Quicksilver (1986)

I don't know where the editorial reviewer got the idea that there's an "uprising ... against the evil bosses" at the end of this movie. There's no such thing, the climax of the movie is a showdown on the street with a vicious drug dealer. Perhaps the reviewer didn't actually watch the movie...

There's lots of great footage of urban cycling, even if some of it is a tad unrealistic. It's a fast-paced movie with lots of cycling action and actually has a multiple interesting plot lines, not related to cycling.

Yes, this movie is kind of unrealistic but so what. And just to re-clear up the bike thing. It wasn't a coaster brake bike like you had on your old banana seat bike when you were a kid. It's a track bike with a fixed gear. Which means the pedals spin as long as the rear wheel spins. And backward pressure slows your speed but does not completely stop it.That why he always jumped off the back and grabed the seat when he wanted to stop quickly. That is also why anyone crazy enough to ride a track bike on the street usually has a front brake installed. Look at the scenes where he is freestyling in his apartment. He is pedaling backward. This can only be done on a fixed gear. No coaster brake. If you look really closely at some of the scenes you will be able to see different bikes. Like when Bacon rides down the stairs, you can see the bike he's on has brakes. Obviously for the stunt. But I really like this movie. I've been a messenger and I always wanted the place I worked to be like that movie. We never went outside and freestyle in the street while the boom box played. And hot girls never gave me their phone number. But we get to see Lawrence Fishburne as Voodoo when was still know as Larry. And that's worth the 13 bucks right there.

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I saw this film late last night on cable. I've got a feeling it might have glamorized the life of bicycle messengers a tad. If "Quicksilver" was meant to inspire all the kids out there who want to be couriers, I'm doubtful that it worked.

Kevin Bacon stars as a trailblazing stockbroker (Jack Casey) who loses everything. Now he does his trailblazing in another way: he becomes a bicycle courier. His failure on the trading floor dented his confidence, and now cycling around the city, delivering messages, has become his life.

Some of the camera angles with the cycling scenes were pretty good. Did Bacon do his own stunts? The movie lacks a few things such as plot and believability, but it's fairly watchable. The best part was towards the end, when Jack was gallantly leading the "bad guy" away from "the girl". The relentless car chase was funny.

Some of the filming was done in New York (I think) and also in San Francisco. I assumed the film was set in New York since the main character was a stockbroker. I read that the film was shot in three different cities but I don't know what the third was. Like some of the bicycle riders, the film stumbles. Overall the film was pretty lightweight, but it isn't as bad as "The Air Up There".

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This movie should not be taken too seriously. It is about a Wall Street trader in the 80s who loses it all on one big gamble and chooses to follow his passion: riding bikes. Being a bike messenger in NYC is not lucrative, nor is it very appealing to anyone unless you really like to ride, which Bacon's character does. So the plot, while seemingly unrealistic, is at its most basic level about throwing away the business suit and choosing to do what makes you happy, regardless of the financial costs.

The movie is great if you're a fan of cycling, especially of fixed gear cycling. There are a number of scenes where the riders do some cool tricks, like when they are hanging out in front of the dispatch and when Bacon is in his ridiculously large warehouse loft. If you look closely at the bikes during the impromptu 'trick show' you'll see that they are specially geared bikes (maybe, 20-16 gearing) for doing those kind of tricks. Most of the scenes have Bacon riding a fixed gear bike, but some have him on with a freewheeler. The final chase scene of 'Bike vs Car' is just comical, but so is most of the movie.

I think it's definitely worth watching just for an entertaining throw-back to the 80s and to see Laurence (Larry) Fishburn and Paul Rodriguez in great roles. Highly recommended for cycling fans and anyone who's ever been or considered being a messenger!

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This is simply an antodote to the Amazon review which was obviously written by someone that wasn't paying attention if indeed they ever watched the movie.

Kevin Bacon plays a Commodities trader (big difference from a Stockbroker) that loses it all on a highly leveraged trade and even worse, loses everything his parents had entrusted him to invest. He basically drops out and goes from the highest level of the economy to the lowest. He buys a used bike and starts riding for a delivery service. (I have no idea where the idea of evil bosses came into the Amazon review, the boss at the messenger service comes across as a decent guy.) A young woman named Terri is hired and soon becomes the target of Gypsy, a drug dealer and ne'er do well that would like to enslave her as a prostitute. Paul Rodriguez also is in the mix as an experienced courier that wants to raise enough money to buy a hot-dog cart so he can leave the courier business behind.

The drama of the movie centers around Gypsy's efforts to enslave Terri and the climax is a car/bicycle chase where Kevin Bacon outwits Gypsy and sends him plunging from an earthquake damaged bridge. In the end, Bacon's confidence is restored and he finds an opportunity in the markets that can put him back in the game. Calling in favors from old friends he makes the trade and wins big which allows him to get back on top, restore his parent's losses, help Terri to a better life and finance Rodriguez's new cart.

As far as Marshall Fine is concerned, let's just say that you should be a bit embarrased to have written such an innacurate review of a movie that an 12 year old could have understood but you obviously didn't.

Overall the movie is entertaining if a bit of a stretch in places. The overall plot is feasible although the Gypsy character strains credibility a bit IMO. At the end it's a feel good movie with a happy ending and promise of a bright future for all of the heroes. I liked it a lot when it first came out and I've glad to see that it has found its way onto DVD.

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