Lightning Jack (1994) User Reviews

A greatly overlooked movie.

[Bing-18 · 6/10 · 2 December 1999]

This movie is one of the best comedy westerns for a long time and gives its stars ample time to perform.

Paul Hogan plays pretty much the same character as he did in Crocodile Dundee, only with a bit more heart, as a failed outlaw trying to make a name for himself in the Wild West with one big heist. His only partner is played by Cuba Gooding Jr., in a superb early performance as a dumb black shop assistant, with shows both comedic talent, and a depth to the character that Hogan himself probably didn't know was there when he wrote it.

A series of wonderfully scenes in bars all over the West, culminate in a perfect last heist that nobody knows about, and robs Hogan of his wanted fame.

Unfortunately, the box-office showed less confidence in the movie than it's investors on the Aussie stock-market did, but do not let that deter you from a very funny movie.

Is this Kane able?

[hitchcockthelegend · 6/10 · 30 September 2018]

Lightning Jack is directed by Simon Wincer and written by Paul Hogan. Hogan stars as the title character and he's supported by Cuba Gooding Jr., Beverly D'Angelo, Pat Hingle and L.Q. Jones. Music is by Bruce Rowland and cinematography by David Eggby.

Having burst onto the scene in movie world with Crocodile Dundee in 1986, Paul Hogan it seemed was set for a tilt at being a fully fledged film star. As it transpired, in spite of the first Dundee sequel proving popular, Hogan didn't have much of a film career at all. So it's with great interest to revisit his non Dundee films.

Lightning Jack is a comedy Western that pitches Hogan as outlaw Lightning Jack Kane, an Australian in the Old Wild West of America. He hankers to be more well known, to be wanted with a big reward on his head, so after (mis)fortune pairs him up with mute Ben Doyle (Gooding Jr.), they promptly go on an adventure of becoming criminally well known.

It's really as simple as that, and if we break it down to the bare facts, it's really just a chance for Hogan to play Hogan in a Wild West setting. But this is harmless comedy fare produced by an engaging comedy actor, okay so it may not be uproarious or have the fresh comedy finesse of Crocodile Dundee, but did it really deserve the scorn it got from critics?

Well it's very thin on plot leaving us with a film that's more a stitched together job of funny set-ups (your comedy barometer needs setting at amiable), but it is fun and likable due to Hogan and Gooding being easy to engage with. It also boasts gorgeous scenery, the locales sparkling thanks to smart work by Eggby (Mad Max/Quigley Down Under).

D'Angelo gets to be more than a token hooker with a heart, and is lovely into the bargain. Elsewhere, the presence of L.Q. Jones (Ride the High Country/Major Dundee) and Pat Hingle (Nevada Smith/Hang 'Em High) gives some Western solidification, and interesting cameo appearances by Roger Daltrey and Roger Clemens remind us that it's just a bit of amusement after all.

Not up to the standard of the criminally under valued Almost An Angel, and of course the first two Dundee movies are on a different plane to this. But it has its moments and is a decent time waster for genre fans in need of a gentle perk me up. 6/10

An underrated Western Comedy Gem.....

[btkfan · 6/10 · 10 September 2003]

It may have received some scathing reviews, but overall, Lightning Jack is DAMN funny movie. Paul Hogan's stiff acting is an asset here, Cuba Gooding Jr steals the show hilariously, without saying a single word. I dare anyone to not laugh when Doyle(Gooding Jr) shoots himself in the foot.

Far from flawless, but overall, if you dont take it seriously, fun to watch. 6.5 out of 10

Hilorious, Paul Hogan

[PatMan99 · 10 October 2005]

Well, I watched this movie a little while ago , and I am only now getting around to writing a comment on it.

I never use to be that big on Paul Hogan, I never liked him all that much to be honest. But not after watching this. This movie was funny say the least, And when I first pop ed in the movie I was thinking that it was going to be some old movie that was just thrown out there in hopes of having a little money. But Honsitly I was surprised , it was enjoyable, and it wasn't boring. I also liked the idea that Cuba Gooding Jr's Character, wasn't able to speak, and how Lighting Jack wasn't able to read without his glasses , but how he tried to hide it from everyone. For anyone who hasn't seen this movie, and they like a good comedy, or Paul Hogan for that matter. What are you waiting for....? Go rent it ! If Anyone has any questions or anything like that my email is [e-mail]

** from *****

[jimmy81 · 4/10 · 29 June 2000]

