The Go-Go Boys: The Inside Story of Cannon Films

A unique documentary that shows where it all began. The drive these men had to make their films work is inspirational.

An inferior version of the Mark Hartley (Machete Maidens, Not Quite Hollywood) Cannon doc.The names Menahem Golan and Yoram Globus are synonymous with a great deal of fun at the movies throughout the 1980’s. From their years as independent Israeli film producers and movie theater owners and into their years of making a real go of it as filmmakers in Hollywood, these two cousins really conquered the industry for a handful of years in the 1980’s. They purchased the name “The Cannon Group” from another company and began churning out one movie after another, getting to the point where they had more than 40 films in production in a single year (1986, I believe), completely confounding the movie industry and flipping it onto its head. They’re best known for producing / directing action genre fodder, such as a slew of Charles Bronson flicks (all the Death Wish sequels, for example), Michael Dudikoff films (American Ninja, Platoon Leader, etc.), and a gamut of Chuck Norris pictures (including all three Missing in Action titles), but they’re also known for taking risky chances on heavy dramas such as Runaway Train, Othello from Franco Zeffirelli, and Love Streams from John Cassavetes. It should also be mentioned that Cannon produced a bunch of softcore erotic films like Bolero with Bo Derek and Mata Hari with Sylvia Kristel, which didn’t do the company any favors. All told, Cannon rose to spectacular heights, thanks to the “Go-Go Boys” behind it, with Golan gleefully taking on as many projects as possible, while Globus handled the financing and distributing, but with so much money going out and not enough coming in, the endeavor was bound to collapse under the sheer strain of so many projects. The problem with Cannon was that they never had a single bona fide smash hit (the breakdance films Breakin’ and its sequel Breakin’ 2: Electric Boogaloo are the only exceptions), and so there was nowhere left for the company to go but bust. The Go-Go Boys tells a rather genteel and kind true story of the partners who basically divorced and decades later buried the hatchet together after all of their differences.Rushed into production to beat a competing documentary called Electric Boogaloo: The Wild, Untold Story of Cannon Films, The Go-Go Boys basically tells the same story but without the pizzazz or breadth of topic. This film really concerns itself with the story of the two cousins and uses lots of interviews (especially with Golan and Globus), with other interviews interspersed, with tidbits from Jean-Claude Van Damme, Dudikoff, Billy Drago, and Eli Roth, to name a few. The interviews with the actors and filmmakers are so minimal that it’s unavoidably disappointing, but this film – unlike Electric Boogaloo – does have the participation of both Golan and Globus, so that’s a big plus. It’s a sweet story they’re telling here, but it’s nowhere near as fun or energetic as Electric Boogaloo in its presentation. Still, fans of Cannon will get information and first-hand accounts here that they couldn’t get from Electric Boogaloo, so it’s a perfect companion piece to that film. From director Hilla Medalia, whom you can hear asking her questions to her interview subjects.This MVD Rewind release of The Go-Go Boys and it comes with a reversible slipcover, plus a foldout poster.

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This film shows why you shouldn't let people make documentaries about themselves. It was so slow and boring and was nowhere near as insightful and entertaining as Electric Boogaloo. Im angry that i cant get the time that I spent watching this movie back. Dont waste your money on this and watch Electric Boogaloo: The untold story of Cannon Films, you will be much happier with the experience.

If you were going to the movies in the 80s then no doubt you were aware of Cannon Films. Founded by Israeli cousins Menahem Golan and Yoram Globus, they made their mark on Hollywood by making some of the biggest films of the time without the help of major Hollywood studios. They were outsiders who came in and pulled some of the top talent at the time into their films and made millions in the process. With over 300 films to the company’s credit you would think they’d still be busy. But that’s not the case.Filmmaker Hilla Medalia takes a look at the duo from their beginnings to the eventual collapse of their studio. Using a combination of archival footage, film clips and current interviews with both men she gets to the heart of the company and what happened, never giving ground to easy questions and searching for answers. In doing so we get a better grasp of the two men and what they actually achieved.Menahem, the elder of the two, was already making movies in Israel when the decided to join forces. This led to a series of successful films in Israel that were eventually released in the US as well. Deciding to take the risk of being major film producers the pair moved to the US, bought out the struggling Cannon Pictures company and made history. Working out of a small office they negotiated some of the biggest deals of the time.Their string of hits included most of the early films of Chuck Norris and Jean-Claude Van Damme. They brought Sylvester Stallone in on a few films. The same with Arnold Schwarzenegger. Menahem was the one overseeing the productions being made and Yoram was the money man, able to find the resources to get these films made.But they had different ideas of where they wanted to go. Menahem headed more towards making numerous money making films without worry about if there was money to make them or not. Yoram wanted to make more prestigious films in an effort to rise about the exploitative films they had been making. These included films like FOOL FOR LOVE by Sam Shepherd and RUNAWAY TRAIN by Andrey Konchalovsky.A few bad films and some bad investments led to disaster for the cousins to the point of them not talking to one another. It also led to the downfall of the company they had created. That might seem like you’re being told the entire story but it is just the bare bones. It is the meat surrounding those bones that makes this documentary both entertaining and informative.If you grew up loving those films and seeing the Cannon Film banner at the beginning of a film then you’ll want to check this one out. For me I enjoyed it from start to finish be it the interviews, the film clips, the trailers clips and more that are on hand. And once it’s over my guess is, like me, you’ll be looking to see if some of the movies discussed are in your collection to be pulled out and watched again. Alongside the titan of the business Golan and Globus deserve more recognition. Perhaps this film will lead to that happening.

This was very interesting, to see the history behind the men behind Cannon Films and see how everything turned out.

Wonderful documentary about Cannon films and the men who tried to make it work to be one of the greats

If Electric Boogaloo was considered by some people to be the “People Vs George Lucas” version of a Cannon Films documentary where interviewees diss everyone involved with the company, then Go-Go Boys is the other side of the coin. This documentary is the Israeli dynamic duo Golan & Globus’ side of the story along with interviews from Jean-Claude Van Damme, Michael Dudikoff and others. Great documentary. But I still recommend getting this and Electric Boogaloo for a well-balanced Cannon Films documentary breakfast.

Essentially just a series of interviews with Menahem Golan and Yoram Globus, which is great and informative, but also fairly one sided, a little boring and light on details. For my money "Electric Boogaloo: The Wild, Untold Story of Cannon Films" is the superior documentary, really highlighting the rise and fall of Cannon Films in a loving way, it's endlessly watchable.