Hard Ticket to Hawaii (1987): Rocket Launchers, Mutant Snakes, and Andy Sidaris's Masterpiece
- Johnny Rewind
- Apr 11
- 1 min read
By Johnny Rewind | Nostalgia Navigator
Hard Ticket to Hawaii is a 1987 Andy Sidaris film featuring drug smugglers, diamonds, a mutant snake infected with cancer from contaminated lab rats, a blow-up doll used as a decoy, a frisbee with razor blades, and a rocket launcher used against a skateboarder. It was shot in Hawaii with a cast of Playboy models and takes none of this seriously and all of it completely seriously at the same time. It is a perfect film.
The Plot (Barely Relevant)
Two DEA agents on a Hawaiian island intercept a drug smuggling operation. A giant mutant snake — infected with cancer from contaminated lab rats and now 'extremely toxic and highly aggressive' — escapes from a wildlife preserve and starts killing people. Both plotlines collide in increasingly creative ways. Sidaris fills every gap between action scenes with his cast in bikinis discussing the plot with the conviction of people who know exactly what kind of film they're in.
Behind the Madness
Andy Sidaris made twelve films in his 'Triple B' series (Bullets, Bombs, and Babes) between 1985 and 1998, all shot in Hawaii and Idaho, all featuring the same general formula. Hard Ticket to Hawaii was his breakthrough. The rocket launcher skateboard sequence alone has been viewed millions of times online. Sidaris understood exactly what his audience wanted and delivered it with more craft than he's usually given credit for.
Be kind. Rewind. Watch the skies for rocket launchers.
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