At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

It's a good bad... and worth a popcorn matinée. While it's easy to lament what could have been...

Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.

It is encouraging that the film ends so strongly.Otherwise, it wouldn't have been a particularly memorable film

Disclaimer: If you are a viewer that mainly prefers art-house-type movies, then you might as well ignore this review. In addition, if you're not able to take an action buddy cop movies, ignore this review, as well. We'll both be better off.The Rookie (1990) is an underrated action buddy cop from Clint Eastwood and Charlie Sheen and it is one of my favorite action flicks from Clint Eastwood. Even for underrated is still my action film that I have grew up with it. Fun. Underrated. Don't make em like this now. Tough and gritty, fires with a full clip. Eastwood and Sheen are terrific together. If Lethal Weapon is the granddaddy of buddy cop films, then The Rookie is the bastard child of that genre. Clint Eastwood and Charlie Sheen make for an odd paring, but then again even Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker would do it in Rush Hour almost a decade later. The Rookie offers nothing new from the buddy cop venture and that said it doesn't mean the movie is a total waste. Eastwood is at his usual sarcastic fun, while Charlie Sheen played he was under the substance abuse problems. Eastwood reportedly took on a father-figure role in disciplining Sheen into responsible behavior. Anyway the film is as good as one can expect from one of the lesser known Eastwood 90's offerings.This was one of Raul Julia's memorable movies that I remember it, Raul Julia and Sonia Braga did a fine job as a team of criminals against two cops Clint Eastwood and Charlie Sheen. I know this movie is very underrated and forgotten Clint Eastwood's movies just like Firefox (1982) another Clint Eastwood's flick. Both of the movies have the same scores on IMDb 5,8 and 5,9 in my opinion The Rookie is better movie than Firefox (1982)! This film is my favorite action flick and it is in my Blu-ray collection. I love this movie as well I love other Eastwood movies. This film Entertains out of me. I love this movie I have great time watching of this movie. Where every where I see any better this movie, it brings a great smile on my face. This is interesting type of film in the way of that is slight in a pretense real powerhouse Clint Eastwood Academy Award-winner directing type of stuff in filmography, and Eastwood just play around in genre, he doesn't try to do anything groundbreaking or independent or any kind a big heavy one, you just have good old fun time watching this flick. Seems that everyone in this film had a blast doing this movie and doing a buddy cop action movie. Real dopes chemistry between the lead cops and the murderer criminal thieves.This was very good and lots of action. I like the scene when Clint is having sex with Sonia Braga when she has him handcuffed to a chair LOL. Laura Flynn Boyle who was Charlie Sheen's wife used to be hot. She looks terrible now LOL. She should've never messed with her face. This was the last good action movie Clint did. He's directed a lot of shitty movies after The Rookie. When you work with Clint Eastwood and Charlie Sheen, it's not just a job, IT'S A F****** ADVENTURE!!! This movie is an hidden gem, to me this is better than lethal weapon 4. As an ardent Eastwood fan, I would agree that The Rookie isn't one of his best films, but not bad, either. It seems like it was too long and complicated, for some reason. And Charlie Sheen's poor acting didn't help. I have enjoyed the action scenes, the gun play and the rape. This is action packed movie with spectacular action sequences Eastwood has ever filmed. A freeway becomes a an 80-mph bumper car game. A barrio bar busts open like a giant piñata. The two drive trough a wall to escape an exploding building...five stories up. Fasten your seat belt.This is Clint Eastwood's last good action flick and even tough the movie was a flop in blockbusters in the 90's it is still fun film to watch and it is never boring. It is my favorite Clint Eastwood's movie. It is a shame this movie is forgotten and almost no one talk's about it. 3 cars drop off at Storm's lorry where to cause the accident chaos because there's lot of bad guys in it! Academy Award and Golden Globe-winner Clint Eastwood ("Million Dollar Baby," "Unforgiven") and Golden Globe-winner Charlie Sheen (TV's "Two and A Half Men," "Wall Street") star as a tough police veteran and a young idealistic cop who team up to battle a car theft ring. The movie focus more about a mastermind car thief ring who specialized for car jacking and selling them on a black market. The basic plot and the story are good to me. I am really wondering am I the only one who loves this action flick? and I think it is too underrated for Clint Eastwood fans! Anyway this movie get's 9/10 out for me I still have enjoy it.The Rookie is a 1990 buddy cop film directed by Clint Eastwood and produced by Howard G. Kazanjian, Steven Siebert and David Valdes. It was written from a screenplay conceived by Boaz Yakin and Scott Spiegel. The film stars Charlie Sheen, Clint Eastwood, Raul Julia, Sonia Braga, Lara Flynn Boyle, and Tom Skerritt.9/10 Grade: A- Studio: Warner Bros., Malpaso Productions, Kazanjian/Siebert Productions Starring: Clint Eastwood, Charlie Sheen, Raúl Juliá, Sônia Braga, Tom Skerritt, Lara Flynn Boyle, Marco Rodríguez, Hal Williams Director: Clint Eastwood Producers: Howard G. Kazanjian, Steven Siebert, David Valdes Screenplay: Boaz Yakin, Scott Spiegel Rated: R Running Time: 2 Hrs. 00 Mins. Budget: $21.633.874 Box Office: $21,633,874

