Dog Watch (1997)

A tough San Francisco cop is suspected of killing his partner. When he begins to look for the actual killer, he discovers he didn't know his partner as well as he thought, as evidence of the dead man's dirty dealings begins to mount.

Director:

John Langley

Writers:

Martin Zurla (story), Dan Lauria (story)

Stars:

Sam Elliott, Esai Morales, Paul Sorvino

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Sam Elliott	...	Charlie Falon
Esai Morales	...	Murrow
Paul Sorvino	...	Delgoti
Dan Lauria	...	Halloway
Richard Gilliland	...	Orlanser
Jessica Steen	...	Janet
Mimi Craven	...	Sally
Richard Zavaglia	...	Wasserman
Robert Cicchini	...	Mink
Perry Moore	...	Jerome Johnson
Benjamin Brown	...	L.A. Cop
Mike Burstyn	...	Levinson
Eric Steinberg	...	Bench
Keith MacKechnie	...	Wally
Susan Barnes	...	Grace

Storyline

A San Francisco, California detective (Sam Elliott) goes wild when he discovers his partner dead and the presumed culprit standing over him. After beating the man to death, he comes to his senses and realizes that he has to get rid of the body of the beaten man. Dumping the man in the river, he returns to his partner's body and calls in the death. He is then given a new partner (Esai Morales) and is assigned to investigate the death of a man just pulled from the river causing all the expected problems. However, the investigation leads to police corruption and his own partner's involvement in drug running.

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Plot Keywords:

bare chested male | bagpipes | kicked in the crotch | amazing grace hymn | san francisco california | 

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Taglines:

Sometimes trouble wears a badge.

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Genres:

Action | Crime | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong violence and language, and for some sexuality and drug content

Did You Know?

Quotes

Charlie Falon: You have the right to remain silent - so shut the fuck up!
[to a criminal who just got handcuffed]

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Connections

Edited into Ticker (2001)

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Soundtracks

De Miei Bollenti Spiriti
From La Traviata
Written by Giuseppe Verdi
Musical arrangement by David Catalano (as Dave Catalano)
Vocals Performed by Jeffrey Weber
Recorded at Beach Street Music Ltd.
© All Rights Reserved Little Brown Dog Music (ASCAP)

User Reviews

Watch this; it's no "dog"

Anchored by Sam Elliott's intense, hard-edged performance, (one of his best since "Lifeguard"), "Dog Watch" tells a good story in terse, efficient fashion, even though it never quiet overcomes its straight-to-video origins. While the focus of its story should be internal -- Elliott's reaction to the realization that he committed a fatal mistake -- the movie drifts into external concerns as Elliott and his partner, Esai Morales, investigate corrupt cops and drug deals. The internal and external stories are firmly linked but the movie's emphasis is on the wrong half of the combination.

The best scene comes when Elliott has a tense, strained dinner with Morales and his wife, the excellent Jessica Steen, who matches Elliott line for line, expression for expression. The worst scene comes when Elliott later visits Steen's residence and offers her an apology of sorts. Even Elliott can't make us buy this out-of-character moment.

Sam Elliott seems to have a tendency toward physical exhibitionism. (Remember his gratuitous nude scene in "The Legacy?") Here we see him bare-chested in bed when he answers a late-night phone call. There's no need for "beefcake" in this scene but it gives Elliott yet another chance to show off his lean, hairy torso -- never touched by a razor -- and even at age 51 this torso still looks mighty good.

Elliott also deserves notice for the scene in which he delivers a kick to a man's crotch. (You can almost hear the testicles squish.) His aim is perfect and his kicking style would do a Rockette proud.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

21 February 1997 (Greece)

Also Known As:

Dogwatch

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Dog Watch Productions, Langley Productions, Martien Holdings A.V.V.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

4:3 Full Frame