"Back in Business" tells of a ex-cop who teams up with his ex-partner to make a drug bust and...well, fix everything else which is wrong with his little corner of the world. A marginal action flick at best, "BinB" has very ordinary stunts and action sequences replete with all the usual machine gun wielding heavies; a sexless love relationship between the hero and delicious Dara; and lots of fun macho banter between Bosworth and his partner. If the film has anything at all going for it, it's the sort of dumb charm of square jawed and ruggedly handsome Bosworth's character who is trying to get in touch with his feminine side and control his anger with the help of his talk-radio psychotherapist while clumsily stumbling into the action spotlight and settling old scores. An okay no brainer for action junkies only.
9 Reviews
Brian's back in this action thriller with Joe Torry.
The Boz29 July 1998
Brian's latest movie about a drug ring that he and Joe Torry try to stop. In this one, Brain (Joe Elkhart) is double-crossed twice and still gets the job done. Brian returns to his former self which is what got him into the movie business in the first place. After some disappointing movies, he's back and almost better than ever. Brion James co-stars in the movie and portrays his usual conman self. Elkhart was kicked off the force and divorced and is trying to get his life back together with the help of a therapist. He decides that the only remedy to solve his problems is taking action. Hopefully this movie will be a comeback for Brian and lead to many more "Boz" movies.
extremely boring
talllwoood1324 September 2022
I loved how silly and over the top Stone Cold 1 from 1991 which was a great suggestion I think it was youtube gave me to watch ages ago as I love so bad they are good movies and somehow I ran across this movie on youtube where they claimed it was Stone Cold 2. Safe to say I was excited. Well.. it isn't. I watched 34 minutes of it and I was bored out of my mind. The story was almost non-existent. The basketball scene went on too long and if you're expecting a cheesy over the top movie full of bikes who can't act to save their lives this is not for you. I don't remember any of the characters names and I couldn't find a single reason to keep watching it. If the story was better and anything else I'd let it slide. I love action movies from the 80s and 90s but this was just a complete waste of time. I had more mental stimulation putting this review together.
A very bad match-up of actors
kmcderm114 December 2001
This inconceivably bad movie teams up comedian Joe Torry and former LB Brian Bosworth in what can only be described as an action/comedy. It fails, however, in being much of either. The scenes look barely choreographed, the dialogue is insipid, the characters look uncomfortable with one another, the action is stilted, the F/X look twenty years old, the plot has no connection whatsoever with anything resembling reality, and the continuity makes the scenes look like they were put in order by drawing them out of a hat. Of the hundreds of movies that I've watched and rated, this is one of four to receive a rating of "one."
Could have been better
iamjamalwhite16 April 2020
Warning: Spoilers
I am a big BOZ fan. The first STONE COLD is on my TOP 20 list of movies. This is the part 2 that you wanted but a completely different movie. The only similarity is the name of the character. This is a failed buddy movie that steals from every other movie out there: masks with presidents from POINT BREAK, black hustler cop and white straight man from every buddy movie ever made, basketball scene from WHITE MEN CAN'T JUMP, chase through the construction yard from TANGO AND CASH, airplane graveyard from HARLEY DAVIDSON AND THE MARLBORO MAN, etc. The film might have worked with Eddie Murphy or a better script for Boz to work with. I just think Joe Torry was not able to work with a stinker script to bring it up to something worthwhile. Boz was relegated to B-movies after this bomb. It did so poorly that it isn't even in production as a B-movie DVD. I had to find it on YouTube where bombs go to die. It is a shame. Boz has great acting chops and is believable as the big tough guy with the big heart.
Ticks many of the more agreeably bellicose B-Movie boxes!
Weirdling_Wolf25 February 2023
What could be more desirable than lantern jawed, Brian Bosworth's Alpha-mongous 80s cult classic 'Stone Cold'?; well, outside of a bigger Johnson, and someone to appreciate it, frankly, very little springs to mind, but a belated, bizarrely undervalued sequel is a pretty gnarly start! Amiable ex-cop, Joe Elkhart (Brian Bosworth) is 'Back in Business', fatefully drawn into the murderous midst of an increasingly volatile undercover operation by close friend, Tony (Joe Torry), a slick cop whose brash, cavalier methodology precariously puts them both, dead bang in the exceedingly cross hairs of double-dealing killer cop, Emery Ryker (Brion James).
