The Giver

It's the day before Christmas, so it would be logical to write about that, but you know very well that I'm in the middle of my series of indeterminate length on the subject of "Tango & Cash". If this helps tie it in, let me assure you that the film in question makes an excellent Christmas gift for anyone in your family (and don't kid yourself: kids have to learn about complicated narcotrafficker revenge schemes sometime). The point is, I'm talking about Tango & Cash.

Let's get to the character who most closely resembles Santa Claus, Owen. This requires that we jump ahead to after Tango and Cash escape the prison where they are sent to be killed by Perret's thugs. Owen is some kind of tech genius who works for the LAPD. He is something like Q from the James Bond film, except there's no logical reason to think either that he could be so well funded or that he could come up with the stuff he has all on his own.

Gabe Cash comes to him upon escape and gets some guns. Owen is an awfully generous guy, like Santa Claus. Later, Cash returns with Ray Tango before they go after Perret. A good sign that it's the late '80s is that Owen gives them a heavily armed van which he has apparently been developing for the police force. How he could have come up with it or what the LAPD's use for such a vehicle could be, I'm not able to venture a guess.

Not only is Owen a peerless genius of invention, he is also apparently a bottomless well of critical intel. He provides our titular cops with most of the information about Perret that they ever have. Now, lest it seem that I'm really riding on the character, I like Owen. He rises above being just a plot device by being fun, likable and memorable. He's a goofy guy whose exchanges with the titular cops as they battle Perret are very enjoyable. Watching him is just like Christmas.