Fair Is Fair

If there's going to be any nudity in a movie, it's far more likely to be women than men. I think the statistics will bear me out on that as much as the perception. I mostly don't complain like maybe I should, being as eager for full equality as the next person, but I like to think I have some appreciation for the rare movie that makes any attempt to balance the scales. One of those is "Tango & Cash", at least a little bit. Fair is fair, you know?

The titular cops are framed for a murder and thrown into a brutal prison. One of the first things they do once there (and one of the only things they are in prison long enough to do) is take a shower. The pair of them walk into the shower room entirely naked, never stopping the barrage of wisecracks that constitute the vast majority of dialogue in the film. It was an eye-opening moment in the film, expecting as I did the first time an action movie that would only have female nudity.

Like I said, though, fair is fair. I don't know for sure how eager women were or are to see Kurt Russell and Sylvester Stallone's asses, but there they were. It had to be popular with at least some people, and probably not just women. Perhaps they were even disappointed that the movie was content to settle only for their asses. Even in the year 2013 (approaching 2014), full frontal nudity is not too common, for men especially. I can only think of a few examples myself.

I guess a Stallone movie is not one that was going to press the limits of decency, but it's something. Sure, the movie depicts more women naked more often, but what's good for the goose is good for the gander, and the two stars of the film deserve at least a little credit for putting themselves out there. It's even pretty cool that it was a gratuitous display. They're going to talk about who set them up while naked in the shower? That's some good, degrading nudity.