1.) Have these guys ever heard of "back-up"? When Jack and Sherrif Hank go to arrest TC Luke they do it all by themselves with no back-up whatsoever even when it's completely obvious they'll be badly outnumbered. Sure, in an action movie it looks pretty bad-ass, but in reality Jack would have been turned into swiss cheese in his opening scene. (They do make a few offhand remarks about calling for back-up, but still Hank and Jack NEVER wait for the back-up)
• This is a recurring problem. They do pretty much the same thing when they go to arrest TC's brother, Chub, and Hank does get turned into swiss cheese! Sure would have helped if the sherrif brought along a few deputies, huh?
• Speaking of deputies, what are all of the other cops doing? Eatin' donuts? There's a whole gaggle of 'em on the scene afterwards.
2.) OPSEC...its not a dirty word. This super-duper squad of soldiers have all been declared dead by the Army so that they can conduct clandestine operations. But when they first gather, Buck is making an ass out of himself in the middle of the airport and they all speak of military business in the open when they meet up. I was never a top secret Rambo-Commando but I am a retired veteran that knows that men in their business should know better.
• It's strange that no one higher up the food chain seems to be aware of what the team is doing. MSG McRose (Clancy Brown) even says it's "very strange" when MAJ Hackett okays killing Jack. Is there no oversight on this team? It's doubtful that MAJ Hackett has the authority to decide what mission is carried out. There isn''t a Colonel or General somewhere that McRose can report to in this situation, when he's given orders that may be suspect? (on the ground, yes, Hackett's the boss, but if no one at the DoD knows what the team is doing that seems haphazard to me)
• Jack starts putting the pieces together about who these soldiers really are when ballistics report that the ammunition they use is not something you'd find in podunk town, Texas. I wonder, since the team can get the high tech equipment they need rather easily, why didn't they choose weapons and ammunition local to the area?
3.) Has Michael Ironside ever been in a movie where he wasn't the bad guy? I mean, he does it well...its just that when you see him on screen you just know he's up to no good in some way.
• The same could be said for Powers Boothe, though I've seen him play a good guy (Red Dawn, Southern Comfort). But recently every time I see him on screen he's the villain. He had tiny role in The Avengers and Captain America: The Winter Soldier as a member of the World Security Council (you can barely see him, he's on a monitor and obscured by shadows). When he showed up in Marvel's Agents of SHIELD he ended up being a big kahuna in HYDRA.
4.) When you see Cash Bailey in this movie you have to wonder if being a drug lord is worth it. If he's making so much money from his drug operation why is he always in a dirty white suit? It looks like he has Mister Rourke's hand-me-downs and they haven't been washed in weeks. Besides, what's the point in making a ton of money if you have live in a dusty, sweaty shit hole, which Cash apparently does?
5.) Jack has brass balls and they must be the size of watermelons. When contfronting a criminal that he knows would kill him if he had the chance he says something like "I'm just going to walk in there and have a beer with him". He says this in some form at least twice during the movie and he had done it a third time I'd declare it a catchphrase.
• When he goes to arrest TC Luke he walks into a bar filled with the bad guy's friends ALONE. He even throws handcuffs on the table and tells him to put them on! Now you know you're bad-ass when you can intimidate all of this guys drug dealing friends like that.
• He almost does it again when he catches up with TC's brother, Chub. But Hank reminds him that Chub isn't likely to NOT just start blasting away since Jack killed his brother yesterday. Hank was right.
6.) It is totally in character for Jack and fitting for the movie, but damn, Jack NEVER smiles. He never even shows any emotion at all, well, besides maybe anger. How hard would it have been for him to just show a little emotion for Sarita, who is basically BEGGING him to show that he loves her? Jack goes through the movie with the expression on his face that tells you he wants to eat a rare Texas Style BBQ steak, rip your head off and shit it down your neck and maybe not even in that order.
• When Hank is killed one of the deputies gives Jack his condolences. Jack merely says "He was a damned good man. He was like a father to me." as if he were Mister Spock. Dang, Jack, could you just look a little broken up about your friend that was just brutally murdered in front of you?
7.) Jack's also either lucky as a four leaf clover wearing a rabbit's foot. After his shoot out with Cash he's confronted by Bailey's men and his number on henchmen. He tells them that they can all keep on shooting or just walk away. The Lead Henchman even tells him "If we let you walk away, maybe you can do us a favor sometime" (meaning look the other way when they ship drugs across the border). Jack says no, he's already done him a favor; By snuffing Cash the Henchman is now the boss. My question is...why didn't they JUST SHOOT HIM? There are about six to eight of those guys! With rifles! Jack couldn't possibly kill all of them before they blew him to smithereens. They don't have any reason NOT to kill him, either. They're in some crummy shithole town in Mexico, Jack has no jurisdiction and he's not really even supposed to be there!
• This happens after a giant gunfight in the town between the special ops soldiers and almost everyone else! During the fight Jack wisely grabs Sarita and a vehicle and gets to safety. Now I dig it, why he came back...but why did he bring Sarita? Why put her life in danger, too? He could have either kept going til he hit the border or got out and told Sarita to drive back to Texas. I get the impression he was going for a "This'll learn ya, woman!" thing.
• Don't tell me Jack brought Sarita back with him because he needed her to speak spanish to these guys. First, the henchman dude speaks english. Second, you're going to tell me Jack grew up in this Texas town next to the border and doesn't know a lick of spanish?
HANGOVER MOMENTS
♦ Guys, I think most of us dudes may have had a time where the girl you goo-goo-gaga for decides she's going to go out with another dude thats a total jerk.(If it's never happened to you, cheers, mate!) But Sarita takes the cake! She goes to Mexico with Cash just because she and Jack are having a rough patch in their relationship and she used to date Cash first. But she knows who he is now...it's no secret that he's a drug dealing slimeball. Even if she's mad at Jack Sarita is a beautiful, shapely woman...she could have suitors piling up at the door if she wanted...why pick THE guy you know is a criminal?
♦ Have you seen the 80s movie "Revenge of the Nerds"? If you have then you'll know why I had a hard time seeing Larry B. Scott as an elite, tough as leather, ass-kickin' secret commando. Don't get me wrong, I have nothin' against the guy...but when I see him in this movie I can't stop thinking "IT'S LAMAR!"
FAMILIAR TROPES
As with many movies, especially good ones, this flick has it's own section in TV Tropes. To name a few:
Jack is a Knight in a Sour Armor.
SFC Fry getting killed is no surprise. After all it's a movie made in the 80s and the black dude always gets killed first.
When Cash kills a subordinate that he says was skimming off of the money its both a you have failed me moment and a boom headshot.
THE BAR TAB
Jack Benteen says he's "Particular about who he drinks with". Well, I agree, Jack. For your complete Bad-Assery you deserve a Tequila, the Bar's highest honor. Extreme Prejudice is a modern day (well, 80s Modern) Western and worthy of drinking the worm. They don't make 'em like this anymore, and thats a shame. But I'll drink to the cast and crew....and I"M particular about who I drink with, too.