Lukewarm attempt to revitalize the Comedy Western in the great tradition of BLAZING SADDLES (1973) with Paul Hogan playing the Paul-Hogan-role in a CROCODILE DUNDEE-like charmer with action, gags and romance, but sadly this time it needs a lot more to make a good movie than outback charm. Hogan is funny as usual in the title role of gun-waving, but short-sighted bank thief Lightning Jack, who takes mute, but smart Cuba Gooding, Jr. as his assistant and tries to escape the law (Pat Hingle & Co.) while flirting with Beverly D'Angelo. The mediocre script doesn't work, some gags work, others don't, the direction by Simon Wincer is boring, but Hogan's charisma holds it together for most of the time, although Gooding, Jr. does some good scene-stealing.

Alright for a raining Sunday

[TheMan3051 · 7/10 · 29 September 2002]

This film isn't good but it isn't bad either. It's just a normal movie with some nice jokes in it. The characters are lovable, the performances are good, and it has it's share of funny scenes.

Not bad for a raining Sunday.

2 1/2(**1/2)out of 4(****)stars

Paul Hogan has made some shockers...

[kalori · 1/10 · 24 May 2001]

This was possibly THE WORST film I have ever seen.

Lightning Jack was the first film that I have been tempted to walk out of... and I work at a cinema, so I was only wasting time - not money.

Unfortunately my companion and I were convinced that there must be at least one funny scene in the movie, so we stayed until the very end, only to be disappointed. Paul Hogan has made some shockers in his time, but this one takes the cake!

Take my advice and AVOID THIS MOVIE AT ALL COSTS!!!

Guilty Pleasure

[view_and_review · 7/10 · 20 July 2020]

What an homage to Westerns. This is more in the mold of "Rustler's Rhapsody" which itself was a treat.

Lightning Jack was played by Paul Hogan. He was a quickdraw outlaw that was quickly gangless after a botched bank robbery. Though he never rebuilt his gang, he gained a sidekick in Ben Doyle (Cuba Gooding Jr.). There was just one problem: Ben Doyle was mute. Ben Doyle being a mute sidekick made for some serious comedy.

Part of me said that I shouldn't laugh because they're making fun of a handicap. Another, more juvenile, part of me laughed heartily at Ben Doyle's antics. Honestly, it takes remarkable acting to play a mute and have the range of expressions to be funny. It's almost a throwback to silent films in which everything was conveyed via facial expressions and bodily motions. So maybe "Lightning Jack" is just a guilty pleasure of mine.

Thank goodness western-comedies are a rare thing.

[Boba_Fett1138 · 5/10 · 7 August 2007]

There are tons of comedies made every year. Not too many of them are about the old west It's also not a mix that really ever works out, without becoming a spoof of the genre and use all of its formulaic elements.

The story seems to lack a clear purpose. It's hard to say what the movie is really about and were its heading to. One top of that, things just don't ever flow well in the movie. Everything seems to happen suddenly and without a reason for the rest of the story.

On its comical level its also a rather weak one. For a comedy it surely has some few real laughs. It's one of those comedies that keeps you waiting for a punch-line that just never comes. On top of that the situations in this movie just aren't humorous. Guess they thought that the movie would already be strong and funny enough by making it a buddy-flick, about an old bandit and a mute bandit-wannabe.

Paul Hogan isn't too bad in this movie, although he was clearly far too old for his role at the time. He provides the movie with its best comical moments and some good funny dialog. The Cuba Gooding Jr. character is a bit of a weird one. He's a mute who works at a store and he obviously feel that he is above the simple town-folk and then for some unexplained reasons decides to become a bandit and team-up with, the obviously incapable, bandit Lightning Jack Kane. It also makes you wonder what's the challenging thing for a character to play a mute character. Cuba Gooding Jr. really isn't a bad actors but he too often appears in such weak movies and uninteresting comical roles, that it makes you wonder why he keeps doing it. Guess that he just has fun playing in these type of movies. I'm happy that at least someone had fun. Pat Hingle is also in this movie, in a typical Pat Hingle role. Too bad that they didn't gave his character more screen time, though they potentially really could had done that.

The movie is rather good looking and it doesn't look like some cheap attempt. The costume were especially nice. The musical score on the other hand didn't seemed fitting. It's one of those simplistic scores that sound as if it was completed months before the movie finished shooting and therefor doesn't fit or add anything to the images.

Has its moments but overall a below average and totally uninteresting comedy attempt.

