L.A. Takedown (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	...	Sgt. Vincent Hanna
Alex McArthur	...	Patrick McLaren
Michael Rooker	...	Bosko
Ely Pouget	...	Lillian Hanna
Vincent Guastaferro	...	Michael Cerrito
Richard Chaves	...	Det. Lou Casals
Victor Rivers	...	Detective Arriaga
Laura Harrington	...	Eady
Daniel Baldwin	...	Det. Bobby Schwartz
Clarence Gilyard Jr.	...	Mustafa Jackson
R.D. Call	...	Harry Dieter
Peter Dobson	...	Chris Sheherlis
John Santucci	...	Joe Cusomano
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.

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Plot Keywords:

gun battle | police shootout | shootout | street shootout | bank robbery | 

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Taglines:

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

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Genres:

Action | Crime | Drama | Thriller

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Did You Know?

Trivia

Michael Mann was glad he made L.A. Takedown (1989) because it helped to serve as a prototype for Heat (1995) and gave him the chance to see what worked and what didn't work, to play around with it, and to get deeper into it. He never planned on the TV film being a prototype, but it ended up being that way and it helped Mann to get "Heat" the way he wanted it.

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Goofs

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

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Quotes

Bosko: Vincent. Recognize their M.O.?
Sgt. Vincent Hanna: Yeah. Their M.O. is that they are good.

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Connections

References Batman (1989)

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Soundtracks

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

User Reviews

You may be surprised

One might think that this is by far inferior to Heat, the second attempt Mann got at this story, with a larger budget, longer running time and better(and definitely more well-known) actors. Comparisons are impossible to avoid, due to how well-known, popular, and, frankly, excellent the latter of these versions is. And yes, it is greater than this; Michael learned from his experiences making this one, and having watched one of these doesn't mean that it's a waste of time to pursue the other one, no, quite the opposite. And this isn't anywhere near as poor as could be feared or maybe even expected. The performances are nicely done, in a lot of the cases. The male leads do well, and are good casting choices, and that extends beyond those two. Yes, you can tell that this was produced for TV, but it's not as bad as with other movies of that type. The action is pretty decent. This gets some of the drama, and does actually develop characters on both sides of the law. The cinematography and editing are well-done. Pacing is fair. This is only 90 minutes, so about half of what the '95 effort is, and thus can't manage the same level of complexity. Meanwhile, it does well with what it's got. The DVD has biographies and a trailer. I recommend this to anyone who has or is considering watching the famed remake of this. 6/10

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

27 August 1989 (USA)

Also Known As:

Crimewave

Filming Locations:

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