The Rookie (released in theaters on Dec. 7, 1990), directed by and starring Clint Eastwood, is a hard-hitting, fast-paced buddy cop thriller that pairs the rugged wisdom of a veteran officer with the impetuous energy of a young recruit. Set against the backdrop of Los Angeles, the film delivers gritty action sequences and a satisfying contrast between its two central characters, played by Eastwood and Charlie Sheen.
The story revolves around Nick Pulovski (Eastwood), a grizzled, no-nonsense detective with the Los Angeles Police Department’s auto theft division and is dedicated to his job but known for bending the rules and taking reckless chances. His partner is killed during a daring operation to bust a highly organized, dangerous ring of high-end car thieves.
Pulovski is then assigned a new partner: David Ackerman (Sheen), a young, intelligent, and ambitious officer from a wealthy background whose primary experience is in desk work.
Their partnership is immediately fraught with conflict.
Pulovski dismisses Ackerman as a pampered “rookie,” while Ackerman struggles to adapt to Pulovski’s unorthodox, often dangerous, tactics.
The central antagonists are Strom (Raul Julia) and Liesl (Sonia Braga), the cold, ruthless leaders of the car theft ring who specialize in stealing and dismantling luxury cars for parts.
The thieves are not merely after cars; they are using the dismantling operation as a cover for a far more lucrative and dangerous international smuggling operation.
The investigation takes Pulovski and Ackerman deep into the criminal underworld.
The two partners must learn to trust each other, often under fire, with the action escalating into spectacular car chases and brutal shootouts.
The case eventually becomes personal and leads to a tense, climactic standoff where the two partners, having finally forged a bond, must rely on their combined experience and street smarts to take down Strom and Liesl.
Tom Skerritt, Lara Flynn Boyle, Pepe Serna, Paul Ben-Victor, Xander Berkeley and Donna Mitchell round out the cast.
Clint Eastwood in The Rookie (Photo/Warner Bros.)
Reception for The Rookie
The Rookie grossed $5.5 million on its opening weekend, finishing third at the box office behind Home Alone ($14.2 million) and Misery ($7.1 million).
The film would gross $21.6 million in its theatrical run.
Roger Ebert gave The Rookie two out of four stars in his review.
Legacy
The Rookie is characteristic of the late-period action thrillers that dominated the early 1990s and its legacy is tied to the successful pairing of the legendary Eastwood with the then-highly popular Sheen, effectively bridging two generations of action cinema heroes.
While not listed among Eastwood’s finest directorial achievements, the film is a high-energy entry in his filmography, delivering the expected mix of tough talk, gritty urban realism, and explosive action sequences that defined the buddy-cop genre of the era.
