Dragnet

It's Saturday, November 6. 9:21 a.m. I've just watched "Dragnet."

A lot of old television shows have been made into movies. Most of them, frankly, have been disappointments. I have to say that the movie version of "Dragnet" is one of the better ones. Based on the cast, it should be. I'm not sure you could do any better than casting Dan Aykroyd and Tom Hanks in the lead roles, respectively, of Sgt. Joe Friday (supposedly the great-nephew of the Joe Friday from the series) and Tom Hanks as his new partner Pep Streebek. Both played their roles perfectly. Aykroyd was a great satirical take on Jack Webb's character, and Hanks was the perfect balance. The supporting cast - with names like Christopher Plummer and Dabney Coleman and Harry Morgan (reprising his character of Gannon from a 1969 "Dragnet" movie, who's now the police captain) - also made this worth watching.

The story has Friday and Streebek investigating some type of pagan cult that's been causing havoc on the streets of the city. Their undercover encounter with the cult at one of its gatherings was hilarious. Overall, mind you, this isn't an outrageously funny movie. It's more humorous than anything, with appeal mostly to those who've seen the original series. If you've never seen the original series a lot of the subtle humour (which revolves around Aykroyd's parody of Webb's character) will be lost. However, for those who do know the original series, it's a fun nostalgia trip with a good cast.

I'm wondering whether all the other IMDb users saw the sam movie. This films hilarious especially Joe's fast talking whilst arresting the priest. It must of took him ages to perfect that scene and remember everything. I never saw the original series but I believe captain Gannon (Harry Morgan) played the same character of a officer in the 60's version.

I first saw ths movie when I was about 8 and couldn't get enough of it..to the point my mom taped over it so I would stop. 8 years later, the movie is the same way. I could watch "Dragnet" over and over with glee. As Pep would say, "Thank God it's Friday!"

Tom Hanks reminds us of just how good a comic actor he is, and Dan Ackroyd just "becomes" his character! I found the movie to be part dead-on parody, part slapstick, part cop movie (with a twist). Christopher Plummer and Dabney Coleman have a ball with their supporting roles, and Alexandra Paul adds just a dash of sex appeal. I was smiling from start to finish, and could watch it over and over.

I managed to catch Dragnet on one boring late night on HBO and how glad I am to have done that! Without going into the small details, this is a must see.

The chemistry between Dan Aykroyd and Tom Hanks is just awesome. Both Dan and Tom manages to play their respective characters with sheer conviction. The plot is simple and the dialog hilarious: just the sort you need for straight unadulterated fun.

Best of all, the move has some of the most brilliant comic moments from 1980's.

I'm not giving anything away, you'll need to watch to find out ;-)