Blue-Jean Cop

In a town where everyone is for sale , they're the best that money can buy . A legal attorney (Peter Weller) and a renegade cop (Sam Elliot) join forces to stop corrupt cops and against street scum . The overworked lawyer and the undercover cop team up but find serious difficulties from other corrupt police inspectors (Thomas G Waites) , a drug lord (Antonio Fargas) , dope dealers , and various street scum . Dalton's life is further complicated by the fact that his girlfriend (Blanche Baker) is pregnant and the prosecuting attorney (Patricia Charbonneau) is a prior lover ; then taking place the classic triangular drama .

This thriller movie contains suspense , noisy action-packed with no much sense , intrigue, and thrills galore . It's a brutal and controversial urban film plenty of car crashes , pursuits , trials , police corruption and many other things . Sam Elliot with his usual stoic acting displays efficiently his weapon , Magnum 44 , such as ¨Harry the Dirty¨ and killing mercilessly nasties . It's certainly exciting , though the morality may be questionable , even in this time, as the spectators were clearly on the Sam Elliott side . The movie provides fast and furious entertainment and action with no sense developing with agility , fast paced and movement . This thrilling story looks increasingly passionless and mechanical , though violence sometimes seems to be considered excessive . Nice acting by Sam Elliot as a renegade loner NYPD narcotics agent and Peter Weller as an obstinate advocate at law . Furthermore, it appears a great secondary cast full of known faces with brief interventions , such as Thomas G Waites , Paul Bartel as Night Court Judge , James Eckhouse , Holt McCallany , Kelly Rutherford , David Proval ,John Finn , William Prince , Harold Perrineau ,Shirley Stoler and John C. McGinley . Mediocre cinematography by John Lindley , though he subsequently photographed Field of dreams , You've a e-m@il (1998) , Pleasantville , Mr Brooks and other hits . Screeching and pulsing musical score by Jonathan Elias .

This moving motion picture in low budget was middlingly directed by James Glickenhaus , being born in New York City where he usually shoots his movies . Glickenhaus served as the chairman for the film company SGE Entertainment from 1987 to 1995; this company specialized in both making and distributing low-budget independent straight-to-video fare. He's an expert on violent action movies and so-so films as proved in ¨McBain¨, ¨The soldier¨ and this ¨Shakedown¨ . He's also directed a Jacke Chan vehicle titled ¨The protector¨ , the eerie thriller "Slaughter of the Innocents," and the attractive sci-fi romp "Timemaster¨ and of course the extremely violent , low-budgeted and successful 1980 movie , ¨The exterminator¨ , a cruel Vigilante drama . And James was the executive producer for the movies "Maniac Cop," "Frankenhooker," both "Basket Case" sequels, "Ring of Steel," and "Tough and Deadly" . Rating : Average , 5,5/10 but entertaining .

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.

Director James Glickenhaus (The Soldiers, The Exterminator, McBain) has composed a reasonably well constructed thriller with the usual spectacular action sequences and an interesting plot. This time though, the strong performances from the lead stars help propel Shakedown above the usual mundane low budget films. Peter Weller (Robocop, Screamers) is excellent as Roland Dalton, a frustrated attorney who must help defend a troubled youth who has been accused of murdering a police officer. However, there is more to the scene of the crime than meets the eye...

Sam Elliot (Road House) is grand as Richie Marks, a rogue police officer who is always at the wrong place at the right time. Marks and Dalton happen to form a "buddy-buddy" type bonding, and their investigation eventually leads knee deep into a conspiracy of corruption, deceit, and murder...

Shakedown is a decent action flick with an intriguing plot with enthralling plot twists and top notch action sequences. The fist fight aboard a moving roller coaster is a highlight and the extended vehicle chase through the streets of Manhattan is another highlight.

What makes Shakedown an exceptional thriller though, is the three dimensional performances. Peter Weller is definitely the performer worth watching in Shakedown. His convincing portrayal as a tough lawyer adds an extra depth of integrity to an otherwise standard "kill or be killed" actioner. Sam Elliot has his moments too as a cynical renegade cop who helps Weller expose corruption in the police department.

Shakedown is worth watching just for the high caliber performances from both Weller and Elliot. The action scenes are worthwhile as well. The only setback though is these action sequences are used a little too sparesly. The lack of a breathtaking pace destroys an almost superior thriller. Otherwise, Shakedown is an adequate film. This movie would benefit greatly with a faster pace, but the acting from stars Weller and Elliot make Shakedown a film worth a look.

RATING: **1/2 out of ****.

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.

Since its theatrical release, "Shakedown" has all but been forgotten by the public. Having just watched it again after more than twenty five years since I first saw it, I think I know why it has faded into obscurity. Don't get me wrong, it's not a terrible movie. For starters, it looks great, with expert cinematography and lighting despite being made with a somewhat conservative budget. And director James Glickenhaus, like in his other movies, definitely shows he can direct action - the action scenes in this movie are very well done.

But a closer look at the movie soon reveals some big flaws. While Sam Elliot shows his trademark weary charm and makes his character appealing, his co-star Peter Weller doesn't fare so well. Weller is kind of stiff, maybe because his character is eventually made to be not so likable despite being in a lead protagonist position. The screenplay (also by Glickenhaus) is also kind of a mess, with important characters disappearing for long periods of time, as well as the central story moving extremely slowly (or not at all) for equally long periods of time.

Is the movie worth seeing? In some circumstances, yes. If you actively seek it out and/or pay good money to see it, chances are you'll be disappointed. But if it crosses your path during a slow day for free, you'll probably find it helps pass the time in an acceptable manner.