Number One with a Bullet

Here we have an enjoyable buddy cop film, fresh from the buddy cop hey-day of the mid '80's. Robert Carradine plays Nick Berzak (dubbed "Berzerk" by the perps who know him best), a rough and tough cop who always seems to be down on his luck. His partner, Hazeltine (played by the original "Ladies Man", Billy Dee Williams), is the one who keeps him in line. A perfect combination of good cop, bad cop.

They're hot on the trail, with their gut instinct that the local mayor, DeCosta, is behind some elaborate drug smuggling connection. Naturally, no one else on the police force believes either one of them, and it becomes clear throughout that there is a "rat" among them, who may be in on the scheme.

Like I said, I found this enjoyable. It's merely a "paint-by-numbers" action film, that is salvaged by the likeable charms of Carradine and Williams, with a good supporting cast headed by Peter Graves and Valerie Bertinelli. If you are a fan of the Cannon Group and their "canon" of '80's action flicks, you should enjoy this.

Story by Gail Morgan Hickman, who also wrote the Cannon/Charles Bronson films, "MURPHY'S LAW" and "DEATH WISH 4: THE CRACKDOWN". The script recieved a polish by James Belushi, to whom this film was initially intended as a starring vehicle.

* For added fun, one could develop a drinking game based on every time Carradine spouts the name "DeCosta".