Full disclosure, as I pay respects to James Caan, I did not dash out to catch every movie in which he appeared. Jimmy Caan was one of those 70s and 80s starts that slipped under the radar.
Big fan of Burt Reynolds, also gone. And Clint Eastwood, who really needs to not appear in front of the camera anymore. But if the gun was at my head, those would be my two action hero/leading man types of that era.
Let me praise James Caan for a true Sleeper Gem, "Freebie and The Bean," a comedy starring Caan as Freebie and Alan Arkin as The Bean.
They are detective partners in San Francisco, tasked with keeping a shady mob boss alive so he can testify.
Yes, it's an old trope, but a good one.
Along the proverbial Buddy Movie way, Caan drives a motorcycle OVER rush hour traffic, they crash their squad car into an elderly couples apartment bedroom (via the old Embarcadero Freeway), and have one of the funnier exchanges with the actor who played Mo Green in "The Godfather."
The film is dated, but to see Caan as a young actor and witness the early brilliance of Alan Arkin is worth the time.
Freebie and the Bean just need to get their star witness to Monday. But it's Friday, and the long weekend stretches out in front of them.
Will they make it?
Apple TV . . . for rent only.
And R.I.P. James Caan. Thank you for Sonny Corleone. For the coach in "The Program." For "Misery." For Brian Piccolo. For "Rollerball." For "Chapter Two." For the underrated "Alien Nation." For making us laugh in "Mickey Blue Eyes." And for that exceptional performance in "Thief," that no one talks about.
Thanks for the memories.
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