The budgetary constraints preclude any grandiose Lethal Weaponoid pyrotechnics, but gifted filmmaker, Philippe 'Howling II' Mora orchestrates a riotously entertaining PM Entertainment-style Buddy-Cop shoot 'em up that tantalizingly ticks many of the more agreeably bellicose B-Movie boxes! The immaculate screen villainy of, Brion James as corrupt, drug peddling cop, Ryker, and the charismatic, Joe Torry do much to enliven the familiar shenanigans, with the playful badinage betwixt affable lug, Bosworth, and perma-glib Torry providing some primo Dude-lord quipage. Fans of the classic Billy Blanks/Roddy Piper punch-fighter 'Back in Action' should definitely give, Philippe Mora's jocular actioner 'Stone Cold II : Heart of Stone' a shot.
The budgetary constraints preclude any grandiose Lethal Weaponoid pyrotechnics, but gifted filmmaker, Philippe 'Howling II' Mora orchestrates a riotously entertaining PM Entertainment-style Buddy-Cop shoot 'em up that tantalizingly ticks many of the more agreeably bellicose B-Movie boxes! The immaculate screen villainy of, Brion James as corrupt, drug peddling cop, Ryker, and the charismatic, Joe Torry do much to enliven the familiar shenanigans, with the playful badinage betwixt affable lug, Bosworth, and perma-glib Torry providing some primo Dude-lord quipage. Fans of the classic Billy Blanks/Roddy Piper punch-fighter 'Back in Action' should definitely give, Philippe Mora's jocular actioner 'Stone Cold II : Heart of Stone' a shot.
Fans of The Boz (aren't we all?) and of the buddy cop genre will likely warm to Back in Business.
tarbosh2200020 May 2022
Warning: Spoilers
Joe Elkhart (Boz) is just a humble car mechanic in L. A. who is a regular caller to the radio talk show of psychologist Dr. Sonia Brody (Egan). He's trying to get over the feelings of anger and aggression he feels after being a good police officer who was kicked off the force after trying to expose some dirty cops. This leads him to re-connect with his old partner Tony Dunbar (Torry), and the current cop and the ex-cop try to catch the evil drug lord David Ashby (Scarfe). Pretty soon, the FBI is involved with them, and Elkhart is involved with fellow therapy maven Natalie Walker (Tomanovich). It all comes to a head with the final showdown between our heroes and the evil Emery Ryker (James). Will Elkhart and Dunbar be BACK IN BUSINESS? Or will they be out of business?
To quote the back of the VHS box, "Named NATO 'Action Star of Tomorrow' for his high-octane performance in Stone Cold, Brian 'The Boz' Bosworth is back in business as maverick ex-cop Joe Elkhart." We didn't know NATO was in the business of naming action stars anything, but apparently they are. Finally, some tax dollars well spent. In Germany, this movie was called Stone Cold II: Heart of Stone - which is an interesting factoid, but really this has less to do with the classic Stone Cold, and more to do with buddy cop action/comedies wrought by 48 Hours (1982) and Lethal Weapon (1987).
The movie is filled with the non-stop banter between Bosworth, who plays a more vulnerable type this time around - you could best call him a lovable lunkhead - and the Chris Tucker/Eddie Griffin stylings of Joe Torry. Don't confuse him with his brother Guy Torry, who makes a splash at the beginning of the film.
There's a lot of silly humor amongst the shootings and blow-ups, and the radio talk show angle was a bit different. The film was made during the height of popularity of shows like Dr. Laura, so why not have Brian Bosworth be a caller on her radio show? It's an interesting combination. The whole sequence at the car auction where Joe Torry dresses up like an Arab Sheik may be a comedic movie highlight, but you know there's going to be some chases or shooutouts just around the corner.
Let's face it, this isn't as good as Back in Action (1994), with Billy Blanks and Roddy Piper. You could easily mistake the two. Well, at least the titles. One of the recurring themes on the soundtrack is a drum solo that sounds like the beginning of Hot For Teacher. We were just waiting for The Boz to say, "I've got my pencil..." While the movie has blink-and-you'll-miss-them appearances from Michael Clarke Duncan and fan favorite Wynn Irwin, clearly the boo-hiss baddie is Brion James this time around, and he does it well.
