Never Say Die (1988) (2025)

Never Say Die (1988) (1)

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1988

Directed by Geoff Murphy

Synopsis

When Your World is Turning Upside Down - Fasten Your Seatbelt

Investigative journalist Alf Winters (Morrison), meets his American girlfriend, Melissa Jones (Eilbacher), at Auckland airport. As they park outside Alf's house, it explodes. It is soon apparent that persons unknown want them dead, but the police are either skeptical or in the pay of those responsible. They play hide and seek around New Zealand with the stalkers, all the while coping with car chases, plane crashes, bullets and explosions.

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  • Cast
  • Crew
  • Details
  • Genres
  • Releases

Cast

Temuera Morrison Lisa Eilbacher George Wendt Tony Barry Geoff Murphy Jay Laga'aia Elizabeth McRae John Clarke Phillip Gordon Ian Richard Stewart Martyn Sanderson Peter Rowley Jason Greenwood Judith Fyfe Peter Bell Marcel Kroes Jill Ranger Svarama Stephanie Liebert Anthea Baker Thad Lawrence Sean Duffy

DirectorDirector

Geoff Murphy

ProducerProducer

Geoff Murphy

WriterWriter

Geoff Murphy

CastingCasting

Don Selwyn

EditorEditor

Scott Conrad

CinematographyCinematography

Rory O'Shea

Assistant DirectorsAsst. Directors

Christopher Graves Robin Murphy

Executive ProducerExec. Producer

Barrie Everard

Camera OperatorCamera Operator

John Mahaffie

Production DesignProduction Design

Bill Gruar

Art DirectionArt Direction

Matt Murphy

Special EffectsSpecial Effects

Ken Durey

StuntsStunts

Petar Živković Peter Bell

ComposersComposers

Sam Negri Billy Kristian Murray Grindlay

SoundSound

Kit Rollings Gethin Creagh Mike Westgate

Costume DesignCostume Design

Barbara Darragh

MakeupMakeup

Trish Cohen

Studios

Everard Films New Zealand Film Commission Pastrami and Rye

Country

New Zealand

Language

English

Alternative Titles

007之谜, Stirb niemals allein, No te rindas jamás

Genres

Comedy Action

Releases by Date

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  • Date
  • Country

Premiere

01 Mar 1989
  • Never Say Die (1988) (3)USAAFI Los Angeles International FilmFestival

Theatrical

09 Dec 1988
  • Never Say Die (1988) (4)New ZealandPG

Physical

28 Feb 1990
  • Never Say Die (1988) (5)Germany16

12 Mar 1991
  • Never Say Die (1988) (6)Argentina

Releases by Country

Sort by

  • Date
  • Country
Never Say Die (1988) (7)Argentina
12 Mar 1991
  • Physical
Never Say Die (1988) (8)Germany
28 Feb 1990
  • Physical16
Never Say Die (1988) (9)New Zealand
09 Dec 1988
  • TheatricalPG
Never Say Die (1988) (10)USA
01 Mar 1989
  • PremiereAFI Los Angeles International FilmFestival

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Popular reviews

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  • Review by Superargo ★★★½ 4

    HUMONGOUS fun, at least until its final third, when it begrudgingly stops horsing around and focuses on the actual story it was supposed to have been telling all this time, which is pretty uninteresting. Until then, though, it’s a highly energetic, enjoyably ridiculous, straight-faced parody of 80s action excess.

    Morrison—baby-faced, skinny, and with a flouncy head of hair that makes him look kinda like Howie Mandel circa “St. Elsewhere”—is a no-nonsense New Zealand journalist. Eilbacher’s his sassy American girlfriend. And, somehow, they’ve managed to piss off the wrong people, so they’re forced to endure a nonstop barrage of assassination attempts: their house is blown up, their car’s brake lines are cut, their hotel room is booby-trapped, somebody puts a bomb…

  • Review by sezzz ★★★½

    Tempo ist die Devise, bei dieser eher unbekannten neuseeländischen Action-Perle von Geoff Murphy, der uns später in seiner Karriere neben Young Guns 2 auch noch Freejack beschert hat!
    Der gute Mann hat ein Auge für schweißtreibende Action, und das beweisen schon seine frühen Kiwi-Filme, die er Anfang der 80er Jahre in seinem Heimatland drehte.
    Im Kern ist Stirb niemals allein eine knapp 90-minütige Verfolgungsjagd quer durch Neuseeland - und das zu Land, in der Luft und mit allem amöglichen Gefährt, dass einem kaum Zeit zum Verschnaufen bleibt. Die Chemie zwischen den beiden Hauptcharaktären, die sich doch eigentlich nur miteinander vergnügen wollen, könnte man als sympathisch naiv, bis hin zu sexuell aufgeladen und lebensmüde bezeichnen. Blech wird tonnenweise verbogen, Flugzeuge und Helikopter werden geschrottet... Unübersehbar, dass der Hauptteil des Budgets für die Action verwendet wurde.
    Kurzweilges Dauer-Action-Feuerwerk, ohne Hänger, viel Abwechslung und schönen Landschaftsaufnahmen, inszeniert von einem begnadeten Handwerker des Genres! Rumst anständig!

