Other Titles • Band of the Hand • Die Gnadenlose Clique (1986)
Synopses for Band of the Hand (1986)
1.
Band of the Hand was executive-produced by Miami Vice creator Michael Mann, but this violent relic of the '80s begs for a smarter script and Mann's directorial flair. Instead it's got TV's "Starsky"--Paul Michael Glaser--seemingly asleep at the wheel, barely controlling a rainbow coalition of bad actors as punky Florida jailbirds, given a second chance when they're dropped into the treacherous everglades and whipped into a crack unit of urban warriors by a gruff marine (Stephen Lang) who supervises their juvenile "reform." One of the reluctant recruits has a girlfriend (fresh-faced newcomer Lauren Holly) who's tied up with local drug lords (Larry Fishburne, James Remar), and the inevitable showdown offers guerilla warfare in pastel shades. Wretched dialogue and lackluster action don't stop this from being a Vice-like guilty pleasure, populated by garishly costumed stereotypes and ending like the pilot for a TV series that never happened. Even the DVD liner notes admit the movie is "infamous"; accepted on those terms, it's a hoot. --Jeff Shannon
From the Back Cover Producer Michael Mann (Ali, The Insider) delivers an action-packed dose of high-octane fun in this infamous 1980s crime thriller, BAND OF THE HAND. Directed by Paul Michael Glaser (TV's Starsky & Hutch), the cast features awesome performances by future stars Laurence Fishburne (The Matrix), Lauren Holly (What Women Want), Leon (Above the Rim), James Remar (TV's Sex and the City), and James Cameron Mitchell (Hedwig and the Angry Inch). The killer retro soundtrack features the title track performed by Bob Dylan backed by Tom Petty's Heartbreakers.
While serving time in a grueling rehab program in Florida's Everglades, five young felons bond together to form an unlikely union. When they return to Miami's dangerous ghetto, the five former criminals wage a lethal war on the drug kingpins who rule the underworld of murder and mayhem. BAND OF THE HAND goes for the jugular, never once loosening its grip until its heart-stopping climax!
2.
As the result of a court order, a gang of five multicultural teenage street toughs are sent into the depths of the Florida Everglades in the charge of Joe Tiger (Stephen Lang), an American Indian social worker Vietnam vet who attempts to teach them honorable conduct. Once he sees fit, they make the transition to a rundown house in Miami, where they become involved in taking down a local drug lord (James Remar). BAND OF THE HAND was produced by Michael Mann (at the height of his success with MIAMI VICE). Among the then-unknown cast members are Lauren Holly, and John Cameron Mitchell (HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH). The soundtrack features original songs by Bob Dylan and Prince.
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