Getting Even (1986 film)

Content sourced from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Getting Even is a 1986 American action thriller directed by Dwight H. Little. It stars Edward Albert, Audrey Landers, Joe Don Baker, and Caroline Williams. The story follows an extortion plot in Dallas involving a stolen supply of Russian nerve gas. A mercenary named Tag Taggar brings the nerve gas to the United States for analysis, and a greedy rancher, King Kenderson, uses it for an extortion scheme. Taggar teams with FBI agent Paige Starson to stop Kenderson and prevent a citywide gas disaster. In some markets, the film was released under the title Hostage: Dallas.

Production notes: The movie was produced by AGH Productions as its first feature, inspired by the Bhopal disaster. It used many Texas-based crew and locations to keep costs down, with a budget around $2.2–$2.8 million. Filming took place July–August 1985 in and around Dallas, including Seagoville, a ranch in Mansfield, and scenes at Reunion Tower and other Dallas sites. The climactic helicopter chase was shot over the Trinity River. Audrey Landers helped recruit cast members, and Joe Don Baker’s on-set behavior was a noted challenge for the crew. The project relied on local talent for many roles.

Release: Getting Even had a charity premiere in Dallas on February 25, 1986, and opened in Texas on February 28, 1986. It opened in New York on May 1 and Los Angeles on May 16. In Europe, it was released as Hostage: Dallas, with a limited UK release in September 1986. It arrived on home video in January 1987 in the U.S. via Vestron Video, and Virgin Video released it in the UK on September 26, 1986. The film was distributed by American Distribution Group.

Reception: The film received mainly negative reviews. Some critics praised the low-budget practicality and action scenes, while others criticized the plot and dialogue. A few reviewers noted Baker’s performance as a standout, but overall the reception was mixed to unfavorable.