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Roy Scheider's darkest role came in this absolutely relentless '80s crime thriller

Every now and then, some of Hollywood's biggest stars, usually known for more heroic roles, shock us with a dark, sinister performance, playing characters that allow them to bring humility to a villain. Some that immediately come to mind are Denzel Washington Training dayRobert Redford in Captain America: The Winter SoldierMichael B. Jordan in Black pantherAnd Michael Keaton In Pacific highs. But one actor whose darkest performance is often overlooked is Roy Scheideris the aging assassin of the 1989s Cohen & Tate.




A rare crime novel published in the late, feel-good 80s. Cohen & Tate was the directorial debut of Eric Redbest known as the screenwriter of the cult classics The Hitcher And Almost dark. Scheider's casting in an otherwise small indie film came at an interesting point in his career. The actor, a superstar of 70s cinema, made a name for himself in 2011 as a reliable everyman action hero The French connection And Jaw. He also received critical acclaim and an Oscar nomination for Best Actor for his role Bob Fosse in the 1979s All the jazz. However, in the mid-80s, the aging Scheider was overtaken by new film stars Harrison Ford And Bruce Willis. By assuming the role of Mr. Cohen, Scheider showed audiences that he could play a cold-blooded villain that they cared about.



What is Cohen & Tate about?

Cohen & TateThe opening sequence is reminiscent of Walter Hill's 48 HOURS. as It showcases the contrasting styles of its antagonistic leads with a shockingly violent sequence involving child endangerment. Scheider's Mr. Cohen is an old-school professional hitman who works with a younger, short-tempered assassin named Mr. Tate (Adam Baldwin). The two killers are hired by an invisible Texas gangster to kidnap nine-year-old Travis (Harley Cross), a witness to a mob assassination under the Witness Protection Program, along with his parents. While Cohen simply shoots Travis' father and his assigned agents with a pistol, Tate brutally blasts them away with a shotgun like the homicidal maniac he is.


Once the parents and agents are eliminated, Cohen and Tate are tasked with bringing Travis from Oklahoma to Houston to face their mob boss. To their surprise, however, they learn over the radio that Travis' father survived the gunshot wound from Cohen. Travis senses the growing tension between the two killers and gradually uses mind games to get them to rebel against each other.

“Cohen & Tate” is an unrelenting highway nightmare

Image via MGM.

Much like the nightmarish roller coaster ride of Red's The Hitcher, Cohen & TateThe story largely takes place from the perspective of a young boy and is a dark, down-to-earth fairy tale. Taking place primarily in the killer's car on a pitch-black highway at night, the film does not feature a standard hero on a white horse coming to save the day. Whenever Travis thinks he can find hope through a working patrolman or an innocent gas station attendant, Each of them falls victim as Cohen and Tate put their differences aside.


A significant moment in the middle of the film is when the murderers are stopped at a police roadblock. Instead of surrendering, the killers hold Travis at gunpoint and force the police to handcuff themselves. Tate then blows up the patrol cars at the roadblock to keep the police away from them. This sequence makes it clear that both assassins are desperate to complete their mission and have no affection for Travis. Since no cavalry comes to save him, Travis is forced to keep one of his captors close to survive the nightmare.

The story never details why the Texas mobster hired Cohen and Tate for this particular job. Still, there are hints that the job is less about Travis and more about the killers turning on each other. For all his TerminatorBecause of her presence, Tate is too reckless and mentally frail to be employed. He is able to sabotage the job because, if the worst comes to the worst, he has the desire to kill Travis himself. Yet despite all the horrific acts Scheiders Cohen commits, he is physically vulnerable and adheres to a samurai-like moral code. He lives like a once great warrior who will soon be sent out to pasture. Despite his villainous behavior, Cohen remains a strict professional, preferring to keep Travis alive to get to Houston rather than kill him for his troubles.


Roy Scheider is a likeable villain in “Cohen & Tate”

Roy Scheider as Cohen and Harley Cross as Travis in Cohen and Tate
Image via Shirtale Film Corporation

What makes Scheider, like Cohen, so compelling is his sense of impending doom. With previous hero roles as Chief Brody in Jaw and Officer Murphy enter Blue thunderScheider's characters are largely defiant in the face of a larger threat. With Cohen, however, the character senses that between the ride with the short-tempered Tate and the pursuit by the police, her own downfall is imminent. In the one unique moment where his softer side is shown, Cohen stops at a mailbox to deliver an envelope containing money to a loved one. This proves that he is in the killing business as a career criminal Cohen still has a personal connection that makes his inevitable fate even more tragic.


Cohen's defiance in keeping Travis alive to finish the job extends to the showdown with Tate. The two killers engage in a deadly shootout that leaves Cohen tied to Travis to protect both his investment and his life. Ideally, someone in Travis' position would find a way out and allow the killers to kill each other. This conflict becomes clear when Cohen loses his hearing aid during the shooting. Sensing the fear and vulnerability of the otherwise cold-hearted Cohen, Much to his relief, Travis returns the hearing aid. But even after he manages to dispose of Tate, the badly wounded Cohen still spends his final moments driving from Travis to Houston at gunpoint until the police finally close in. The frequent changes in Cohen's behavior allow this to happen Cohen & Tate never to fall into the trap of characters becoming too soft in their relationships.


In the end, Cohen & Tate is an exciting story about two completely different types of evil people Scheider delivers a haunting performance as a villain whose humanity contrasts with his hard-edged hero roles. Scheider's appearance in Cohen & Tate was unfortunately overlooked, although the crime thriller should be remembered as one of his best.

Cohen & Tate is available to rent on YouTube in the US

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