Before John Badham sent Saturday Night Fever shimmying across disco floors or turned Matthew Broderick loose on NORAD in WarGames, he dipped his toes into the bathwater of made-for-TV dread with Reflections of Murder — a 1974 small-screen gem that plays like Alfred Hitchcock and Tennessee Williams got drunk together and decided to remake Diabolique … Read More “Reflections of Murder (1974) — A Sharp Little Knife of a Movie, Polished with Whiskey and Guilt” »
John Badham’s Footsteps is like ordering a dry martini and getting a glass of water instead: all the trappings of spy-thriller flair but none of the punch. Starring someone named Norm—yes, Norm—a forensic expert-turned-amateur-sleuth, the film limps along in its own shadows, misplacing its own footsteps somewhere during act one. It wants you to feel … Read More ““Footsteps” (2003): A Cat-and-Mouse Caper That Forgot to Bring the Cat (Or Much Else Terribly Important)” »
John Badham’s Brother’s Keeper promised a gripping tale of sibling betrayal, family secrets, and moral unraveling. The catch? It delivered something less Hitchcock, more Lifetime — a murky mini-series dressed up as high-stakes drama but plagued by implausible twists and surprisingly bad hair. Strap in for a 2002-era TV movie that’s heavy on melodrama and … Read More ““Brother’s Keeper” (2002) – Brothers, Betrayals & Bad Haircuts: Badham’s Sibling Soap Shackled by Its Own Drama” »
Back in 1999, John Badham decided to trade neon lights for dusty roads and filmed The Jack Bull, a modern reimagining of A. B. Guthrie Jr.’s classic Western Man Who Shot Liberty Valance. And guess what? He did it justice—blending fierce character study with somber moral reckoning. It’s like a cowboy cocktail: slow-sippin’, bittersweet, with a … Read More ““The Jack Bull” (1999): A Wild West Slow Burn with Heart, Honor, and One Hell of a Bull” »
Hang onto your beret, folks—Incognito is John Badham’s underrated mid-’90s art-world caper, packed with clever disguises, cracked identities, and one of Jon Favreau’s most effortlessly charming performances. It’s part stylish thriller, part existential romp, and part commentary on the fine line between confidence and con artistry. And despite being a product of its time, it’s … Read More ““Incognito” (1997): Art Heists, Identity Crises, and Jon Favreau’s Disappearing Act in Badham’s Slick Caperscape” »
Here’s the deal: Drop Zone is basically Die Hard at 14,000 feet, but with less charm and more parachutes. Directed by John Badham (of Saturday Night Fever and Blue Thunder fame), this 1994 popcorn actioner puts Wesley Snipes in a flight suit and declares, “Let’s see how many clichés we can skydive through before the … Read More ““Drop Zone” (1994): Free-Fall Fiasco, Sky-High Silliness, and Wesley Snipes in Windbreaker Armor 🤦♂️” »
Let me toss you right into the deep end: The Hard Way is that rare early-’90s action-comedy that can’t decide if it’s poking fun at Hollywood or just flailing in front of the camera, hoping to land a punch. Directed by John Badham, it pits Michael J. Fox’s wise-cracking actor-turned-cop wannabe against James Woods’s gung-ho … Read More ““The Hard Way” (1991): Hollywood’s Lone Ranger Meets Public Transit—And We Keep Waiting for Impact” »
If Alfred Hitchcock had a cousin who loved buddy cop comedies, ogled from unmarked vans, and didn’t mind a little ethical gray-area romance, he might have directed Stakeout. Instead, we got John Badham, and thank God for that. Badham took what could have been a disposable 1980s genre mashup and polished it into something sly, … Read More ““Stakeout” (1987): The Only Film Where Richard Dreyfuss Becomes a Creepy Romeo and You Still Somehow Root for Him” »
In American Flyers—John Badham’s 1985 pedal-powered melodrama—mountains loom, relationships fray, and butt chafing becomes a spiritual experience. It’s the film that made bicycling seem both noble and borderline masochistic, combining sweaty heroics with emotional baggage so heavy it should ride alone. 🚴♂️ The Pedestrian Plot (But Not Literally) Peter Kane (Kevin Dobson) is a former … Read More ““American Flyers” (1985): Two-Wheeled Heartache, Midlife Melodrama, and Lycra-Clad Tears 🚴♂️” »
You know you’re in for something special when the hero of your movie is a Vietnam vet with PTSD, his sidekick is named “JAFO” (Just Another F***ing Observer), and the real star isn’t Roy Scheider’s chin but a militarized helicopter that looks like RoboCop and Darth Vader had a lovechild in a Lockheed Martin factory. … Read More ““Blue Thunder” (1983) – Helicopter Noir, Patriot Games, and the Ultimate Midlife Crisis with Rotor Blades” »
