Nicolas Cage & Samuel L. Jackson's '90s Action Movie Is Way More Than a Buddy Comedy (2024)

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Nicolas Cage & Samuel L. Jackson's '90s Action Movie Is Way More Than a Buddy Comedy (1)

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Nicolas Cage & Samuel L. Jackson's '90s Action Movie Is Way More Than a Buddy Comedy (2)

The ‘80s and early ‘90s were full of interracial buddy comedies in the action genre. Beginning with 48 HRS. in 1982, Hollywood was churning out such movies, often paring Caucasian and African-American male leads struggling to see eye-to-eye while dealing with a larger problem. Amos & Andrew was no exception with the casting of its stars, Nicolas Cage and Samuel L. Jackson. At the time of its production, Cage had a reputation for portraying eccentric comedic roles in classics such as Moonstruck, Honeymoon in Vegas, and Raising Arizona. Similarly, Jackson was a steady character actor whose face became increasingly familiar to audiences by appearing in Spike Lee’s projects and supporting roles in Coming to America and Strictly Business. Both actors were hardly the box office draws they would become later in the decade. Yet, they had the talent to play societal opposites of each other in this racially charged comedy.

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What Is 'Amos & Andrew' About?

The title seemingly takes inspiration from the Black radio show Amos 'n' Andy, a highly controversial comedy radio show later adapted to television featuring two

Black men depicted as insensitive stereotypes. Such characters are the complete opposite of Jackson’s Andrew Sterling, a successful New York playwright notorious for his views about white America. While Andrew settles into his new resort home on a Massachusetts resort island, his white liberal neighbors (Michael Lerner and Margaret Colin) suspect him as a home invader and call the local police. An army-sized swarm of cops descends around the home, followed by massive gunfire.

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With Andrew holed up in the house, the local Chief (Dabney Coleman) realizes his mistake when the police learn of his identity, while the descending media outlets cause unwanted publicity. To save his reputation, the Chief enlists the help of Cage’s imprisoned Amos Odell, a small-time thief with dreams of fleeing to Canada. Amos is tasked to break into Andrew’s home, hold him hostage, and eventually surrender himself in exchange for freedom. Things take a turn when Amos learns his name and face will be all over TV, despite the Chief’s promise to make him an anonymous hostage taker. As the Chief’s true colors are revealed regarding Andrew taking residence in the majority-white neighborhood, the playwright and the criminal form an unlikely pairing.

'Amos & Andrew' Is More Than Just Another Buddy Comedy

Nicolas Cage & Samuel L. Jackson's '90s Action Movie Is Way More Than a Buddy Comedy (3)

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Amos & Andrew was released a year after the Rodney King verdict and three years after the infamous misfire The Bonfire of the Vanities. Much like the latter movie, director E. Max Frye (Something Wild) tries to make a statement about race and class discrepancies in America. He role reverses Jackson as a law-abiding Black male and Cage as the "lowlife" white con man, which mirrors the classic Sidney Poitier/Tony Curtis movie The Defiant Ones in terms of chemistry. While the posters and trailers try to depict the movie as a buddy comedy similar to 48 HRS. and Midnight Run, Amos & Andrew spends most of its screen time on the characters learning about each other.

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Throughout the movie, Jackson often vents his frustration about dealing with racism in a town that is supposed to be widely accepted. Then, in the most revealing moment of the story, Andrew confides in Amos about his upbringing in Harlem and how his workaholic father survived in “the white man’s world” by playing by their rules. Yet, when his father passes away, not one of his white co-workers attends the funeral. For all his success as a playwright, Andrew feels worthless to his community.

'Amos & Andrew' Mirrors Real-World Racial Profiling Incidents

Nicolas Cage & Samuel L. Jackson's '90s Action Movie Is Way More Than a Buddy Comedy (5)

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Where Amos & Andrew falls short is the over-reliance on sitcom-level sight gags that the talents of neither Cage nor Jackson were able to overcome. Despite its shortcomings, however, events depicted in the movie were eerily ahead of their time before 24-hour news networks dominated mass media. Moments such as an overzealous cop (Brad Dourif) mistaking Andrew’s car keys for a weapon echo most tragic police shootings. Additionally, the entire premise of Andrew being profiled in an upper-class community predated the profiling incident involving black historian Henry Louis Gates, Jr. at his home in 2009.

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The most disturbing, yet successful, part of the movie is Coleman playing the subtly racist police chief. Having played misogynist bosses in 9 to 5 and Tootsie, Coleman makes the perfect antagonist, willing to manipulate the situation through the media to preserve his image and his mostly-white community. Ironically, in a time before cameras on smartphones, his acts of injustice only get exposed after a pizza girl delivers a videotape to the media which contains the chief’s interview with the white couple about the real story behind the incident.

Cage’s Amos was the perfect opportunity to examine how lower-class men are mistreated regardless of race. While touched on at points, it's never fully as explored as Jackson’s mistreatment. It would not be the last time Jackson played a racially charged character, as his later roles in Die Hard With a Vengeance and Shaft shared similarities with Andrew Sterling. For all its flaws, Amos & Andrew remains a fascinating part of the filmographies of Cage and Jackson.

Amos & Andrew is available to rent on Prime Video in the U.S.

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Nicolas Cage & Samuel L. Jackson's '90s Action Movie Is Way More Than a Buddy Comedy (6)

Amos & Andrew (1993)

PG-13

Comedy

Crime

When a misunderstanding leads to the wrongful accusation of an esteemed African American playwright, a bumbling local sheriff enlists a petty criminal to defuse the situation. This comedic film examines themes of racial stereotyping and social justice through a series of escalating and farcical misadventures.

Release Date
March 5, 1993

Director
E. Max Fry
Cast
Nicolas Cage , Samuel L. Jackson , Dabney Coleman , Michael Lerner , Margaret Colin

Runtime
96 Minutes

Writers
E. Max Fry

Character(s)
Amos Odell , Andrew Sterling , Cecil Tolliver , Phil Gillman , Judy Gillman

Rent on Prime Video

Nicolas Cage & Samuel L. Jackson's '90s Action Movie Is Way More Than a Buddy Comedy (2024)
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