Top Dog (1995)

With his cop companion shot and killed by terrorists, Reno The Dog pairs up with tough cop Jake in thwarting the criminal organization.

Director:

Aaron Norris

Writers:

Aaron Norris (story), Tim Grayem (story)

Stars:

Chuck Norris, Michele Lamar Richards, Erik von Detten

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Chuck Norris	...	Jake Wilder
Michele Lamar Richards	...	Savannah Boyette
Erik von Detten	...	Matthew Swanson
Carmine Caridi	...	Lou Swanson
Clyde Kusatsu	...	Ken Callahan
Kai Wulff	...	Otto Dietrich
Peter Savard Moore	...	Karl Koller
Timothy Bottoms	...	Nelson Houseman
Francesco Quinn	...	Mark Curtains
Herta Ware	...	Wilder's Mother
John Kerry	...	Commander West
Hank Baumert	...	Masked Firefighter / Border Patrol Officer
Linda Castro	...	Paramedic
John Sistrunk	...	Driver at Border
Bob Bastanchury	...	Passenger

Storyline

With his cop companion shot and killed by terrorists, Reno The Dog pairs up with tough cop Jake in thwarting the criminal organization.

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Plot Keywords:

tough cop | terrorist | dog | dog movie | racism | 

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Taglines:

One's Tough... One's Smart... Together, They Unleash Explosive Action!

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Genres:

Action | Comedy | Crime | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for shootings and martial arts violence

Did You Know?

Trivia

The film opened just 9 days after the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City. The plot features a gang of militant white supremacists who intend to detonate a bomb in a public place. The film took in $300 on its opening night in Oklahoma. The distributors were forced to release a statement disassociating the film from the real-life incident.

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Goofs

The C4 in the trunk of the car blew up when shot. In reality, shooting the C4 would have had no effect.

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Quotes

Jake Wilder: Got the warrant?
Policeman: It didn't come through.
Jake Wilder: What do you mean it didn't come through?
Policeman: I don't know, Jake, they said something about probable cause.
Jake Wilder: Well, I'm going in anyway.

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Alternate Versions

Parts of the soundtrack have been altered on the 2000 Artisan DVD.

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Connections

Referenced in The Cinema Snob: Hard Knuckle (2015)

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Soundtracks

Bad Boys
Written by Ian Lewis (as I. Lewis)
Performed by Inner Circle
Courtesy of Big Beat/Atlantic Recording Corp/Warner Music Sweden/Rock Pop Music
By Arrangement with Warner Special Products
Played when the dog is watching "Cops" on TV

User Reviews

Top dog is a winner!

A straight-faced comedy in which Chuck Norris is partnered with a dog. The dog continually gets credit for being a better law enforcement officer than Chuck is. They battle a white supremacist organization who are planning a terrorist attack on San Diego.

This is my favorite out of all the buddy-cop dog, action pictures. I would rather watch this than Turner & Hooch, K-9, or Beethoven, because it has some great fight scenes and plenty of action.

It also has comedy and is a fun movie to watch. OK, I have to admit that this is not Chuck's best movie but it is still fun! I have not been disappointed in any of the Norris movies. Some of them will be classics in time.

Martial arts and Chuck Norris...what more do you want! 8 out of 10 stars

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

28 April 1995 (USA)

Also Known As:

Top Dog

Filming Locations:

San Diego, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$6,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$2,164,381, 30 April 1995

Gross USA:

$5,093,707

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$5,093,707

Company Credits

Production Co:

Live Entertainment, Tanglewood Entertainment Group

Technical Specs

Runtime:

86 min 93 min (DVD)

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital Dolby SR Dolby Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1