The Adventures of Ford Fairlane

"Kojak. Columbo. Dirty Harry. Wimps."

1990 1h 42m EN

😐

6.1

MID

★6.1TMDB · 242

ComedyCrimeMystery

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

To the Los Angeles elite, Ford Fairlane is known as "Mr. Rock 'n' Roll Detective." This loudmouthed ladies' man serves an exclusive rock star clientele, who depend on his keen eye and smug discretion. So when a heavy-metal musician dies mid-concert, Fairlane is on the case before the lights come up. But things turn shocking when radio personality Johnny Crunch hires Fairlane to find a missing groupie mere hours before he is electrocuted live on air.

“Kojak. Columbo. Dirty Harry. Wimps.”

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Cast

Andrew Dice Clay
Ford Fairlane
Wayne Newton
Julian Grendel
Priscilla Presley
Colleen Sutton
Morris Day
Don Cleveland
Lauren Holly
Jazz
Ed O'Neill
Lt. Amos
Maddie Corman
Zuzu Petals
Gilbert Gottfried
Johnny Crunch

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Renny Harlin
Writers: David Arnott, James Cappe, Daniel Waters
Languages: English, Spanish
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Earned back only 42% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

36 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Spanish.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

CAST

Did you know

217+ people credited in cast and crew — a small city's worth of labour.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Renny Harlin, shot by Oliver Wood. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Boris Blank. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Michael Tronick shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Andrew Dice Clay and Wayne Newton and Priscilla Presley carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Renny Harlin directs. Oliver Wood behind the camera. Boris Blank scores. Michael Tronick cuts. A commercial under-performer on release. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English, Spanish.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Earned back only 42% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.
236 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
3Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Spanish.
4217+ people credited in cast and crew — a small city's worth of labour.
5Directed by Renny Harlin, shot by Oliver Wood. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Original score by Boris Blank. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
7Editor Michael Tronick shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
8Andrew Dice Clay and Wayne Newton and Priscilla Presley carry the top of the cast.
9Marketing tagline: "Kojak. Columbo. Dirty Harry. Wimps.".
10IMDB entry: tt0098987 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.