Bullet Points: Tuff Turf
1985’s Tuff Turf is another movie that I would categorize as a hidden gem. The film stars unofficial “Brat Pack” member James Spader in his first leading man role in a feature film.
- When The Going Gets Tuff: James Spader plays Morgan Hiller, a young man who has recently moved to Los Angeles with his family from Connecticut. The move was a result of Morgan’s father, Stuart Hiller (Matt Clark) losing his business… which forced Stu to move his family to the other side of the country and to one of the more expensive places to live in the United States and take a job as a cab driver on the graveyard shift… When we first lay eyes on Morgan we find out that illogical thinking runs in the Hiller family as Morgan and his ten speed bicycle disrupt an attempted mugging of a sad sack waiting for the bus by some local toughs… or should I say local tuffs?
- Tuff Enough: The tuffs in question are led by Nick Hauser (Paul Mones, Streets of Fire). He’s the big man on campus at the local high school and he’s still fired up about the punk on the bike that stuck his nose into his business the night before. At Nick’s side is his girlfriend, Frankie Croyden (Kim Richards, Assault on Precinct 13). and backing Nick up, his two boys Mickey and Eddie. Today proves to be Nick’s lucky day… Morgan Hiller, the punk on the bike, rolls onto campus for his first day of school. By the end of day one, Nick has exacted his revenge and Morgan’s bike is trashed and Morgan gets red spray paint to the face.
- Tuff Act To Follow: Morgan did make one friend on his first day of school, Jimmy Parker (Robert Downey Jr, Iron Man). Jimmy invited Morgan to come listen to his band at a nearby club and Morgan to his credit, shows up at the club that night and is looking for some revenge of his own… and he manages to do so by dancing with Frankie, right in front of Nick and his boys. The bullies take the bait and Nick, Eddie and Mickey are arrested later that night for joyriding in a Porsche they were led to believe belonged to Morgan (IF Morgan had a Porsche, why would he be riding around on a ten speed!?!?). With Nick temporarily out of the picture, Morgan makes his move and takes Frankie, her girlfriend Ronnie and Jimmy to a local country club, to give them a taste of the life he lived back in Connecticut. Morgan even manages to serenade Frankie before the foursome is kicked out of the club for not being members.
- So Ruff, So Tuff: When Nick gets out of the slammer, he becomes a desperate man. He asks Frankie’s father for his daughter’s hand in marriage and Mr. Croyden gives his approval… but Morgan isn’t done yet, he convinces Frankie to come to his home for dinner with his parents. And that’s when Nick goes off the deep end… resulting in Nick tracking down Morgan’s cab driver dad while he is on duty and shooting him twice! Nick then kidnaps Frankie and challenges Morgan to meet him at an abandoned warehouse where they’ll settle their issues once and for all.
- Tuffer Than a $2 Steak: The showdown between Morgan and Nick is where the action aspect of Tuff Turf really kicks in. Morgan stealthily enters the warehouse with his two paint gun pistols in tow… which on the surface doesn’t seem like much of a match for Nick and his actual gun, but it doesn’t stop Morgan from swinging into action (quite literally) to save the woman he loves.
Tuff Turf is a unique conglomeration of other 80’s movies… there were the student body gone mad elements of 1982’s Class of 1984 and the high energy song and dance elements of 1984’s Footloose. The whole country club scene reminded me of Ferris Bueller’s Day Off… even though Tuff Turf actually preceded Ferris by more than a year. But be that as it may, there is no denying that Tuff Turf is very much a product of the 80’s in every sense of the word.
A byproduct of a Bullet Points review are the Bonus Bullet Points…
- Familiar Faces: The man at the bus stop/mugging victim at the beginning of the film was played by Francis X. McCarthy, who I’ll always remember as Oliver O’Rooney from Action Jackson… Catya Sassoon plays one of the high school students named Feather. Catya was in both Bloodfist IV: Die Trying and Bloodfist VI: Ground Zero as Cat Sassoon… Art Evans of Die Hard 2 and Fright Night fame played the high school security guard… And in one of the deeper cuts in Familiar Faces history, the high school principal Mr. Russell was played by Herb Mitchell. I recognized Mitchell as Kelly’s manager, Stanley, from Breakin’ 2: Electric Boogaloo.
- If You Ever: …wanted to see James Spader kill some roaches with a paint ball pistol, then Tuff Turf is the movie for you.
- End Credits: Props to Jack Mack & the Heart Attack for their song “So Tuff” that they perform at the close of the film and into the end credits. It was a quality way to end a quality film and now that I think about it, I feel like it would be a great way to end this review too…
