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Tough Guys

Tough Guys

Comedy · Crime · 1986

Harry Doyle and Archie Lang are two old-time train robbers, who held up a train in 1956 and have been incarcerated for thirty years. After serving their time, they are released from jail and have to adjust to a new life of freedom. and soon realize that they still have the pizzazz when, picking up their prison checks at a bank, they foil a robbery attempt.

Movie details

Tough Guys

“They're Out To Teach A New World Some Old Tricks.”

1986 Comedy · Crime 1h 44m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

6.0 / 10

Community rating

Harry Doyle and Archie Lang are two old-time train robbers, who held up a train in 1956 and have been incarcerated for thirty years. After serving their time, they are released from jail and have to adjust to a new life of freedom. and soon realize that they still have the pizzazz when, picking up their prison checks at a bank, they foil a robbery attempt.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over Tough Guys?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Jeff Kanew

Written by

Jim Cruickshank · James Orr

Burt Lancaster

Burt Lancaster

Harry Doyle

Kirk Douglas

Kirk Douglas

Archie Long

Charles Durning

Charles Durning

Deke Yablonski

Alexis Smith

Alexis Smith

Belle

Dana Carvey

Dana Carvey

Richie Evans

Eli Wallach

Eli Wallach

Leon B. Little

Billy Barty

Billy Barty

Philly

Court is in session

Put Tough Guys on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Popcorn Loyalist

“It owes the canon nothing.”

The movie pursues immediacy and audience pleasure without begging institutions to certify its worth.

The prosecution The Prestige Tourist

“Easy pleasure, short half-life.”

It moves efficiently through the moment but offers little reason to keep arguing once the credits end.