Cohen and Tate is a
1989 thriller/action/suspense film starring
Roy Scheider and
Adam Baldwin, written and directed by
Eric Red, the writer of
The Hitcher and
Near Dark.
Plot
Two professional assassins are sent to kidnap a 9 year old boy named Travis Knight (
Harley Cross), who is under the
United States Federal Witness Protection Program after he witnessed a mob killing in
Texas. Cohen (
Roy Scheider), the older, jaded assassin with a little bit of humanity still in him. Tate (
Adam Baldwin), the younger, hotheaded and psychopathic killer. The two
hitmen assassinate the boy's parents and the agent who protected them with the help of another agent who lets them get in the house and then runs away. They capture Travis, and then they try to bring him before their employer, according to the orders. When Travis hears this from Cohen himself, he seizes the rising antagonism between his hijackers and starts entangling and putting one against the other in order to survive. When his captors are distracted Travis escapes and is soon picked up by a trooper who is later shot in the head by Cohen whilst he's driving. Once again they capture Travis and hear on the radio that the boy's father survived the attack and is only injured, and the police is after their trail. Tate wants to get rid of Travis but Cohen does not. They argue about it until they find a
Roadblock ahead and manage to escape by threatening to kill Travis and blowing up the police patrols. They swap cars with a driver after he gets brass knuckles in the face from Tate. Cohen suddenly stops driving and parks beside a mailbox. Without saying a word, with an expression of grief that comes from the suspicion of what could be his last job, he sends all his payment and his watch in a letter to his wife. Travis manages to eventually turn his captors on each other when he realizes that Tate is about to shoot the sleepy Cohen while he is driving, and he shouts at Cohen, warning him. This enrages Tate, who calls Travis a liar. Travis spits at Tate, an when the latter one tries to harm him he ends up getting shot and chucked out of the moving car by Cohen, who later dumps his body in the trunk. A stop at the gas station leaves an overly curious attendant getting shot through a glass door after he sees blood coming out of the car's trunk and whilst calling for help. Cohen goes to check on Tate only to be jumped by his now enraged partner, who springs out of the trunk and batters Cohen senseless. Then he reveals to have been wearing a bulletproof vest. Travis manages to drive the car away from Tate and then hides in a mining site. Cohen reappears and handcuffs Travis to his wrist. Tate stalks them in the dark. When Cohen moves abruptly to shoot where he thinks Tate is, he loses his
Hearing Aid. Travis finds it but hesitates about speaking out. Cohen looks at Travis with fear in his eyes and pleas for help. Travis gives him the hearing aid and Cohen thanks him. When they are escaping Tate suddenly comes out and shoots Cohen, who takes a shell to the shoulder and appears to pass out. Tate advances on Travis before being blasted back by Cohen, sending him to fall beneath a mining construction and to be splattered everywhere by the machines. When he gets to Houston, Cohen is cornered on the highway and tries to shoot Travis but the boy lets him know that he can't do it and they both know it. Then Cohen collides against a roadblock in his last attempt to escape. When the car breaks down in the city he is totally surrounded. Holding Travis close to him he cocks his gun, points him and asks: "How old are you kid? Travis answers "nine", and then Cohen says while he looks up "nine, uh? How about that?", and shoots himself through the throat and his brain, dying immediately.
Cast
