Is The Real McCoy the Real Deal?

A Val Kilmer deep cut is outshined by its source flick, Bellman and True

Hello everyone! Wow, where has the time gone? Last thing I remember, I made a February Valentine’s Day post, and then I completely blacked out… Huh. Well anyway, let’s just jump right into it.

With the recent passing of late, great, and cool Val Kilmer, I was interested in checking out one of his deep cuts, and after a short bit of searching, I came across the 1993 action heist flick The Real McCoy by Russell Mulcahy, the man who helmed Highlander. I couldn’t find it anywhere online so I figured it was meant to be on C&C.

When learning more about The Real McCoy, I found out that it was actually a remake of a 1987 British heist film called Bellman and True directed by Richard Loncraine and starring Bernard Hill. Spoiler alert: Bellman and True is the real gem of this double feature. But I’m getting ahead of myself.

The Quick Gist

In The Real McCoy, Karen McCoy is the pro of all pro bank robbers. But after getting nabbed, and subsequently paroled, she tries to turn her life around and live a normal life with her son. Of course, her old crew has other plans for her.

Bellman and True follows a computer genius on the run with his son, desperately trying to evade a group of criminals he wronged. When they find him, they use his son as collateral to strong arm him to break into a ultra high security bank.

The Real McCoy

Before there was Chris Sheherlis, the ultra cool, professional bank robber in Heat, there was J.T. Barker (Val Kilmer), the bumbling gas station stick ‘em up style, small time crook. Nothing close to the real deal. Not even worthy to play second fiddle next to someone like Karen McCoy (Kim Basinger), the needs-no-intro bank thief who did six years after a botched robbery. After taking the fall for her ex-boss Jack (Terence Stamp), she’s released on parole. But of course she’s faced with an uncaring world who wants nothing to do with a thieving ex-con. To make matters worse, her bum of an ex-husband told their son that she was dead. McCoy just can’t catch a break.

It’s a formula we’ve seen: thief gets out of the clinker, tries to go straight, but is forced to do one more job. In this case, Jack and his goons kidnap McCoy’s son and use him as ransom to get her to do their bidding. J.T. has been wanting in with this crowd for a long time, and thinks the super cool McCoy is his way in. But when he realizes that Jack and his crew are actual bad guys — not just good natured bank robbers — he quickly chooses to help McCoy in whatever way he can.

This whole thing is very 90s, with some nice blue for night lighting that gives the flick some visual flair. But unfortunately, it all comes out pretty sauceless in the end.

Kilmer is probably the best thing about this, but I suppose it’s been swept under the rug for a reason. By the time we get into what should be the good stuff, it just feels like a lifeless Thief rip-off. You’d think a movie starring Kim Basinger, Val Kilmer, and Terence Stamp might have a little more going for it, but that’s just the way goes. Oh well!

Bellman and True

As I mentioned, I realized after being let down by The Real McCoy, that the movie was a remake of Richard Loncraine’s British thriller heist film, Bellman and True, itself based off a book by the same name. Knowing that Loncraine also directed The Haunting of Julia/Full Circle — a movie previously featured on C&C, and one that I really liked — I was hopeful. And it’s safe to say I was not let down!

Hiller (Bernard Hill) a super computer whiz is on the run with his son, desperately trying to stay one step ahead of a gang of crooks that he’s double crossed. But of course, Hiller’s luck runs out, the crooks catch up, and they hold his son hostage to force the poor chap to complete his end of the bargain. His job? Help break into a bank with top notch security using his bag of whiz kid tricks.

Hiller’s a good man, wants the best for his stepson after his mother abandoned them, but the poor bastard has been totally beaten down. He’s borderline pathetic, getting pushed around by his captors, by life itself. There’s a backbone in there somewhere, Hiller’s just gotta find it.

Unlike The Real McCoy, this movie just feels so much more authentic. It’s just better in every conceivable way. It’s moodier, actually thrilling and tense, filled with real pathos, and has a rough around the edges realism. Colin Towns, who also worked on Full Circle with Loncraine, does a great job with the score. And it’s real neat watching how Hiller uses a bunch of 80s computer gadgets to get the job done. Just a great movie overall! Produced by HandMade Films, Bellman and True would make for a wonderful double feature with their other epic crime film, The Long Good Friday.

So, there you have it. If you were only in the mood to watch one of these flicks, I would highly suggest Bellman and True. If you’re a Kilmer completist and a total 90s enthusiast, you could go for The Real McCoy. Or watch both like I did! But again, Bellman and True is where it’s at.

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