got a couple of hours to kill.