Every decade has that one genre of film that takes off. The 2000s saw the rise of the superhero movie, while the ’90s featured many a disaster movie; in the ’80s, it was the buddy cop comedy. Whether it was Danny Glover and Mel Gibson in Lethal Weapon or Tom Hanks and a dog in Turner and Hooch, the idea of pairing two wildly different characters together is an idea that’s sustained many movies. But the buddy cop movie that might have slipped under action fans’ radar is Tango & Cash. That’s genuinely surprising, especially considering that it stars Kurt Russell and Sylvester Stallone—two actors who were at the height of their careers in the late ’80s. It even has a solid premise for a buddy cop comedy: the sharply dressed, by-the-book Raymond “Ray” Tango (Stallone) and the loose cannon Gabriel “Gabe” Cash (Russell) wind up joining forces to stop crime lord Yves Perret (Jack Palance) after he frames them for murder. Tango & Cash is more infamous for its extremely troubled production, which lasted up to the film’s release.

‘Tango & Cash’ Lost Crew Members and Went Through Edits up Until Release

Tango & Cash was the brainchild of producers Jon Peters and Peter Guber, who developed it while working on Tim Burton‘s Batman. But from the start, the production was losing directors and even a star. Kurt Russell wasn’t the first choice to play Cash; Patrick Swayze was, until he left to film Road House (another slice of late ’80s action cheese). Andrei Konchalovsky was tapped to direct—to say he was an odd choice was an understatement, since at that point his filmography consisted mostly of dramas, including Maria’s Lovers and Shy People. Naturally, this led to clashes with Peters; where Konchalovsky & Stallone wanted a more gritty, action-packed drama, Peters wanted a campier one. Ultimately, Konchalovsky was fired, with Albert Magloni stepping in to shoot the final stretches of Tango & Cash. Konchalovsky’s Tango & Cash experience soured him on working in Hollywood: “Little did I realize…that Hollywood offers a Russian film director nothing. You are needed there only as a craftsman, but if suddenly you show ambition a bit above the average level—that’s it, they start putting a spanner in the works.”

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“I got a stage-five clinger!”

Konchalovsky wasn’t the only person who departed Tango & Cash‘s production. Barry Sonnenfield, the original cinematographer, was let go for not lighting Stallone the correct way (yes, really). But even when filming was completed, Tango & Cash ran into legal issues when Peters and Guber sued Warner Bros. for removing them from the film’s production. The timing couldn’t have been worse; Stuart Baird had been hired as editor to try and reshape Tango & Cash into something watchable, since Warner Bros. was unhappy with the initial results. Baird finally got a theatrical cut into theaters, just in time for the December 15, 1989 release. It wouldn’t be the first time Baird helped save a Sylvester Stallone movie, as he also helped with edits on Demolition Man.

Sylvester Stallone Is up for a ‘Tango and Cash’ Sequel, but Kurt Russell Isn’t Convinced

Despite all the production troubles it went through, Tango & Cash is a surprisingly entertaining and campy watch. A lot of that has to do with the dynamic between Stallone and Russell, who trade as many quips as they fire bullets. There’s even a hilarious moment where Cash has to go undercover, and Tango’s sister Katherine (Teri Hatcher) disguises him as a woman; watching the man who was a grizzled badass in Escape from New York rocking a wig and lipstick will have viewers howling. It’s also action-packed. especially the finale, where Tango & Cash confront Perret in a hall of mirrors.

Stallone said that he would love to make a sequel to Tango & Cash in 2019: “I would do Tango & Cash in a second,” Stallone told Fandango. “I know, with Kurt [Russell], it’s not about a caper… it’s just us doing our thing.” Russell told Stallone that he needed time to think; given how the original film’s production went, it’s no surprise. But if Stallone can get multiple Rambo sequels off the ground, a Tango & Cash sequel wouldn’t be out of the question.

Tango & Cash

Release Date

December 22, 1989

Director

Andrei Konchalovsky, Albert Magnoli

Writers

Randy Feldman