5/10

http://bobafett1138.blogspot.com/

Formulaic comedy western

[thehumanduvet · 6/10 · 16 April 2002]

Basically a standard western story with a few gags thrown in, this is alright if you're a fan of either star but doesn't really do much, Hogan is just a slightly pathetic version of his Crocodile Dundee persona, an outlaw who never quite makes it to the big time fame he's always longed for, while Gooding does another soppy turn as a mute who communicates by gurning and simpering. But it's fairly easy on the mind if you've got a couple of hours to kill.

The fall of Hogan's career

[bazmitch23 · 1/10 · 12 January 2014]

Paul Hogan is just a one trick pony. He can only play Mick Dundee and that's just about it. He decided to play Mick Dundee as an outlaw and it didn't work.

It's just really, really, really boring and unfunny. I can't think of one joke that made me laugh. Maybe Aussie humour and American humour don't mix.

Cuba Gooding Jr as a mute was the only good thing about it. I really liked his character and this was the beginning of Cuba's career. Sadly he did suffer from the dreaded Oscar curse and did terrible movies. That's why being an movie star sucks, folks.

Paul did do Flipper (which I haven't seen in ages) and later Croc Dundee in LA (which was bad, but not as bad as this flick).

Memorable and enjoyable

[RayHandley · 8/10 · 15 March 2003]

The humor is just as fresh today as it was when I first saw it several years ago. Goodings shows a depth of talent that this viewer really appreciates. His expressions are nearly as plastic as Jim Carrey's and spontaneous enough to steal the show without any lines.

Average film

[Madelle · 6/10 · 2 March 2004]

Lightning Jack is an average Western Comedy that has a few laughs. It though a lot of the well known and established formulas and is neither better nor worse, than a lot of other comedies out there. Paul Hogan stars as Jack Kane a veteran outlaw who finds himself part of a dying breed an unable to get a decent headline. Cuba Gooding Jr. stars as the mute clerk Ben Doyle who wants to join up with Kane and become an outlaw.

The acting is average. Hogan seems to run on much of his routine from Crocodile Dundee. Some of the time though he seems to have trouble delivering his lines convincingly. Cuba Gooding Jr. is amusing as the mute Doyle but occasionally overacted to the point where it made me cringe. The chemistry between the two isn't bad, but it isn't great either. Much like the film itself.

There's nothing noteworthy about the direction or cinematography. The story moves along alright, but the script is mediocre and gives us a few completely unnecessary scenes. There is rarely any musical score to take note of, and what little there is, is average stuff to enhance the comedic elements.

The film is not a complete waste of time. Some of the jokes do hit their mark, and Hogan has charm. There are several better Western comedies out there though, such as Maverick, but if you're looking for some mild entertainment some rainy day, Lightning Jack can prove to be entertaining enough.

When lightning shoots the hero in the foot.

[mark.waltz · 3/10 · 14 July 2022]

The wide open spaces weren't wide enough for me in watching this western comedy. Paul Hogan was still in ear shot. This majorly unfunny film costars Hogan with a young Cuba Gooding Jr., and it's about as funny as a rattle snake encounter. Hogan's an incompetent bank robber whose desire it is to send a newspaper headline back to his mates in Australia naming him as the #1 bandit in the states. Every time he's involved in a bank robbery, something occurs that accomplishes just the opposite. He's upset when he's identified as British, then later laughed at when his gun doesn't work. Gooding Jr. As his sidekick appears to be just as unlucky.

It was obvious that they were going for some sort of classic silent screen comedy with Gooding Jr. Playing a mute (writing down over and over that he can hear), and after a while, this schtick gets old. Beverly D'Angelo is one of the few good things in this film, but by the time she pops up, it's too little too late. Attempts at humor fall completely flat. It's obvious that Hogan, in spite of his early success, couldn't get past the Crocodile Dundee image. I also really doubt that there were many Australians in the old American west considering how many months it would take in the 1800's for them to get there.

lacking in freshness but watchable

[Special-K88 · 3 June 2002]

Lightning Jack Kane (Hogan) is an elusive but aging Australian outlaw living in the Old West who doesn't get the respect he feels he deserves. He contemplates retirement, but before that can happen he has one final wish to make major headlines. When a bank robbery gets bungled, he takes a mute store clerk (Gooding) hostage, but they unexpectedly bond, develop a genuine friendship, then try to help each other out by forming an unlikely partnership to pull off a big score that will attract the necessary attention. The two leads make a surprisingly engaging team, and there are some enjoyable moments, but the whole thing is familiar and obvious. **½

A Good Ride

[abi_sheldon · 7/10 · 3 May 2018]

Beautiful work by Cuba Gooding, Jr. in this Western comedy with beloved Aussie hero (who also directs). All heart, but includes the necessary sweaty grimy sinister bad guys and violence. Lots of horses. (Great film to work for as a wrangler.) Also the gorgeous witty professional women. And Native American medicine. Good as a break from the daily grind.

