Stakeout
Starring: Richard Dreyfuss, Emilio Estevez, Aidan Quinn, Madeleine Stowe
Directed by: John Badham
Rating: R
Genre: Crime
1987
Times Seen:
Tim: 4
Summary: When a dangerous escaped convict (Aidan Quinn) disappears, two Seattle detectives, Chris (Richard Dreyfuss) and Bill (Emilio Estevez) are assigned to stakeout the apartment of his ex-girlfriend (Madeleine Stowe). As Chris begins a romantic relationship with the woman he is supposed to be watching, the stakes grow much higher... and much more dangerous.
Review:
Tim: I grew up with this movie, so I absolutely love it. The film itself is just slightly mediocre save for one single thing- the chemistry between Dreyfuss and Estevez. Buddy cop movies come and go every day, but I doubt you will ever see one like this. Dreyfuss and Estevez must have had an absolute blast making this film. Their characters are hilarious, and together, they will have your sides hurting you'll be laughing so much. Every second of screentime together is an incredible moment.
Dreyfuss and Estevez are great, but all the comic performances in the world won't matter if you don't have good writing. This film is written beautifully, as the dialogue between the two main characters sparkles with energy. Every thought and every word has the potential to be hilarious, and you hold on tight, just waiting to see what'll happen next. I am a big fan of excellent dialogue, and this film ranks up at the very top. From insults to witty retorts, to pretty much everything else, Dreyfuss and Estevez have great material to work with.
The downside to this film is pretty much every scene where Dreyfuss and Estevez aren't together. Whenever Stowe or Quinn is on screen, you find yourself begging for the scene to be over, so you can see the heroes again. As this is an action/comedy, you do need to have some action scenes, and they are pretty boring, and not exciting at all. The comedy in this movie is superb, the action is slightly less than so-so. If you rent this for the comedy, prepare to be amazed. If you get it for the action... I pity you.
Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 8
If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend:
Another Stakeout, Jaws, Snatch, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Always