MEN AT WORK

US, 1990, 98 minutes, Colour.
Emilio Estevez, Charlie Sheen, Leslie Hope, Keith David.
Directed by Emilio Estevez.

Men at Work was written, directed and stars Emilio Estevez. (He had done the same for his message action film of 1986, Wisdom.) He co-stars with his brother Charlie Sheen (who had appeared in Wisdom and who co-starred in Young Guns).

The film is designed as a comedy with a message. The film is about the '80s to '90s theme of the environment and disposal of waste. The villain is an industrialist who is unscrupulous and corrupts politicians and the police. He is also presented as a well-dressed idiot. His thugs are presented also as offhandedly callous but figures of fun.

The heroes are the two garbage men who have ambitions to set up a surf shop. With their lackadaisical ways, they are caught up in a murder and political corruption - and acquit themselves, of course, with great ingenuity and heroism (but not without fear). Estevez and Sheen work genially together.

Estevez must me a fan of Alfred Hitchcock because there are many echoes of Rear Window and The Trouble With Harry.

1.The title, expectations? Comic story, crime story, political and social issues?

2.California locations, the city, the beachfront, apartments, industrial plants? The authentic look of the locations? Giving a sense of realism? The musical score and the range of songs?

3.Comic book style, farce and comedy, the Hitchcock echoes?

4.The theme of chemical waste? The threat to the environment with the dumping of the drums in the Pacific? Max, watching with binoculars on the beach, the well-dressed comic villain? The threat from Jack and taping him? Corrupt politics? Max's threats, Jack taping him? The comic thugs but their brutality? Police chief and corruption? The murder of Jack? The wrong tape? Max and his getting the thugs to threaten Susan? With the machine at the end? The showdown and his comeuppance? His getting rid of people as waste? His finally being immersed in the waste?

5.The theme of ecology, toxic waste in the ocean, garbage and waste, money, the environment?

6.The theme of garbage, ordinary garbage and disposal, waste, collection, information in people's garbage, dumping ground for corpses, rubbish and garbage as humiliation and practical joke material?

7.Carl and James, their friendship, working together, hopes for the surf shop, their friends, harassed by the police, their boss and his complaints, sending his brother-in-law to supervise them, surfing, noise and the clatter, becoming involved in serious issues?

8.James waking up on the beach, the joker, his temper, friendship with Carl, driving back into the rival truck (and the various revenges of the balloon in the glove box, the balloon and the refuse in the lockers - and the practical jokers getting their comeuppance)? His philosophy of life, antagonism towards Louie, his French fries? Working with Carl, not wanting him to shoot, wanting to go to the police? Finding Jack in the drum? Siding with Louie? Watching the apartment, watching Susan? Wheeling the corpse around, the pizza man seeing him, his being abducted? James on guard? Moving the body around? Stopped by the police, stripping them for their revenge? Finding Carl and Susan, the truck with no brakes, hanging on the back of the disposal truck with Carl, holding people to ransom with the air gun, the chaos at the dump, heroism and fight, the resolution?

9.Carl as serious, the echoes of Rear Window as he watched everybody with his binoculars? Information as regards Susan? His airgun shot to Jack Berger's ad? Working with James, the clatter, discussing his break-up with his girlfriend? Placating Louie? Shooting Berger after his attack on Susan? His fear, going over to see Susan, knocked over, his suave manner and the lies, her flirting with him, going out, on the beach, the car exploding, being taken by the thugs, put in the drums with the waste, getting out, saving Susan, heroism in the final fight?

10.Louie, his brother-in-law the boss, his being serious, Vietnam memories, tough, race attitudes, his French fries, antagonism towards the police, not wanting to go about the body, taking the pizza man captive and imagining him as Viet Cong, the pursuit of the enemy, the fights?

11.Jack, his corruption, taping Max, changing his mind, relationship with Susan, the tape, the murder? Daryl Larsen acting as the corpse - in the drum, with the hat on as a drunk, with the police, in the car, with the Nixon mask, being carried everywhere?

12.Susan, toughness in the campaign, her style, watched by Carl, attractive, flirting with Carl, going out, the kissing, the explosion, slapping him twice for his prying on her and lying, in the drum, rescued, sharing in the final heroics?

13.The two garbage men following, their rivalry, the practical jokes, destroying the brakes, and the final revenge?

14.The picture of the police, poking fun at the police, the gay overtones, the humiliation?

15.How well did the film work as serious comedy?