A motorbike riding loner rebel on the high school football team wins a date with a cute, rich cheerleader. At the high school dance, her boyfriend's behavior leads to a breakup - opening doors.
1984's Reckless was a film of firsts. Not only did it mark the film debut of actor Aidan Quinn, it also marked the first feature film of it's director, James Foley and it's writer, Christopher Columbus. I rewatched the hot love story over and over as a kid, pausing the VHS tape and rewatching Quinn in so many scenes.
Yes, the nude scenes, over and over, but also so many other great scenes as well. Quinn really embodied the hot bad boy and he smoldered throughout the film, beautifully in the role of the brooding Rourke. Quinn wasn't the first actor offered the role however. Maxwell Caulfield was originally offered the lead role, but decided to turn it down. Caulfield had just finished Grease 2 and did not want to play another character in a film set at high school who rides a motorbike. Caulfield later regretted the decision As great as Quinn is in the role, I can't help but also imagine Caulfield in those nude scenes...
For those of you who remember watching the initial VHS release, you'll remember that in addition to the frontal in the bedroom, Quinn also went full frontal in the shower scene. Sadly, with the format change to DVD and Blu-Ray, the second frontal in the shower, (see clip below) was cropped.
'When Aidan Quinn appeared in his first movie, Reckless, in 1984, he was widely extolled as the latest incarnation of either James Dean or Montgomery Clift.'
Springer.com
Rewatching Reckless recently on TCM, I was struck by just how 80's the film feels. The look, the tone, and of course the movie. I was also struck by how director Foley and writer Columbus gave us two fully conceived characters. Yes, the male skin is a draw, but the story and the emotion also pull you in and it's a really well written story and well directed and acted film.
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