8 Heads in a Duffel Bag

1997 "A mindless comedy."
5.4| 1h35m| R| en| More Info
Released: 18 April 1997 Released
Producted By: Orion Pictures
Country: United States of America
Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
Official Website:
Info

Mafia hitman Tommy Spinelli is flying to San Diego with a bag that holds eight severed heads, which he's bringing to his superiors to prove that some troublesome rival mobsters are permanently out of the picture. When his bag gets accidentally switched at the airport, Tommy must track down his duffel bag and the 8 heads it contains.

Genre

Comedy, Crime

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Director

Tom Schulman

Production Companies

Orion Pictures

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8 Heads in a Duffel Bag Audience Reviews

Smartorhypo Highly Overrated But Still Good
Stevecorp Don't listen to the negative reviews
Philippa All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.
Bob This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.
Jason Lloyd (cjase22007) This movie is such an under rated gem. Great writing and great cast. From one of the producers of Dumb and Dumber, it totally works as a comedy. Very fun. It's a little over the top, but very funny. Great for a Friday or Saturday night with the guys. I just found my favorite movie!
Mark Turner I can barely recall seeing this film when it was first released. I remembered that it was funny but couldn't recall the details. In the end that was a good thing as I had a solid belly laugh or two while watching it this time around. It also reminded me of what a hilarious comedic actor Joe Pesci was at the time and how I'm sure fans would love to see more of him now.The movie tells the story of Tommy (Pesci), a mid-level mobster/bagman whose been given an assignment: take the heads of 8 recently wiped out mobsters from the east coast to San Diego and top dog Big Sepp as proof they've been killed. Tommy is he sort of guy who has few manners if any and is used to getting his way. His time on the airplane both in getting the heads on and the problems he encounters there off the first few laughs.On the plane he sits next to Charlie (Andy Comeau), a pre-med student on his way to spend the weekend with his girlfriend Laurie (Kristy Swanson) and her parents Dick and Annette (George Hamilton and Dyan Cannon) in Mexico. Tommy treats Charlie with the same disdain he does everyone. Eventually circumstances result in his carryon bag being pushed back to luggage which is what starts his problems.At the airport in San Diego Tommy grabs the wrong bag. It's identical to the one Charlie put in luggage earlier in the film. Finding the book Charlie was writing in the other bag Tommy must now figure out where to find him. A call to his dorm room results in a less than helpful roommate (David Spade) hanging up on him causing Tommy to catch a flight to the college to extract information.In the meantime Charlie has arrived in Mexico to be greeted by Laurie and her parents. There he gets the news from Laurie that she intends to break up with him. As he tells her this is her bowing to the will of her parents who are not fond of Charlie since he apparently hasn't determined his plans for the future.Once in his room Charlie discovers the heads in the bag he's brought with him and freaks out. This begins the comedic moments where different people discover the heads, a dog tries to abscond with a head and various things happen to cause heads to go missing. As this plays out, Tommy arrives to interrogate Charlie's two roommates for some humorous moments as well.Eventually the two characters and their accompanying groups merge once more as well as the original killers now wondering why Tommy has yet to deliver the heads. It all ends in hilarity in some of the darkest comedy ever put on screen.The worst part of the film: Comeau. My guess is that this was one of the earliest things he'd done and it shows. He's not terrible per se but his is the weakest performance in the film. The character comes off like an early John Cusak sort but he doesn't quite have the acting chops yet to pull it off.The best part of the film: a dream sequence where Pesci has lined up all 8 heads on a desk in his motel room and they come alive and start singing "Mr. Sandman". It's one of those moments you find yourself going back to again and again to watch, laughing each and every time.Twilight Time is releasing this film and has done an excellent job on the transfer, but then what else would we expect of them? Extras as is often the case are limited with just the original theatrical trailer and an isolated score track. Once again the pressing of this film is limited to just 3,000 copies so if it's one that you remember and enjoyed in the past make sure you pick up a copy before they're gone. And if you're a friend of someone who picks it up, have them bring it over, pop some corn, open the beverage of your choice and be prepared to laugh and have fun.
Lee Eisenberg Maybe "8 Heads in a Duffel Bag" isn't so bad if we just accept it as totally ridiculous. I can't say the same if we try to take it seriously. Joe Pesci plays a hit-man who has to deliver several heads, but lo and behold, he gets the wrong bag, leading to some rather predictable situations.As for the rest of the cast, David Spade provides some laughs during the scenes that he shares with Joe Pesci; other than that, not even George Hamilton or Dyan Cannon seem able to do anything (Kristy Swanson, I believe, is best known for "Buffy the Vampire Slayer"). To make matters worse, the movie makes Mexico look like a place where you can only expect to get drug into unpleasant situations, whether on the street, in a hotel, or in the airport.Oh well. It's still better than "Demolition Man".
jwhoopi Worth seeing despite the title. Funny Movie, ridiculous premise actually pulled off. Todd Louiso was funny as the roommate and Pesci of course convincing as the killer. Lots of twists, and it doesn't get too predictable. Good lighthearted pick.