Downtown (1990)

Police Officer Alex Kearney works in a rich, plush suburb of Philadelphia. When he stops an important businessman and his story of the incident is not believed, he is sent to work Downtown,... See full summary »

Director:

Richard Benjamin

Writer:

Nat Mauldin

Stars:

Anthony Edwards, Forest Whitaker, Penelope Ann Miller

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Anthony Edwards	...	Alex Kearney
Forest Whitaker	...	Dennis Curren
Penelope Ann Miller	...	Lori Mitchell
Joe Pantoliano	...	White
David Clennon	...	Jerome Sweet
Art Evans	...	Henry Coleman
Rick Aiello	...	Mickey Witlin
Roger Aaron Brown	...	Lt. Sam Parral
Ron Canada	...	Lowell Harris
Wanda De Jesus	...	Luisa Diaz
Francis X. McCarthy	...	Inspector Ben Glass (as Frank McCarthy)
Kimberly Scott	...	Christine Curren
Ryan McWhorter	...	Ephraim Cain
Danuel Pipoly	...	Skip Markowitz
Maurice Hill	...	Man with Dog

Storyline

Police Officer Alex Kearney works in a rich, plush suburb of Philadelphia. When he stops an important businessman and his story of the incident is not believed, he is sent to work Downtown, the most dangerous, crime-filled precinct in the city. Everyone there is sure that this 'by the book', pampered, suburban cop is going to get himself, and whoever is assigned as his partner, killed. Detective Dennis Curren, draws the unfortunate 'babysitting' assignment. But when Alex's best friend is killed investigating a stolen car, Alex throws the book out the window tracking down the killer.

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Plot Keywords:

detective | police | street gang | ghetto | male nudity | 

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Taglines:

In a precinct that goes by the body count - he goes by the book.

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Genres:

Action | Comedy | Crime | Drama

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Certificate:

R

Did You Know?

Trivia

Forest Whitaker and Anthony Edwards had minor roles in " Fast Times at Ridgemont High".

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Goofs

When Alex says "Get off here!" at the exit for the Bryn Meyer Suburbs, they are definitely on a major multiple lane highway, but when Dennis takes the exit, it shows them on a side road.

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Quotes

Henry Coleman: A fuck-up. Another goddamn, four-star, class-A fuck-up! Every backward candy-ass shit-for-brains fuck-up in the city, I get 'em. Not Wynnefield, not South Philly, not Germantown, me!

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Connections

Referenced in Crazy People (1990)

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Soundtracks

IT TAKES TWO
Written by Rob Base (as Rob Ginyard)
Performed by Rob Base & DJ EZ Rock (as D.J. E-Z Rock)
Courtesy of Profile Records, Inc.

User Reviews

Familiertown

This is a good movie, it looks and sounds good, has good action and acting, good characters and story... it's a good movie. But, it's not a standout movie. It's too much like the movies that paved the way towards this being made. It's Beverly Hills Cop, Lethal Weapon, and 48hrs. It's a buddy cop, fish outta water, and culture clash. It has the loud police chief, the reluctant partner, and the class divide. It's an action, thriller, and comedy. Sometimes serious, sometimes not. The problem is it doesn't reach anywhere near the heights of any of its predecessors, and it actually struggles to pull everything together. The balance of comedy and thriller is just off, it's goofy one moment and throat-slashing serious the next. Edwards and Whitaker are both good actors, but neither one is funny enough to carry the humor or convincing enough when the guns come out. It's not a classic but, it's a good movie.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

12 January 1990 (USA)

Also Known As:

Deux flics à Downtown

Filming Locations:

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$10,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$821,626, 14 January 1990

Gross USA:

$2,346,150

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$2,346,150

Company Credits

Production Co:

Pacific Western, Twentieth Century Fox

Technical Specs

Runtime:

96 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1