Bushwhacked (film)

Plot

Deliveryman Max Grabelski (Daniel Stern) is charged with delivering packages to millionaire Reinhart Bragdon (Anthony Heald) for $50 tips. During a late night delivery, Max accidentally stumbles across a fire in Bragdon's mansion and is cornered by FBI Agent Palmer (Jon Polito), but grabs a gun and manages to escape. Max later sees a news report in which Palmer claims that Bragdon was killed in the fire, which was set up by Max to stop him from exposing a money-laundering conspiracy. Now on the run from the law, Max contacts his boss and learns that a final package is to be delivered to Bragdon, but at his mountain cabin in Devil's Peak.

Max heads for Devil's Peak to clear his name, but a store clerk and scoutmaster Jack Erickson (Brad Sullivan) recognize his face and he is forced to threaten both with his gun, gluing Erickson to his car's steering wheel and ordering him to drive off to lure the police away while stealing Erickson's van. He is subsequently mistaken for a scoutmaster scheduled to lead a group of boy scouts on an expedition. Max goes along with the ruse to keep heading for Devil's Peak. The FBI find and release Erickson, and set up a base of operations at a nearby cabin while Palmer and Erickson pursue Max and the scouts. Though they are nearly captured, Max cuts the bridge between two cliffs, forcing Palmer and Erickson to take the longer route.

Along the way, the scouts build a makeshift radio and learn who Max truly is. They lace his water with sleeping pills and use smoke signs to signal their location to Erickson. Max ends up sedated, but Palmer handcuffs Erickson to a tree and captures Max alone, promising the scouts a rescue helicopter, but the suspicious scouts follow in secret. Max awakens and Palmer leads him to a helicopter, where Max discovers Bragdon is alive, working with Palmer to steal the laundered money from the authorities and having faked his death after coming under suspicion in order to frame Max. Before they can kill Max, the scouts intervene and knock Palmer out, but Max falls into the river and the scouts follow. They reach safety and throw their backpacks in the river to drive Palmer and Bragdon off. Out of supplies, the scouts decide to remain with Max and help him reach Devil's Peak. Meanwhile, one of the scouts' mothers, Mrs. Patterson (Ann Dowd) uncovers Max's discarded tissue and realizes that he is leading them to Devil's Peak, and gives chase in her van when Palmer's bumbling assistant, Agent McMurrey (Tom Wood), refuses to help her. She arrives first, but is captured by Bragdon.

Max and the scouts arrive as Bragdon receives the final package. Palmer catches up and prepares to kill them, but is subdued by Erickson, who freed himself and followed Max. Max sneaks into the cabin to free Mrs. Patterson. Bragdon appears and forces them to the edge of the cliff at gunpoint. Mrs. Patterson's son, Gordy, charges Bragdon but falls over a cliff and hangs onto a branch for his life. Max knocks Bragdon out and climbs down the cliff and pulls Gordy to safety.

With Bragdon and Palmer captured, Max's name is cleared and in response to his efforts, he is awarded a scoutmaster's honor and given charge of an even bigger group of scouts for a more challenging mission, to his chagrin.

Cast

Reception

The film received a 11% rating Rotten Tomatoes based on 18 reviews. It grossed $7.9 million in the United States.

Home media

The original unedited "PG-13" version of the film was released on VHS in 1996 and released another VHS version under 20th Century Fox's "Selections" banner. A widescreen version was also released on Laserdisc. It was re-released again on VHS as part of the Family Feature series on February 6, 2001 as a PG rated film when Beeman dubbed out some of the profanity used in it. The DVD, also rated PG, was released on March 11, 2002 and was later re-released in 2009. The Family Feature DVD version presented it in both full screen (side A) and widescreen with an aspect ratio of 2.35:1 (side B), while the 2009 reissue was only presented in full screen. Despite the fact Beeman dubbed out most of the curse words originally spoken in it to receive a PG rating, the re-released VHS and DVD version did not have the f-word dubbed out.