Dos policías al acecho

Stakeout is one of those movies that makes you wish you owned a time machine. Not only does Stakeout capture the magic of the '80s, it also brings forth a world many of us miss, and does so in a way that not many movies of that era managed to do. What is so great about this movie is that you always feel you are part of it somehow. You are right there with Richard Dreyfuss and Emilio Estevez, almost like you are their invisible partner. That's how good those two are. You will laugh and feel the excitement until the very last minute. To me, Stakeout is a feel good machine that leaves a strong impression on anyone who misses the era it was made in.

P.S. How beautiful was Madeleine Stowe?

This is a forumulaic buddy movie, but it works. Madeleine Stowe is just wonderful. Richard Dreyfuss and Emilio Estevez also work very well. With good supporting acting all around, this movie works, when normally I would be rolling my eyes.

Good acting and some very good one-liner writing make what could have been a bad movie (like "Another Stakeout") and enjoyable experience. I recommend it for some good-hearted fun.

I think this is one of the under-appreciated movies from the 1980s. It blends realistic action and comedy well, without taking itself too seriously. I agree with reviewers that Dreyfuss in this movie proves he was very good at comedy movies if they were written well, like this was. And Aidan Quinn is very good also (in fact, from "Desperately Seeking Susan" in 1985, to "Stakeout," to 1994's "Legends of the Fall" he has consistently given reliably good performances). For a late 1980s movie, it has aged fairly well. It's almost hard to believe that this movie came out only two years after Estevez was in "The Breakfast Club." I wish there were more movies like this that blended action and comedy as well as "Stakeout" did.

I really enjoyed this movie! It's filled with laughs and excitement, and never once was I not entertained. Next to "48 Hours" I think this is one of the best buddy cop movies I have yet seen. Richard Dreyfuss and Emilio Estevez make a wonderful team, with dead-on chemistry. Dreyfuss steals the show with his hilarious performance, proving he's just as talented at doing broad comedy as he is intense drama. That especially shows in the scene where he's about to walk out of Madeline Stowe's house, but doesn't want to be recognized, so he asks her to lend him a hat. The way he handled that scene was so magnificent, and there are many other farcical moments that he handled just as efficiently, and with the wrong timing and delivery those scenes could've collapsed. Estevez plays the straight man, also doing a magnificent job, and you really feel his envy when he's spying on Stowe, who's being hit on by Dreyfuss. I loved the scenes where the rival cops pulled pranks on each other. Speaking of which, Forrest Whitaker pops up in a fine early performance. And Madeline Stowe is great and sexy, as always.

Sure, the plot is quite predictable, but as I said I was always entertained, thanks to sharp writing and great performances. John Badham is a fine action director, so he kept those action scenes filled with suspense and tension. "Stakeout" is not a film that will keep your brain occupied--as a matter of fact there are some scenes that require you to check your brain at the door--but I assure you that you'll have a damn good time.

My score: 8 (out of 10)

"Buddy Cop" movies were all the rage in the 80s, and 'Stakeout' is filled to bursting with the genre's clichés. But the fresh titular premise and charming performances by, and great chemistry between, stars Richard Dreyfuss and Emilio Estevez help to lift it above the fay and make it feel fresh. Oh, and then there's Madeline Stowe. My God, Madeline Stowe. She is just... wow. But, she also gives a really nice performance here, and she and Dreyfuss make for a strangely good screen couple.

'Stakeout' is a breezy, fun and subtly clever action/comedy (emphasis on the "comedy"). It's not groundbreaking, but it is solid entertainment for a lazy Sunday afternoon.