Turk 182!

One of the greatest achievements that Bob Clark had as a filmmaker was that he made Timothy Hutton cool. Don't get me wrong, I think Hutton is an amazing actor, but has only been able to show his hip side twice. In 1996's Beautiful Girls, and in today's selection, 1985's Turk 182!

Hutton plays Jimmy, a slacker artist who takes on city hall after his firefighter brother Terry, Robert Urich, is injured in a fire. The city refuses to pay for any of Terry's medical expenses since he was off duty and had been drinking. Jimmy, under the name of Turk 182, uses his graffiti art as a crusade against the mayor and city hall and becomes a voice for the people.

Even though it's a bit too ernest at times, I really enjoy this picture. Hutton is terrific in one of his best performances. He is very likable and easy to root for. Urich is also good, carrying the more dramatic side of the story. I don't think Urich gets the credit he deserves. Probably because he was known for his television work. But he made a bid in the mid 80's to try and parlay his tv success to the big screen and starred in three great movies, The Ice Pirates, Endangered Species, and this one. Unfortunately all three tanked. Clark calls on two of his former stars, Darren McGavin from a Christmas Story and From The Hip to play a cop. And his Porky's, Baby Geniuses, and Tribute star Kim Cattrall to play Jimmy's love interest. Peter Boyle, Robert Culp, and Paul Sorvino round out the cast.

This is one of those movies that makes me want to cheer.

Unfortunately it's out of print on dvd.