The Mighty Quinn
by Carl Schenkel
List Price:
Our Price: $13.49
You Save: $1.49 (10%)
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Buy Used: from $5.89 (click here)
Category: DVD
See more DVD releases
Buy this DVD movie at online store in your country
Canada
Canada
DVD Cover Information
Actor: Denzel Washington, James Fox, M. Emmet Walsh, Mimi Rogers, Robert TownsendDirector: Carl Schenkel
Brand: TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX HOME ENT
Cinematographer: Jacques Steyn
Producer: Dale Pollock
Producer: Ed Elbert
Producer: Jeffrey Bydalek
Producer: Sanford Lieberson
Writer: A.H.Z. Carr
Writer: Hampton Fancher
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo; French (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono; Spanish (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); Spanish (Dubbed), Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD-Video, Letterboxed, NTSC, Widescreen
Picture Format: Letterbox, 1.85:1
Running Time: 94 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2001-02-06
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Studio: MGM (Video & DVD)
Movie Reviews of The Mighty Quinn
Movie Review: you ain't seen nothing like the Mighty Quinn!
Summary: 5 Stars
I just can't tell you all how much I love this movie! But I will try anyway... It will never go down as a true classic, but few films have brought me as much enjoyment as this one. There is something so stylish and serene about this little known jewel that I just couldn't resist banging on the drum and recommending it to the rest of you out there who have yet to view it.
A young Denzel Washington stars as Xavier Quinn, the chief of police for a small Caribbean island (shot on location in Jamaica). The straight-laced Quinn is an ex-Marine and former FBI trainee who is definitely overqualified for his job, yet anchored to his beautiful island home despite its rather zany, off-beat inhabitants, most of whom don't take Quinn, and life in general, all too seriously. Case in point, Quinn's best friend since childhood - Maubee (Robert Townsend) - is sort of the local hero on the island despite being a ganja dealing, womanizing, petty thief (all in good fun of course!). Obviously the two have ventured down two completely different paths in life and while both men are truly loved, many on the populous view Quinn as a sort of sell-out, a white man's creation and puppet. He is even too conservative and uptight for his own wife (Sheryl Lee Ralph) to handle. Yet the loveable, mischievous Maubee on the other hand, fits right in to the laid-back lifestyle of the island's idle inhabitants.
The story begins when a millionaire is suddenly murdered and all fingers point in the direction of Maubee. Of course it is up to the "Mighty Quinn" to save the day. However, this of course puts Quinn in an unenviable quandary as he is now ensnared in a Catch-22 scenario. As his estranged wife tells him early on "Maubee is a lover not a fighter" and despite all the evidence against his friend (the two are like brothers), Quinn knows in his heart that she is right. However, the pressures he faces from the bumbling bureaucracy to try and clean up the mess and find Maubee in order to close the case and prevent any further damage to the tourist trade puts Quinn at odds with both sides of the spectrum. If he arrests Maubee, he alienates all of his family and friends and further proves his `selling out' to the white man. But of course, as chief of police, he has no choice but to find Maubee in the hopes of clearing his name. The rest I will leave to your own discovery.
The late Roger Ebert (a reviewer whom I often was at odds with) gave this 1989 sleeper four-stars and raved about Denzel's performance. While Washington's Jamaican accent might not be perfect at times, I still couldn't concur more with Mr. E. What a presence Denzel brings to this role - stylish, sophisticated, intelligent, soft-spoken, compassionate, vulnerable, heroic, humble, etc... - you name it, he's got it! And Robert Townsend as his wacky ne'er-do-well companion has never been better. The two of them are impossible not to love, and the viewer from the opening scenes on is immediately drawn to both of these characters despite their many differences.
If you love Reggae music, you will be in for a further treat. The film has an amazing soundtrack (a la the "Harder They Come" and "Cool Runnings") to boot! And the cinematography is simply sublime as well. Both make you feel like calling your local travel agent and booking a one-way flight to the Caribbean. Then again, if that isn't in the cards for you right now, this film could be your next best option. This is what movies are meant to be - entertaining from start to finish.
Rent this film folks! Odds are you will make the purchase afterwards. I can safely say that most of you will not be disappointed. Again, don't expect "Citizen Kane", but expect to have a whole lot of fun! Escapism at its very finest!