Director Philippe Mora was last heard from on this site as the director of Death of a Soldier (1986), with Reb Brown. He's probably best known for directing 80's horror movies such as The Howling II: Your Sister is a Werewolf (1985) and The Beast Within (1982). He keeps things moving, and while there are a couple of slow moments towards the beginning (the basketball sequence goes on too long), things pick up considerably soon enough.
Sure, it has plenty of the "Stupid" moments we've come to love, or at least expect, but since when is that a problem? It's part of what keeps Back in Business afloat. Apparently it wasn't successful enough overall (despite its tenuous Stone Cold connection) to warrant a series of sequels with EPMD-esque titles.
Fans of The Boz (aren't we all?) and of the buddy cop genre will likely warm to Back in Business.
To quote the back of the VHS box, "Named NATO 'Action Star of Tomorrow' for his high-octane performance in Stone Cold, Brian 'The Boz' Bosworth is back in business as maverick ex-cop Joe Elkhart." We didn't know NATO was in the business of naming action stars anything, but apparently they are. Finally, some tax dollars well spent. In Germany, this movie was called Stone Cold II: Heart of Stone - which is an interesting factoid, but really this has less to do with the classic Stone Cold, and more to do with buddy cop action/comedies wrought by 48 Hours (1982) and Lethal Weapon (1987).
The movie is filled with the non-stop banter between Bosworth, who plays a more vulnerable type this time around - you could best call him a lovable lunkhead - and the Chris Tucker/Eddie Griffin stylings of Joe Torry. Don't confuse him with his brother Guy Torry, who makes a splash at the beginning of the film.
There's a lot of silly humor amongst the shootings and blow-ups, and the radio talk show angle was a bit different. The film was made during the height of popularity of shows like Dr. Laura, so why not have Brian Bosworth be a caller on her radio show? It's an interesting combination. The whole sequence at the car auction where Joe Torry dresses up like an Arab Sheik may be a comedic movie highlight, but you know there's going to be some chases or shooutouts just around the corner.
Let's face it, this isn't as good as Back in Action (1994), with Billy Blanks and Roddy Piper. You could easily mistake the two. Well, at least the titles. One of the recurring themes on the soundtrack is a drum solo that sounds like the beginning of Hot For Teacher. We were just waiting for The Boz to say, "I've got my pencil..." While the movie has blink-and-you'll-miss-them appearances from Michael Clarke Duncan and fan favorite Wynn Irwin, clearly the boo-hiss baddie is Brion James this time around, and he does it well.
Director Philippe Mora was last heard from on this site as the director of Death of a Soldier (1986), with Reb Brown. He's probably best known for directing 80's horror movies such as The Howling II: Your Sister is a Werewolf (1985) and The Beast Within (1982). He keeps things moving, and while there are a couple of slow moments towards the beginning (the basketball sequence goes on too long), things pick up considerably soon enough.
Sure, it has plenty of the "Stupid" moments we've come to love, or at least expect, but since when is that a problem? It's part of what keeps Back in Business afloat. Apparently it wasn't successful enough overall (despite its tenuous Stone Cold connection) to warrant a series of sequels with EPMD-esque titles.
Fans of The Boz (aren't we all?) and of the buddy cop genre will likely warm to Back in Business.
Lethal Weapon on a tight budget.
applehunter875 January 2003
I don't know what happened with this film. Did they run out of money? or did they just make it up as they went along? They probably thought it was good when they made it but the studio cut it like a rusty razor.
It is hard to find a redeeming aspect of the film. The characters are all wooden, except for Joe Torry. In the end I don't care if the main character dies or not. A bit of naughty action might have given this film an extra half-star but sadly even this is not present in this sad excuse for film.
1 1/2 stars out of 100!
It is hard to find a redeeming aspect of the film. The characters are all wooden, except for Joe Torry. In the end I don't care if the main character dies or not. A bit of naughty action might have given this film an extra half-star but sadly even this is not present in this sad excuse for film.
1 1/2 stars out of 100!
See also
Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews
