Stakeout (1987)

Well Deserved Praise

Just so...so bad

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

Stakeout is a good film which launched a sequel starring the buddy cop duo of Emilio Estevez and Richard Dreyfuss. The story concerns these two cops who are assigned to observe a convict's ex-girlfriend but things get complicated soon enough. Featuring some sequences including a chase through a fish market and some great Vancouver scenery this is a good, albeilt not great late 80s film. Many even back then thought of this as something of a poor man's lethal weapon. But this is a good overall film and the chemistry between Dreyfuss and Estevez is quite good.

The real problem with this funny film is that aiden quinn cannot in any way be believed to be a hardened criminal, he can barely tie his shoe laces without assistance...and he isn't the least bit funny...put any real man in lieu of this dork and its a huge hit...he dragged this film to the gutter....i loved the rapport between dreyfus and stowe...

"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.

Det. Chris Lecce (Richard Dreyfuss) and Det. Bill Reimers (Emilio Estevez]) get assigned to stakeout the home of Maria McGuire (Madeleine Stowe) in the hope that her recently escaped from prison ex (Aidan Quinn) shows up. The ex showing up is the least of their problems for Chris is starting to fall for Maria, and that spells trouble for everyone.There's something about 80s action comedies that just doesn't travel well. Where once film's like Beverly Hills Cop and this John Badham directed piece were massively popular, now they seem to receive negativity from a majority of the new wave of film watchers. I don't have the answer myself, perhaps it's just one of those decades that doesn't date well? Even if that saying is beyond my own comprehension for any decade.What ever, Stakeout is a fun and entertaining picture, yes it's a routine plot {a kind of fun Rear Window}, but the chemistry between Estevez and an on fire Dreyfuss lifts it far above being a bog standard buddy movie. Jim Kouf's screenplay has some sharp moments of comedy, notably the play off between our two main protagonists and another cop pairing played by Forest Whitaker & Dan Lauria. While Badham competently constructs the action sequences that are a staple for this kind of movie. Quinn does a nice line in psycho villainy, while Stowe is sexy and vulnerable to great effect. It's a credit to both Stowe and Dreyfuss that their coupling, in spite of the age and social differences, is believable and tender.Nothing new here of course, but the good story is told well and acted with great comic gusto. An equally enjoyable sequel (Another Stakeout) followed in 1993. 7/10