Although the love triangle is usually best left for soap operas, the very unusual one that develops in the movie Gunshy will enthrall you by sheer virtue of the three players. That’s right; I see this movie as a love story, both of friends and lovers. But for those of you who like gritty, film noir-ish crime thrillers, you might enjoy it as well.

Jake Bridges (William Peterson of CSI fame) is a seasoned writer who takes a “sabbatical” after finding his girlfriend having an affair. He heads for Atlantic City to booze it up for a month or more. Determined to feel even more pain, or maybe to wake himself up a bit, he picks a fight with the wrong sleazy goon, played with icky finesse by Meatloaf.  Whilst getting the proverbial shit kicked out of, or into him, he is rescued by Frankie McGregor. Frankie, played by a perfectly handsome Michael Wincott, is a “collections man” for a small time gangster family headed by a particularly unlikable, wheelchair bound Irishman named Lange.

The act of kindness shown by a thug to a stranger is immediately engaging. Frankie takes Jake home to be tended to by his girlfriend, Melissa, who happens to be a nurse. Of course his act of kindness does not go unpunished as the groggy Jake gets stars in his eyes upon seeing the lovely Melissa (Diane Lane). Rude and pompous by his own admittance, Jake leaves in the night without leaving a thank you note.

“Do I look like the kind of guy who reads thank you notes?” Frankie asks as Jake is sneaking out of the house. (BTW, that little white undershirt get’s under me britches, I mean skin, big time.)

Even though Jake seems unfriendly, Frankie decides he still wants to be his friend and maybe learn something of the world beyond Atlantic City’s crime world. The almost child-like eagerness of Frankie to better himself with the help of Bridges is charming to the viewer and wins over the brooding writer as well. In a review by Todd McCarthy in Variety, he says of Michael’s performance, “Wincott disarmingly plays against his sinister screen persona to fashion an outwardly tough guy with a deep supply of goodness aching to express itself.” This holds true as Jake sets about introducing Frankie to the world of great literature like “Moby Dick”, and McGregor takes the writer into the fold of his underworld. They go out on a “collection” run together and bond through the dangerous encounters.

Unknown to Frankie, Jake has pursued Melissa and they eventually share an afternoon of sex and companionship where the shy nurse tells Bridges she owes Frankie her life because he saved her from a life on the streets after a string of bad relationships. Also unknown to Frankie, is the fact that Jake has been working undercover for some slime ball cops who are trying to bring down Lange. Despite this, Jake continues to become pretty good friends with the ever enlightening Frankie.

As with all gangster driven stories there comes a bit of violence and betrayal which leads to a shootout. Michael’s expressions of utter shock at being turned on by his boss who seemed to think of Frankie as a son is priceless. When McGregor realizes he has in fact wasted so much time working for such an evil man who thinks so little of Frankie, he uses his gun for the first time in his life to kill as he shoots Lange and his goons. In the shootout he is injured and now the tables are reversed and Jake is there to take Frankie to safety and the care of Melissa.

In an emotional climax to the triangle, Jake can’t hide his duplicity any longer and tells Frankie the truth about working for the cops to set up him to get to Lange. Jakes swears he made them promise to leave Frankie out of prosecution in exchange for helping bust the boss, but now that Lange is dead all deals are off. Bridges urges Frankie and Melissa to run away. In the confusion, a woozy Frankie catches on to the closeness of Melissa and Bridges. Betrayed again, he wants to kill them both, but can’t because he loves Melissa and even Jake.

The writer holds off the cops as Frankie and Melissa escape. He gets put in jail for a couple of years, taking the opportunity to write a best-selling book about his experience, thinking he would never see or hear from his two friends again. As you feel the credits coming on, Jake gets a phone call in prison from Frankie who is on a Mexican beach. He asks for advice on what book to read next and tells Jake that he and Melissa are expecting a baby. Jake is pleased and thinks to himself, “it’s funny…people you don’t expect to love are the ones you never forget.”

If you are a fan of Michael, Billy Peterson (I love his chin dimple!) or Diane Lane, this movie is a must see. This is without doubt in my mind the most adorable Michael looked in the 90s. The locations in Atlantic City convey the bleak yet gaudy atmosphere, and the insights into the underworld are both frightening and fascinating. On a personal note: for any fan of the 1940s crime & cops movies, like myself, this is a pretty good attempt to capture that feel. I could see the role of Frankie easily being portrayed by Bogart. (How fitting that when Frankie first brings Jake home, Melissa is watching “Casablanca”.) Of course, like I’ve said before, I usually do see a little Bogie in our “Little Man”. Watch Gunshy for yourself and see if I’m right.