Where to watch Kuffs
3 1/2 Stars
George Kuffs didn’t finish high-school, just lost his job and his girlfriend who still is in college is pregnant. Since he can’t see how he can support her, he thinks she is better off without him. So he visits his elder brother, Brad, to squeze him for a loan so he can go to Brazil where there’s a gold-rush going on. Unfortunately Brad is killed and George is suddenly the owner of Brad’s “patrol special” district.
Kuffs opened softly and was not a box-office success during its theatrical run in the early part of 1992. But the film found its audience on the home-video market, where Slater was a popular choice for teens who regularly frequented the video stores, and solidified Christian Slater as not only a heartthrob to those hormonal kids but also as a legitimate movie star. Kuffs may be too artsy in spots to have pleased those looking for a violent, comedic action film. Instead, the movie is a thriller with a few moments of comedy.
I’d say the comedic elements of the plot are out of place, like the scene in which Slater drugs his partner Tony Goldwyn, but it’s funny, mostly due to the amusing antics of Goldywn, and, more importantly, it works within the story. I’ve long been a fan of lead actor Christian Slater, and while he stole the show in Young Guns II and Robin Hood:Prince of Thieves, and made Pump Up the Volume a cult classic, it’s Kuffs, a studio-backed production with a solid director, that is truly his coming-out party. It signaled the arrival of an exciting and charismatic new talent. The tale of Slater’s career and his choices, personal and professional, that affect said career are for another time.
Directed by: Bruce A. Evans
Written by: Bruce A. Evans, Raynold Gideon
Starring: Christian Slater, Milla Jovovich, Ric Roman Waugh