Morgan, a former rich kid played by James Spader, moves with his family from Connecticut to a rough San Fernando Valley neighborhood after the collapse of his father's business. This troubled teenager, who has an apparent track record for being a glutton for punishment, wastes no time in earning the animosity of villainous ruffians at his new high school. Conventional wisdom dictates that, if a gang of bullies is targeting you at every opportunity, then you should probably not try to court the girlfriend of the gang leader. Spader's Morgan, with his sunglasses, his slick hairstyle, and his speed bike, is too cool for school, though, and the love interest in question, Frankie, is played by Kim Richards. Unfortunately for both of them, Frankie's delinquent boyfriend, played by Paul Mones, is too possessive, unstable, and diabolical to let go of his main squeeze. With the help of a wisecracking sidekick, played by Robert Downey Jr., Morgan prepares for the ultimate showdown.
The 1985 action drama,
Tuff Turf, the second directorial effort from Fritz Kiersch after he helmed
Children of the Corn the previous year, is a flawed endeavor that really should not work at all because of all of the strikes against it. Spader, who earned a name for himself with preppy bad guy parts in other 1980s teen films like
Pretty in Pink and
Less Than Zero, is unconvincing here as a hero protagonist, and his character seems to drift through his existence with a fatalist resignation, as though he is constantly begging to be beaten within an inch of his life. Richards, a former child star who is best known for her roles in
Escape to Witch Mountain and
Assault on Precinct 13, is a trip as the unwitting heroine, especially when her character inexplicably turns into an accomplished showgirl dancer during a nightclub scene. An event late in the film, concerning Morgan's father, is an odd plot development that ushers this popcorn B movie into far more serious territory than expected, ultimately culminating in a final confrontation with the evil gang that dials the horror-edged violence up to Spinal Tap 11.
Everything about
Tuff Turf feels slightly off-kilter, as though it were made by space aliens who were trying to clone their own version of
West Side Story or
The Karate Kid without understanding how normal humans think or act. It is too dark and noir-esque to be a 1980s coming-of-age film, but it is also too neon-glitzy to be a film noir. It is too family-oriented to be a violent grindhouse drive-in feature, but its R rating ensures that its target audience will be kept at bay. These odd tonal aesthetics are part of its charm, though, and they serve as the primary reason why this movie still has a cult following to this day.
An early scene in this film sets the stage for the wonderful strangeness to come. Spader's Morgan lies in his bed watching two cockroaches scurry on his wall, and then abruptly jumps up and shoots both of them with dart guns. Before this unforgettable feat, however, we see yet another cockroach crawling on one of Morgan's books in the foreground. If you are in the privacy of your own home, and you spot three cockroaches in your line of sight at the same moment, then your life is probably not going too well.
Robert Downey Jr. is the most likable and charismatic figure in this tale, and he is a highlight of my favorite sequence, where our leads pretend to be members of an affluent country club and manage to stir up all sorts of mayhem before being thrown out. He lends just the right amount of effortless levity to the proceedings.
The music of
Tuff Turf is another saving grace. Marianne Faithfull and Lene Lovich both contribute key tracks. The Jim Carroll Band, with its frontman acting out an early scene, is another strong presence. Finally, the well-known California R&B band, Jack Mack and the Heart Attack, provides the tunes during an offbeat dance scene.
The 1980s hair of Kim Richards is one of my favorite characters. In fact, despite all of its shortcomings, this film rides so high on a tide of 1980s-ness that it cannot help but succeed.
This Kino Lorber Blu-ray brings out the high definition best of this slice of a great decade. A director commentary track is a masterful supplement, because Kiersch's recollections are sharp, astute, and entertaining.
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