Beyond the Law (1994)

Long before he went on his "winning" streak, Charlie Sheen was actually a pretty decent actor and while he's always had a wild side to him, he was also a little bit down to earth (at least more to down to earth than he is now). One of the movies that Charlie starred in in his hey day was a little movie from HBO called "Beyond the Law" in 1993. In it, Charlie stars as Daniel Saxon, a small town cop who's struggling with demons from his past as well as his identity of being half Native American when out of the blue, he gets an offer from a federal agent (the underrated Courtney B. Vance) to infiltrate a brutal biker gang known as the Jackals. With the help of a biker misfit named Virgil (the constant scene stealing Leon Rippy) Saxon is able to learn how to act, think, and look like a real mean biker. His performance is so good in fact, that the club's leader, Blood (played by the always menacing Michael Madsen) actually offers Saxon membership in the club.However, the deeper Daniel goes undercover, the more trouble he has in keeping his soul from descending into the dark hell permanently. The story is also able to draw on the character's Native American roots and provide a spiritual allegory of losing one's self to the darkness and finding it again. What's more, this was apparently based on a true story; however, like a lot of Hollywood true tales, I'm sure the filmmakers decided to add a little embellishment here and there. Still, the real life agent (his real name being Dan Black) did serve as a technical adviser and does appear somewhere in the film as an extra. Another thing that adds to the film is the surprisingly good soundtrack that accompanies the action. I say surprisingly because, for the most part, the soundtrack is done by unknowns but it just goes to show you that you don't need famous musicians to do a good soundtrack; sometimes just any good musicians will do the trick. Also starring the beautiful Linda Fiorentino as a photo journalist who helps lead Daniel away from the darkness and in a small role, the legendary Rip Torn, "Beyond the Law" is a nice way to kill some time by providing you with a good story and some really nice motorcycles. 9 out of 10. P.S. watch out for those outlaw bikers.

I am a big fan of Charlie Sheen's work and in my opinion this was his best roll ever. The fact that the movie had so much suspense in it and all these bad ass bikers would make you think it was just made up but it is actually a true story which makes it so awesome to watch. Charlie Sheen and Michael Madsen really make this enjoyable to watch and you will appreciate the acting especially for an older action movie. The very sexy talented Linda Fiorentino was also in the film and she did a great job on her roll. I don't want to give away anything about the story so I wont tell anything. Just keep in mind cops, bikers, guns, and drugs. If you want to buy the movie on DVD or rent it don't ask for Beyond The Law. The name of the movie was changed to Fixing The Shadow and its pretty rare to find now so you may have to do some hunting for it (its worth it) 10 out of 10 for the best true story film I have ever seen!

I like Michael Madsen (Kill Bill, Sin City, Reservoir Dogs), and he really is a crazy SOB in this film based on a true story about an ex-cop who goes undercover and almost loses it.Charlie Sheen ("Two and a Half Men") is more buff than I ever remember seeing him. Maybe it's that good life as a jingle writer that has taken the edge off. He is fighting demons from his childhood as he takes on the toughest job one could imagine. At least he gets the best looking girl in the film - Linda Fiorentino (Dogma, Unforgettable).The film could have done with a lot more action to be a real motorcycle flick, but it was tense and raw enough for a couple of hours entertainment.

I also felt this was a great story and very underrated. At the time, it was an A- movie and never appeared in our local theaters. My first experience with it was on video. I've watched it several times since then, in various venues, and think it's some of Charlie Sheen's finest work. It is unfortunate that he did not win any awards for his work int his film. His real life character seems to parallel the life of the character in the story, which may be why he was able to do such a fine job with it.Another interesting note about this story, as we are told at the end (And this is not really a serious spoiler)is that the real Dan Saxon appears as an extra in the movie, and the whole story is true. More than 200 people were arrested as a result of this Officer's work.The real Dan Saxon lives in Northern California with the girl he fell in love with during the story.