Dog Watch (1996) (V)

Director:

John Langley

Writers (WGA):

Martin Zurla (story) &
Dan Lauria (story) ...

Genre:

Action | Thriller

Tagline:

Sometimes trouble wears a badge.

Plot:

A San Francisco detective (Elliott) goes wild when he discovers his partner dead and the presumed culprit standing over him...

Plot Keywords:

Beefcake | San Francisco California | Bagpipes | Amazing Grace Hymn | Kicked In The Crotch

Cast

Sam Elliott	...	Charlie Falon
Esai Morales	...	Murrow
Paul Sorvino	...	Delgoti
Dan Lauria	...	Halloway
Richard Gilliland	...	Orlanser
Jessica Steen	...	Janet
Mimi Craven	...	Sally
Richard Zavaglia	...	Wasserman
Robert Cicchini	...	Mink
Perry Moore	...	Jerome Johnson
Benjamin Brown	...	L.A. Cop
Mike Burstyn	...	Levinson
Eric Steinberg	...	Bench
Keith MacKechnie	...	Wally
Susan Barnes	...	Grace

Also Known As:

Dogwatch (UK) (DVD title)

MPAA:

Rated R for strong violence and language, and for some sexuality and drug content.

Runtime:

100 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Netherlands:16 | Germany:18 | USA:R | Argentina:16 | Australia:MA

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Langley Productions

Movie Connections:

References Man with a Gun (1995)

Soundtrack:

Tell Me Baby

Watch this; it's no "dog"

Anchored by Sam Elliott's intense, hard-edged performance, (one of his best since "Lifeguard"), "Dog Watch" tells a good story in terse, efficient fashion, even though it never quiet overcomes its straight-to-video origins. While the focus of its story should be internal -- Elliott's reaction to the realization that he committed a fatal mistake -- the movie drifts into external concerns as Elliott and his partner, Esai Morales, investigate corrupt cops and drug deals. The internal and external stories are firmly linked but the movie's emphasis is on the wrong half of the combination.

The best scene comes when Elliott has a tense, strained dinner with Morales and his wife, the excellent Jessica Steen, who matches Elliott line for line, expression for expression. The worst scene comes when Elliott later visits Steen's residence and offers her an apology of sorts. Even Elliott can't make us buy this out-of-character moment.

Sam Elliott seems to have a tendency toward physical exhibitionism. (Remember his gratuitous nude scene in "The Legacy?") Here we see him bare-chested in bed when he answers a late-night phone call. There's no need for "beefcake" in this scene but it gives Elliott yet another chance to show off his lean, hairy torso -- never touched by a razor -- and even at age 51 this torso still looks mighty good.

Elliott also deserves notice for the scene in which he delivers a kick to a man's crotch. (You can almost hear the testicles squish.) His aim is perfect and his kicking style would do a Rockette proud.