Starts off pretty funny then gets boring in the last half hour

[spencer-w-hensley · 5/10 · 15 May 2021]

Paul Hogan really was a one-hit wonder actor. After achieving international success with the Crocodile Dundee film series it seemed all of his films after got weaker and he began to wear out his welcome with audiences after a promising series of films that made him a popular movie star.

One exception to this was 1990's Almost an Angel which despite being a box-office flop was a somewhat decent movie that allowed him something promising outside of a Dundee film.

Only a few years later did the likeable Hogan attempt to gain audience respect with this Western comedy which was directed by of all people Simon Wincer director of Lonesome Dove which I consider the greatest Western ever.

The first half actually has some pretty funny jokes and good chemistry between Hogan and his co-star Cuba Gooding Jr.

However by the last half hour the film almost seems like a Western version of Almost an Angel where every Western cliche is used and the jokes simply aren't funny anymore.

Also starring is Beverly D'Angelo whose performance here is simply bad acting. It most likely isnt her fault though. I think it most likely has everything to do with Hogan's script (he also wrote this), and Wincer's unfortunate lazy direction. Where was the directorial intensity he delivered so well in Lonesome Dove?

In the last half hour I was so bored and tired that I didnt really care where the plot was going and just stopped paying attention.

I think this movie definitely had potential but just filled up its last half with far too many shortcomings.

It's a shame because Paul Hogan is an immensely likeable actor and one we simply cannot forget won over our hearts in the 80's with Crocodile Dundee.

Gooding of course made better films later on before his career tanked in a similar fashion to Hogan's. Unfortunately D'Angelo demonstrates here that she was only good in really one role that of Chevy Chase's wife in the National Lampoon's Vacation series.

I wasnt expecting this to be the next Blazing Saddles or the sadly underrated wonderful Western comedy Goin' South with Jack Nicholson, but considering Hogan's talent and likeability I definitely expected better and his co-stars Gooding and D'Angelo deserved better material than this to support him.

Why did Paul Hogan's career take a decline? I think its because he takes on too many responsibilities in his movies. I think this movie would have been a whole lot better if he simply would have been the lead actor and left the writing responsibilities to someone else.

It's a shame that the talented Aussie actor never made any other good movies aside from his most famous role.

Here was a really funny guy who could still be a popular movie star to the present day if he selected better scripts and left them in the hands of other writers.

Unfortunately movies like this are easy to see why he all but disappeared at a time when his career should have continued to flourish.

If you liked any of the Dundee films this may be worth one watch but on the whole this is a very uneven film that does not demonstrate the best talents of its main actor or co-stars.

I think Paul Hogan needed a crossover Crocodile Dundee film to be back in the mainstream. This idea was thought out to have him cross-over with Eddie Murphy with his Beverly Hills Cop character, Axel Foley. That could have been a huge hit needed for both actors whose careers have hit rock bottom.

Maybe the movie would have even been better had Murphy played Gooding's role and was an equal to Hogan as opposed to the sidekick who doesnt do anything.

Paul you made one great movie but everything after should have been better thought out. In times like this cinema can use an actor as likeable as Hogan.

Unfortunately for that to be the case he would need stronger material than demonstrated in this film.

Although silly, better than you really would expect!

[campilotrop · 6/10 · 26 July 2018]

Yes, I agree with btkfan! When there were plenty of very awful comedies, such as Home Alone, Hot Shots, etc. I remember I started watching that movie, with no expectation at all, but in the end it resulted in a silly nice comedy, with sympathetic Paul Hogan, just to make you look back, at his own character in the better Crocodile Dundee.