Summary of The Mighty Quinn
Oscar?(r) winner* Denzel Washington (The Hurricane) and Robert Townsend (Hollywood Shuffle) star in this witty, romantic, entertaining and light-hearted who-dun-it (Vincent Canby, The New York Times). Filled with spice and adventure, The Mighty Quinn is delightful...a sunny Caribbean caper as seductive as a great big umbrella drink (The Washington Post)! Life in the easygoing Caribbean is hard on Police Chief Xavier Quinn (Washington). Dubbed 'theMighty Quinn by sarcastic islanders and nagged by a wife who d rather he were babysitting, Quinn is suddenly thrust into action when his childhood friend Maubee (Townsend) is accused of murder. Forced to search for his elusive friend, Quinn meets up with a colorful array of suspects, including thedead man's beautiful mistress who dreams of being a lounge singer (Mimi Rogers), an eccentric voodoo sorceress with snakes in her parlor (Esther Rolle) and a mysterious American visitor with dubious intentions (M. Emmet Walsh). *2001: Actor, Training Day; 1989: Supporting Actor, GloryA highly enjoyable sleeper. The plot of The Mighty Quinn is a variation on one of those '30s studio pictures about two boyhood friends who grow up on different sides of the law--but it's 1989, and things are a bit different. Denzel Washington, smooth as Jamaican rum, plays the police chief of a Caribbean island, a place where crime isn't exactly a pressing concern. Thus the chief is put out when the clues in a murder case point to his old buddy, a dreadlocked ne'er-do-well played by a mischievous Robert Townsend. Director Carl Schenkel is much more interested in friendships and great island atmosphere than in the actual unlocking of the case, and that's just fine. Add in a bouncy soundtrack of reggae music, and The Mighty Quinn becomes one of those hard-to-resist vacation movies. --Robert Horton
Action & Adventure DVD Video
DVD Video
- Action & Adventure
- African American Cinema
- Animation
- Anime & Manga
- Art House & International
- Classics
- Comedy
- Cult Movies
- Documentary
- Drama
- Educational
- Fitness & Yoga
- Gay & Lesbian
- Horror
- Kids & Family
- Military & War
- Music Video & Concerts
- Musicals & Performing Arts
- Mystery & Suspense
- Science Fiction & Fantasy
- Special Interests
- Sports
- Television
- Westerns
Movies most talked about in Denzel is..... Legendary!
The Great DebatersWELLSPRING/GENIUS; Release date: 2008-05-13; DVD
Best price: $2.17
Price in other shops:
American Gangster (2-Disc Unrated Extended Edition)UNIVERSAL STUDIOS HOME ENTERTAIN.; Release date: 2008-02-19; DVD
Best price: $6.49
Price in other shops:
Deja VuDeja; Release date: 2007-04-24; DVD
Best price: $2.97
Price in other shops:
Inside Man (Widescreen Edition)UNIVERSAL STUDIOS HOME ENTERTAIN.; Release date: 2006-08-08; DVD
Best price: $3.85
Price in other shops:
The Manchurian Candidate (Widescreen Edition)Paramount; Release date: 2004-12-21; DVD
Best price: $1.05
Price in other shops:
Man on FireRelease date: 2004-09-14; DVD
Best price: $5.02
Price in other shops:
Out of TimeMGM; Release date: 2004-01-06; DVD
Best price: $3.82
Price in other shops:
Antwone Fisher (Widescreen Edition)Release date: 2003-05-20; DVD
Best price: $3.44
Price in other shops:
John Q. (Infinifilm Edition)Release date: 2002-07-16; DVD
Best price: $2.68
Price in other shops:
Training DayWarner Brothers; Release date: 2004-06-01; DVD
Best price: $2.62
Price in other shops:
Similar DVD Movies
A Soldier's StorySony; Release date: 1999-08-31; DVD
Best price: $8.84
Price in other shops:
License to KillRelease date: 2004-03-04; DVD
Best price: $2.41
Price in other shops:
John Q. (Infinifilm Edition)Release date: 2002-07-16; DVD
Best price: $4.83
Price in other shops:
FallenWASHINGTON,DENZEL; Release date: 1998-06-17; DVD
Best price: $1.41
Price in other shops:
VirtuosityWASHINGTON,DENZEL; Release date: 1999-05-25; DVD
Best price: $4.52
Price in other shops:
Hard LessonsLions Gate; Release date: 2002-04-23; DVD
Best price: $2.99
Price in other shops:
Mississippi MasalaSony; Release date: 2003-05-27; DVD
Best price: $4.40
Price in other shops:
For Queen and CountryTWENTIETH CENTURY FOX HOME ENT; Release date: 2004-06-01; DVD
Best price: $2.01
Price in other shops:
RicochetRelease date: 1998-04-29; DVD
Best price: $2.46
Price in other shops:
Devil in a Blue DressSony; Release date: 1999-03-09; DVD
Best price: $7.62
Price in other shops: