Armed and Dangerous

I saw this movie for the first time last month, and im still laughing about it!! This movie has some of the funniest parts ever in it. This movie isnt as funny as Planes, Trains, and Automobiles, but it's pretty darn close!! If you liked Planes, Trains, and Automobiles, you should definately check this one out.

Frank (John Candy) is a good policeman but he is framed for theft when he catches other officers pilfering electronics. He is kicked off the force in short order. Meanwhile, Norman (Eugene Levy) is an inept lawyer who messes up big time when he assigned to defend a Charles Manson type offender. The judge in the case orders Norman to find alternative work. With few options, Frank and Norman both enroll in a security guard officers training school, where they become fast friends and partners. This is, in part, because so many of their classmates are complete idiots, like the man who wonders if he should put his own name on the application line that says "name"! Frank and Norman's first assignment is to stand watch inside a factory but they soon realize that their company, Guard Dog Security, may have some criminals on the staff, ones that are stealing from the companies they are supposed to be guarding. Can Frank and Norman, with the help of the firm-owner's daughter, Maggie (Meg Ryan), expose the bad elements in the company, without getting fired or killed? This is a very funny film with abundant laughs. Yes, it may be considered a more "low-brow" vehicle, but it is still very mirthful and will cause any viewer to laugh themselves silly. Just watching the less-than-intelligent guards on the staff of the security firm makes for a fun, fun evening. Candy, Levy, and Ryan are terrific but, then, so are the relative unknowns who round out the rest of the cast. Sets, costumes, and production values are great, too. If you want to see a classic Candy film, this is a great choice, for it displays his marvelous and abundant talent, no doubt. But, anyone truly wishing to transport themselves to a world of laughter will find this one a very good choice.

While most reviews describe this movie as 'just an average comedy', even at this, Armed and Dangerous is a laugh and a half. It's charming, fast-paced, and furthermore, I adored Candy and Levy's interactions on-screen. One minute, they're ragging on each other, the next, they're the best of friends.

The movie also has, though almost impossible to find a copy of, an excellent soundtrack, including "Armed and Dangerous" by Atlantic Starr, and, of course, half a dozen or so other popular 80s hits. With that, the movie is also on DVD, and while it doesn't have much in the way of extras, it does include anamorphic widescreen with Dolby Stereo 2.0 Surround Sound.

Possibly the only complaint one could make we might all agree on was that it was just too short. At just under an hour and a half, as endearing as each minute is, the film does leave much to be desired.

All in all, Armed and Dangerous is a mid-80s classic well-worth watching. It's the perfect blend of action and comedy, and SCTV fans will find that it's no flop for either Candy or Levy; even as the script is considered by some to be lacking, both hide it well.

This is stupid comedy at its best. John Candy and Eugene Levy are in top form in this movie. Directed by Mark L. Lester (Class of 1984 and 1999, Commando) shows a great fun of Comedy and Action. Candy and Levy are great together, the supporting cast are: Robert Loggia, Kenneth McMillian, Meg Ryan, Jonathan Banks, Brion James and Steve Ralisback (In a Cameo). John Candy and Eugene Levy have a great chemistry in this film. The addition of the sweet, innocent character played by Meg Ryan a great plus. Even though the story and filming is not the greatest, their characters in this film play off each other very well to provide for some hilarious, outlandish situations and a whole slew of laughs.

This movie is a classic 80's comedy if you ask me, with a nice bit of action in it too and a good story. This movie has loads of memorable scenes such as this with easily likable characters, well defined good and bad guys and an easy to follow plot. It's not easy to create good character gags over a short space of time, but this film manages to do it and avoids a lot of the traps that other 80's comedies did by relying on visual and verbal gags alone.

Overall rating: 7 out of 10.

In a way, maybe it does weaken "Armed and Dangerous" just a little to have so much high action, but how can you not like a John Candy/Eugene Levy movie? In this case, they play security guards who discover all sorts of corruption. But mostly, it's an excuse to be silly. Low humor, sure, but still likable (especially the clothing-switching scene; I bet that they liked filming that!).

Anyway, it's one of many movies that shows what we lost when John Candy died. In other words, it's armed and dangerously funny. Also starring Robert Loggia (happy birthday, Robert!), Kenneth McMillan and Meg Ryan.

A 50 caliber...