★ 2 / 10
Shakedown" is much too unremarkable for its own
kevin2019
"Shakedown" is much too unremarkable for its own good and obviously somebody somewhere must have realised this so in order to effectively remedy such an…
"Shakedown" is much too unremarkable for its own good and obviously somebody somewhere must have realised this so in order to effectively remedy such an unwanted situation somebody somewhere has deemed it appropriate that the film ought to be modelled more upon the box office hit "Lethal Weapon" (1987). So this means we are frequently subjected to an assortment of deliberately eye catching action sequences and stunts. No problem there, you might think. After all, the sequences in question have been incredibly well executed and they do successfully enliven what is a generally unmemorable motion picture experience. However, they are also outrageously laughable and they unquestionably sabotage the more realistic qualities being striven for elsewhere. The film also isn't helped by the fact Peter Weller's and Sam Elliott's characters Roland Dalton and Richie Marks are so completely mismatched they actually look as though they belong in separate films and by bringing them together here leaves us with an unholy mess on our hands.
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★ 6 / 10
80s action flick, buddy comedy and a courtroom drama package
simonesecci
It's an enjoyable action flick overall. However it's also a buddy comedy and a courtroom drama quickly whisked together and served in one massive high protein…
It's an enjoyable action flick overall.
However it's also a buddy comedy and a courtroom drama quickly whisked together and served in one massive high protein shake.
And that's its biggest downfall.
Don't get me wrong I deeply enjoy the mindless entertainment of 80s "tough policemen" movies but the usual straightforwardness of a Schwarzenegger or a Stallone is lost here.
An amazing cast (Sam Elliott, Peter Weller and Patricia Charbonneau) which would have done really well in any high budget Hollywood production, gets involved in all kinds of extravagant and adrenalin inducing events while distilling great acting throughout and keeping up with the highly energetic pace set by director James Glickenhaus.
Not cohesive but if you're a fan of Lethal Weapon, 48 hrs or Tango and Cash it will serve you well.
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★ 6 / 10
Enjoyable throwback 80s action flick
a_chinn
Not a classic, but an enjoyable 80s action flick with the always charming Sam Elliott as a gruff NYPD detective and Peter Weller as a quirky lawyer teaming up…
Not a classic, but an enjoyable 80s action flick with the always charming Sam Elliott as a gruff NYPD detective and Peter Weller as a quirky lawyer teaming up to take down some dirty cops. From writer/director James Glickenhaus, who brought us the grindhouse classic THE EXTERMINATOR, this is his most polished film, but its major weakness is how conventional it is compared to his rule-breaking grindhouse classic. Still, the leads are great, even if Elliott doesn't get enough screen time, 80s character actors litter the screen everywhere, and the film does a great job of using practical locations on the filthy streets of NYC before Giuliani cleaned it up. Behind the scenes, Weller and Elliot were assigned bodyguards for the night shoots in Times Square, back when it was still populated with peepshows, pimps, and criminals before it became Disneyland. Another strength of the film is all of the practical stunt work. There's no CGI here! Stuntmen really did all the leaping from buildings, crazy car rolls, and hanging off of bridges. Outside of some awful blue screen during the film's finale, the film has a gritty and grounded feel to the action that makes it a must-see for fans of 80s action films.4-7-19
Enjoyably cliched 80s buddy cop film with more mullets than you can shake a stick at!Shakedown (1988) ***
I don't think I'd seen this film since it originally came out in the theater. I remember thinking it was pretty ridiculous then, but it's aged better than I'd expected, mainly thanks to it's cast, the use of actual NYC locations, and 80s action film nostalgia value. Peter Weller plays a groovy lawyer and Sam Elliott plays a renegade narcotics detective. It's a cliche ridden story of Weller and Elliott then face off against drug dealers, corrupt police officers, and other assorted low-lifes. The script by writer/director James Glickenhaus is pretty awful, but his action sequences are serviceable. In the film's favor is the fun pairing of Elliott and Weller and also the use of grimy pre-Giuliani NYC locations, including one action sequence filmed at 42nd Street in Times Square when it was still a den of go-go bars, peep shows, and adult theaters. It was certainly a good thing that Giuliani cleaned up the streets of NYC, but when it comes to movies filmed in The Big Apple, I have a fond affection for films like "The Warriors", "Maniac", "Gloria", "C. H. U. D.", "Black Caesar", "Across 110th Street", "Combat Shock", or even Glickenhaus' own "The Exterminator" which all prominently featured the seedy side of the city that never sleeps. Also in the film's favor is that it featured more mullets than any recent action film I can think of outside of "Roadhouse". Overall, "Shakedown" is a highly routine buddy cop picture to the degree of being a genre stereotype, but it has enough positives to be enjoyed by fans of these sorts of films.
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