  • Review by Nachtwaechter ★★★ 2

    Wer mal wissen will, warum Hollywood nach drei Filmen im Heimatland Neuseeland den versierten Handwerker Geoff Murphy zu einem veritablen Actionregisseur mutieren lies, der solche illustre Namen wie Emilio Estevez ("Freejack", Yound Guns 2"), Rutger Hauer ("Blind Side") Christopher Lambert ("Fortress 2") und Steven Seagal ("Under Siege 2") zu mal mehr, mal weniger respektablen Einträgen in ihrer Filmographie verholfen hat, der sollte mal in die nette und temporeiche aber auch etwas unglücklich austarierte Fingerübung "Stirb niemals allein" einen Blick werfen.
    Der heutige "Boba Fett" Temuera Morrison und "Beverly Hills Cop" Gspusi Lisa Eilbacher sind dabei neunzig Minuten lang zu Lande, im Wasser und in der Luft beständig auf der Flucht, rennen, hechten und (be-)springen (sich) in einer Tour und hängen…

  • Review by bettylouiseannsophie

    If Never Say Die has a million fans, then I am one of them. If Never Say Die has ten fans, then I am one of them. If Never Say Die has only one fan then that is me. If Never Say Die has no fans, then that means I am no longer on earth. If the world is against Never Say Die, then I am against the world

  • Review by CharmingPotato ★★★½

    Glorious tosh, incredibly inventive for a locally-made action film in NZ, incredibly horny, and has a theme song with the title. What's not to love? Features an incredible monologue from Thee John Clarke about a used car: "Runs like a haunted shithouse...Goes like a strangled fart..."

  • Review by [℮] verett• ★★★★★

    skip to 1:09:43, that’s my uncle pete driving the forklift. Subtle family lore

  • Review by wildestpenfield ★★½

    Frenetic without ever actually having any jokes... is how I felt about Murphy's Goodbye Pork Pie, and is a vibe that translates very well to the madcap bombast school of 80s action comedy. The car chases are decent though, and thank god for that in a movie that's about 60% car chases. Add half a star if that's what you're here for.

  • Review by Paddy Feehan ★★★

    Not a bad kiwi adventure film with a very young Temuera Morrison.

  • Review by Jeff Williams ★★½

    New Zealand action comedy from Geoff Murphy about a couple on the run from bad guys and cops. Temuera Morrison and Lisa Eilbacher have some chemistry as the couple, and interestingly, it's Eilbacher's character who is always in the driver's seat during the chase scenes. The stunts are fun and the first half of the film moves along at a good clip. Unfortunately, the latter half slows appreciably and despite the great Tony Barry's presence as an obnoxious copper, the film lacks the charismatic acting and wit of Murphy's classic kiwi chase opus, Goodbye Pork Pie.

  • Review by Jon Rhoads 1

    goofy!

  • Review by Comrie ★★½ 1

    I think this is meant to be a fast paced action comedy, but it never really does any jokes but tonally set them up without ever going for them?

    Morrison is good, but his character is all over the place. He careers from caring boyfriend/husband to self absorbed arsehole and back again and a lot of the 007 stuff seems seriously forced?

    A lot of this is car chases and there are some good ones, as is the rapport between Morrison, Eilbacher and Barry.

    Also a car driving on two wheels through KFC? Why not.

  • Review by Doctor_Acula ★★★½

    Another vhs find!

    “Never say die, eh?” “Til you’re dead.” “Then you can’t “

    Slams fist down “when is George Wendt gonna show up!?”

    Well this ended up being great fun. They are definitely trying to go for a romancing the stone funny couple on an adventure kind of vibe. Has some kind of political plot I couldn’t really follow. There’s also something to do with a Soda brand slogan “Oh oh Seven drink it down” (double O seven misunderstanding)).

    But it’s all about the comedic fun action set pieces and the couple having sex whenever they have to wait around for something.

    Totally worth a watch just for a car driving on two wheels over a skinny bridge THEN through a Kentucky fried chicken?? Hell yes thank you.

    Spoiler alert:

    This movie ends with the the audience assuming the couple have sex in front of George Wendt.

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