Paul Hogan project

[ksf-2 · 5/10 · 14 June 2021]

Written AND starring Paul Hogan, as the bank robber Jack Kane in the old west! Fun co-stars Cuba Gooding (Jerry Maguire) and Beverly d'Angelo (Vacation). When a bank job goes wrong, Jack takes mute errand boy Doyle (Gooding) with him and shows him the ropes. But Doyle is teaching Jack more than Jack is teaching him! A whole lot of corny jokes. Never really goes anywhere. Tiny part for Roger Daltrey, who didn't have any shows to do that week. Hogan had already done Dundee One and Two, and would make one more a couple years after this! This one is a snoozer. I like what he tried to do, but... oh, did I doze off? Some comanche folklore, which may or may not actually be true. And a five minute training course on how making love to a woman is like riding a horse. It's a bit much. The required bar room brawl. This one is no big deal. Directed by aussie Simon Wincer.

What's So Special About Jesse James? Certainly Didn't Impress Me None.

[JakeRfilmfreak · 7/10 · 9 April 2024]

Lightning Jack is a 1994 western comedy that follows an Australian outlaw who picks up an unlikely protege, and the journey they embark on to become infamous bank robbers.

Written by Paul Hogan and directed by Simon Wincer, Lightning Jack is a great movie from my childhood that I still enjoy today. It tells a terrific story about two strangers forming an unlikely bond that is charming and funny with wonderful comedic performances from Hogan and Cuba Gooding Jr. The characters are fun, the jokes are lighthearted, and there's no shortage of entertaining moments that make this movie an overall joy to watch.

It's definitely not on the same level as Hogans more popular Crocodile Dundee, but it's still a good comedy that is sure to bring out a laugh or two. If you've never seen this before, I would recommend checking it out.

Very Entertaining

[donnachaf · 8/10 · 11 June 2019]

Put on Lightning Jack and all your worries will disappear for 90mins.

Crocodile Dundee in the Old West

[Wuchakk · 7/10 · 31 December 2023]

When Cole Younger's gang is involved in a robbery-gone-wrong in a town in the Southwest, the lone survivor, Jack Kane (Paul Hogan), acquires a mute newbie partner (Cuba Gooding Jr.). He wants to make one last big score before moving to New York with his saloon lass (Beverly D'Angelo).

"Lightning Jack" (1994) is an amusing Western starring Hogan, but it's not an all-out comedy like, say, "Blazing Saddles." Ball-park comparisons include "The War Wagon," "Sam Whiskey," "Something Big," "Cattle Annie and Little Britches," "Maverick" and "The Lone Ranger." "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" is another, but that one's a little more serious.

While not great and relatively slow-moving, the locations are excellent and the developing relationship of the antiheros is entertaining. Beverly is another highlight.

While the opening bank job is similar to the doomed 1876 real-life raid in Northfield, Minnesota, Cole Younger was only wounded and ended up in prison in which he worked on a newspaper as a printer's devil. He was paroled in 1901 and ended up writing a memoir, lecturing and touring in a wild west show with Frank James. A couple of years before his death in 1915, he became a believer and repented of his criminal past. By contrast, Cole's brother, Jim, was paroled with him in 1901, but couldn't adjust and so committed suicide fifteen months later in a hotel room in Saint Paul.

At the end of the day, if you liked the Crocodile Dundee flicks, you'll probably appreciate this.

The film runs 1 hour, 37 minutes, and was shot in Santa Fe; Tucson and Page, Arizona; Moab, Utah; and Colorado; with some interiors filmed in the studio on the Gold Coast, Australia.

GRADE: B-/B.

Still good

[timothywelchjr · 8/10 · 5 July 2020]

Better than 90% of movies today. Great story a little silly. Paul at the time of the release was on top of the world. It's a great movie to watch with a crazy gun toting wife.

Lightning

[robertskinner-57671 · 9/10 · 30 August 2019]

Brilliant Western funny. All the cast do a good job with the movie.

Continuous Thunder, But No Real Storm.

[tfrizzell · 12 June 2004]

Funny little time burner has Paul Hogan starring as an Australian outlaw in the U.S. old west. A robbery leads to him kidnapping a young black mute man (Cuba Gooding, Jr.). They become the strangest of friends and have the wildest adventures as they try to become known criminals in a time and place that just does not seem to care about them. High-class prostitutes Beverly D'Angelo and Kamala Lopez-Dawson are also along as the duo's love interests. The film uses its gimmick well early, but then starts to drag as it hits its latter acts. Hogan and Gooding make a surprisingly impressive team, but really they were not given enough material to run with. The rest of the cast is touch and go as once again Hogan is left to carry a production and he is only minimally successfully. 2.5 out of 5 stars.