8 Million Ways To Die (1986) ***

8 Million Ways To Die (1986), originally written by Oliver Stone, rewritten several times by other writers, and famously taken away from director Hal Ashby after filming completed, is a mess of a movie, but a very watchable mess. It's an odd choice for Ashby to have been involved with, really doesn't feel like one of his films (outside of the large amount of ad-libbing), and it's a shame that it didn't turn out stronger. (Incidentally, my Ashby Double Feature today happened to be his debut, The Landlord (1970) (review), starring Beau Bridges, and this, his final film, starring Jeff Bridges.)

8MWTD dabbles in violent neo-noir but doesn't hold a candle to pictures like William Friedkin's To Live And Die In L.A. (1985) (review) or Neil Jordan's Mona Lisa (1986) (review). Despite not being terribly great, the film does feature good lead performances, some choice dialogue, and a very '80s head-bobbing synthesized score by James Newton Howard.

Hal Ashby Feature Films Ranked