Shakedown (1988)

User Rating:

5.4/10   

Director:

James Glickenhaus

Writer:

James Glickenhaus (writer)

Release Date:

6 May 1988 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Crime | Drama

Tagline:

Whatever you do... don't call the cops!

Plot:

A legal attorney and renegade cop team up to stop a corrupt cop.

Plot Keywords:

Corruption | Roller Coaster | Independent Film

Cast

Peter Weller	...	Roland Dalton
Sam Elliott	...	Richie Marks
George Loros	...	Officer Varelli
Thomas G. Waites	...	Officer Kelly
Daryl Edwards	...	Dr. Watson
Jos Laniado	...	Ruben
Richard Brooks	...	Michael Jones
Blanche Baker	...	Gail Feinberger
Shirley Stoler	...	Irma
John C. McGinley	...	Sean Phillips
Patricia Charbonneau	...	Susan Cantrell
Walter Flanagan	...	Prison Guard
Walter Bobbie	...	Dean Howland
Henry Judd Baker	...	Big Leroy
Andrew Johns	...	Billy

Also Known As:

Blue Jean Cop (Australia) (video title) (Philippines: English title) (UK) (video title (TV title))

Runtime:

112 min | UK:93 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Australia:M | South Korea:18 | Finland:K-16 | Norway:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 | USA:R | West Germany:16

Filming Locations:

Astoria, Queens, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Blue Jean Cop

Trivia:

We first see Richie Marks while he is inside a movie theater showing The Soldier (1982), which was also directed by James Glickenhaus.

Quotes:

Gail Feinberger: Don't you think it's a little early in the morning for heavy metal?
Roland Dalton: Gail, Gail, honey, sweetie, I love you, I'm gonna marry you, but you are making me feel very old. This is not heavy metal. This is Hendrix. Genius, maybe, but this is definitely not heavy metal.

Movie Connections:

References China Girl (1987)

Soundtrack:

LOOKIN' FOR LOVE

Gigantic action scenes go unevenly with the thriller story.

Behold! Another movie about crooked New York cops and the two unorthodox cop and lawyer that gives them the shakedown. The story was alright, but the action scenes were tremendous. In fact, they were too good for a movie that had a very solemn thriller aspect in addition to having trouble picking up the pace at points. Things will go slow and then bam! Some wild action scene occurs. This also makes the ending, ala True Lies, far too ridiculous to really enjoy. Perhaps, if the story was all about Sam Elliots character, the quiet and rugged cop who doesn't ask too many questions, it would seem fitting as an explosive cop shootout kind of movie. But the film is transplanted into the courtroom with subtlies of Peter Weller's character, a lawyer, who is defending the drug dealer accused of killing a cop who is part of a whole line of New York's finest shmoozing the city's notorious drug dealers.

This movie wasn't too bad, and probably enjoyable for those who like cheap, 80s cop thriller movies without too much regard to writing. If they'd have kept up with the action scenes, it'd made a fine action/suspense film. And, without all the action, it'd made a fine thriller. It just changes tempo too often is all.