L.A. Takedown (TV 1989)

Tough Los Angeles cop Vincent Hanna takes on a gang of professional bank robbers led by the precise, enigmatic Patrick McLaren.

Director:

Michael Mann

Writer:

Michael Mann

Stars:

Scott Plank, Alex McArthur, Michael Rooker

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Scott Plank	...	Vincent Hanna
Alex McArthur	...	Patrick McLaren
Michael Rooker	...	Bosko
Ely Pouget	...	Lillian Hanna
Vincent Guastaferro	...	Michael Cerrito
Richard Chaves	...	Lou Casals
Victor Rivers	...	Arriaga
Laura Harrington	...	Eady
Daniel Baldwin	...	Bobby Schwartz
Clarence Gilyard Jr.	...	Mustafa Jackson
R.D. Call	...	Harry Dieter
Peter Dobson	...	Chris Sheherlis
John Santucci
Xander Berkeley	...	Waingro
Juan Fernández	...	Harvey Torena (as Juan Fernandez)

Storyline

Tough Los Angeles cop Vincent Hanna takes on a gang of professional bank robbers led by the precise, enigmatic Patrick McLaren.

---

Plot Keywords:

police | tv movie | gunfight | shootout | place name in title | 

---

Taglines:

If you thought Miami was rough, you haven't worked the streets of L.A.

---

Genres:

Action | Crime | Drama | Thriller

---

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

27 August 1989 (USA)

Also Known As:

Crimewave

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Ajar Inc., Compañía Iberoamericana de TV, Movies Film Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

97 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Shot in only a fortnight.

---

Goofs

The exterior after bar scene when Hanna is following Lillian on the sidewalk, the boom Mic shadow is frequently seen chasing above/behind the quarreling actors.

---

Connections

Referenced in The Directors: The Films of Michael Mann (2001)

---

Soundtracks

"L.A. WOMAN"
Performed by Billy Idol
Written by The Doors

User Reviews

Favor the original

I loved L.A. Takedown and would give it a 9 or 10 but I grade tough ... Heat was a fine remake with much more accomplished actors; itself a tribute to Alex Mc Arthur & Hanna ... Deniro and Pacino copied them, imagine how that feels for 2 good actors ... I saw the original as a repeat and Heat many years after it was shot ... never saw either one again by happenstance ... I prefer the original for being more realistic although it did feature a team of designer detectives who matched their glasses and ties with their suits as if they were pharmaceutical salesmen calling on plastic surgeons instead of cops rousting thugs all day ... Heat was even more fashion runway conscious which took it down a peg for me but it remains a good action cops & robbers yarn ... I see where some posters rap Alex for being too wooden but I found that realistic ... playing it flat is correct for guys who can look right through you and spend their days planning ways to blast apart steel and concrete barriers to O.P.M... they tend to be as dry and cold as ice and not very colorful or expressive ... I did a fair amount of police reporting and cops always told me that many true professional criminals will fool you in the sense that they look and comport themselves as if they were the assistant manager of the local Burger King ... LA Takedown had some dialogue that still rings in my ears and reflects the intensely selfish and myopic perspective of the true habitual career criminal such as Alex explaining his accidental victims to his girlfriend that "it rains, people get wet" and the renegade member of the heist team exclaiming to himself as he spins to plunge a hunting knife into a prostitute that "I'm a stone cold, sky blue killer" .. I thank other posters for pointing out the many similarities but I saw no reference to the very different endings ... we have the drama of the airport shootout in Heat to Alex getting blasted by the psycho through a hotel door in LA Takedown and telling Hanna "they just don't make doors like they used to" as he dies in his arms ... perfect last words for an exceptionally practical, emotionless man