K-9 (1989)

To stop an elusive criminal, a maverick detective enlists the aid of a police dog who's an unusually intelligent smart alec.

Director:

Rod Daniel

Writers:

Steven Siegel, Scott Myers

Stars:

Jim Belushi, Mel Harris, Kevin Tighe

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jim Belushi	...	Dooley (as James Belushi)
Mel Harris	...	Tracy
Kevin Tighe	...	Lyman
Ed O'Neill	...	Brannigan
Rando	...	Jerry Lee
James Handy	...	Byers
Daniel Davis	...	Halstead
Cotter Smith	...	Gilliam
John Snyder	...	Freddie
Pruitt Taylor Vince	...	Benny the Mule
Sherman Howard	...	Dillon
Jeff Allin	...	Chad
David Haskell	...	Doctor
Alan Blumenfeld	...	Rental Salesman
William Sadler	...	Salesman Don (as Bill Sadler)

Storyline

The extravagant cop Michael Dooley needs some help to fight a drug dealer who has tried to kill him. A "friend" gives him a dog named Jerry Lee, who has been trained to smell drugs. With his help, Dooley sets out to put his enemy behind the bars, but Jerry Lee has a personality of his own and works only when he wants to. On the other hand, the dog is quite good at destroying Dooley's car, house and sex-life...

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Plot Keywords:

german shepherd dog | police dog | buddy cop | human dog relationship | woman dog relationship | 

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Taglines:

Meet the two toughest cops in town.

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Genres:

Action | Comedy | Crime

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Certificate:

PG-13

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

28 April 1989 (USA)

Also Known As:

K-nino

Filming Locations:

2608 National Ave, San Diego, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$17,000,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$43,247,647

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$78,247,647

Company Credits

Production Co:

Gordon Company, Universal Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

101 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Detective Dooley is the name of James Belushi's character. In "Little Shop of Horrors (1986)", he took over a small role from actor Paul Dooley.

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Goofs

During the movie Dooley is playing a game when he is on stakeout. In the background you can see the Mustang emblem on the steering wheel. Later in the stolen police car when he is playing a game while tailing Lyman, the Mustang emblem is in the background again.

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Quotes

[Jerry Lee has just single handedly taken out an entire bar of thugs who where roughing up Dooley]
Dooley: I want you to know that I'm the officer in charge here, Michael Dooley not Jerry Lee.
Jerry Lee: [looks at Dooley]
Dooley: Don't you ever...
Dooley: [pause] *ever* pull anything like that again, without talking to me first
Jerry Lee: [puts his head down]
Dooley: You lost it in there you know that, you lost control, we could be killed
[pause]
Dooley: I needed you back here.
Jerry Lee: [slowly lifts his head and looks at Dooley]
[...]

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Crazy Credits

Jerry Lee is played by Rando, not Jerry Lee, as credited at the end.

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Alternate Versions

The UK theatrical version was cut by 21 secs to secure a "12" rating and removed descriptions of a "Colombian Necktie". The 15 rated video version was uncut and the 12 rated DVD is also intact.

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Connections

Referenced in The Cinema Snob: Top Dog (2015)

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Soundtracks

I FEEL GOOD
Written by James Brown
Performed by James Brown
Courtesy of PolyGram Special Products, a division of
PolyGram Records, Inc.

User Reviews

Predictable but fun man-and-dog buddy movie

I do agree the story is predictable, and the ending didn't quite excite or move me. However, it does work surprisingly well as a man-and-dog buddy movie. The film is at least nice to watch, the soundtrack is decent, the direction is good and the script does have a few laughs that makes the experience enjoyable. And the acting is very spirited- Jerry-Lee is the star of the show, very well trained and cute, while James Belushi is always watchable and Mel Harris is appealing and sexy.

Overall, this is a surprisingly good buddy movie with enough humorous moments and spirited performances to make it worth watching. 8/10 Bethany Cox