I believe that The Rookie would be most enjoyed by those who are 13 and up. I can't really evaluate Clint Eastwood's acting because I always love seeing him in any film he does. I can't really evaluate Charlie Sheen's performance because I don't care much about him and his acting. I did find that the Rookie moved along at a decent pace and kept me interested in the film throughout. I like cop films. I think it is always good to see cops as humans and not just uniformed officers of the law. Overall, I found the movie quite enjoyable. The Rookie will not be a "cop classic" like Dirty Harry, but so what. It provides an evening of entertainment. Better have the popcorn already made and sit back and enjoy. I give it four thumbs up.

The Rookie is better than some of the reviews on here suggest . While not the best Eastwood cop / action movie, or the best buddy cop action/ comedy . The Rookie is still enjoyable , well performed and well cast. Eastwood and Sheen had good chemistry and Raul Julia did a nice job as the villain . The action and stunts are in abundance here. A little overdone for an Eastwood film . However, this is very comparable to the other action films of this period. The Rookie is fast, furious and funny . It is not the best movie of its type , but I enjoyed it much more than The Dead Pool (my least favorite Eastwood film ). The Rookie has more in common with Lethal Weapon and other 80's action movies than Dirty Harry. Good for the genre and worth watching.

The scene with Sonia Braga raping Clint Eastwood would've been, for its stupidity, the lowest point in any other film. In "The Rookie" it's one of the highlights. The other one being the scene with Charlie Sheen trashing a biker bar. For some reason I like to watch them over and over again.Everything else seems to have been built around the two scenes and, consequently, has "filler" written all over. Eastwood was never a good actor. He's got a remarkable screen presence, but that alone, in this case, was not enough. He's a very good director, though, but here he didn't even bother with that. Overall, it's as if he wasn't sure whether he wants a relaxed action flick, or a suspense thriller, or a 70's type crime drama. For an action flick it's rather claustrophobic and noir, for a suspense thriller it's way too predictable (to the point of camp) and the dialog is very corny. For a crime drama it's terribly stilted and lacking in mise-en-scène. Even with all that aside, the timing was all over the place and many potentially good scenes were ruined by disinterested directing and editing.Before the clichés really began to plague Hollywood industry, the Rookie was already boasting many of them. The rookie cop maturing into an experienced crime-buster. The veteran cop aiming to score a big case. The criminal mastermind (not too bright, mind you). The yelling police captain.I don't know if cheesiness of dialog should be seen as a cliché - but this film has got it a-plenty. Same goes for miscasting. Charlie Sheen is wooden, Tom Skerritt is wasted, Pepe Serna acts like he's auditioning for "Ace Ventura", Sonia Braga is hardly worth a mention... and Raul Julia, as good actor as he was, could NEVER pass off as a German.