Dragnet (1987)

The line between parody and tribute can be hard to draw, but any marginally hip baby boomer who ever watched Jack Webb's straight-laced Detective Joe Friday caught a glimmer of the comedic vein waiting to be mined beneath Dragnet's gritty Los Angeles streets. In 1987 moviegoers had yet to be crushed under the weight of the 1990s TV remake mania, and Dragnet comes off as fresh and funny. Dan Aykroyd plays Joe Friday, the straight-arrow nephew of Webb's iconic cop. This part was made for him (in fact, he's given top writing credit), and under his steely exterior you can tell he's having a ball delivering those rapid-fire recitations of regulations and deadpan expressions of moral outrage. Tom Hanks plays Pep Streebek, the laissez-faire narco agent who is Friday's new partner. Their assignment: bust the Pagans, a wild-and-woolly gang of dope fiends, deadbeats, and beatniks behind a bewildering array of bizarre robberies. Hilarity ensues. Friday and Streebek outfox a corrupt televangelist (Christopher Plummer), bicker over chili dogs and cigarettes, alternately revile and fawn over a porn millionaire (Dabney Coleman), wrestle a 30-foot-long anaconda, and rescue the virgin Connie Swail--the only girl capable of stealing Friday's heart. --Grant Balfour Amazon.com

 Dragnet
Aykroyd and Hanks are delightful in this spoof of the old tv show. Equally wonderful is Harry Morgan, from the original series, as the Chief. April 23, 2008

 What is it with these movies?
These movies are NEARLY always the same. Lethal Weapon is a prime example. It's cliched up to the hilt, bad hair, bad lines you know the story. Dragnet I totally expected to be the same. I read the blurb (twice), but still wasn't utterly convinced. To save time, I watched this.

Dragnet is one of those movies that has you smiling throughout. Whether it's Tom Hanks ganglyness, or Dan Aykroyd's deadpan expression even when saying the most ridiculous sentences, or spotting an actress who was in Baywatch (hey, normally I spot some random who's been in Friends!), you just end up smiling. How Dan Aykroyd managed to keep a straight face, I don't know. I would have found it impossible.

The story's pretty predictable, and much like every other cop movie out there, if it hadn't been for the two lead actors. Tom plays the hippy-ish character, with bad hair, bad clothes, and sleeps with his colleagues. Dan is Mr Strait-Laced, still sees his mother constantly, and would never dream of doing anything that is illegal. Major clash of personalities when these two meet.

What else can I say about Dragnet that hasn't been said already? There isn't really much else. Apart from Christopher Plummer manages to steal every scene, with a twinkle in his eye, a character very different from Captain Von Trapp in the Sound Of Music. I haven't seen the original TV series, so can't really comment on that, but all I can say is that if you haven't seen this movie yet, it's a definite must see. If you can pick it up for cheap in the bargain bins, then do so. It's a good cheery movie, and both actors manage to play their roles perfectly. April 14, 2008

 Riotous
As a big fan of Jack Webb and the 1960s Dragnet, Dan Aykroyd couldn't have parodied him better! I look at this as imitation being the sincerest form of flattery and I'm sure Webb would've appreciated it. I love it when Friday and Streebek (after wrecking multiple vehicles) get issued a Yugo "on the cutting edge of Serbo-Croatian technology". Hilarious! March 6, 2008

 DVD - "A Little Romance"
The product was delivered quickly and packaged well. The DVD played without any problems at all. While the jewel case did not seem very strong, there was no physical damage. I would purchase more products like this, based on this experience. February 25, 2008

 Look out! Muppets!
That is only one of many lines from this movie that friends of mine and I quote on a regular basis (see the movie and you'll understand it).

This was the first "summer" movie I saw back in 1987, a year that I consider to be "landmark" for me personally for many, many reasons. Regardless, I LOVED this movie. I grew up watching Dragnet TV reruns with my dad (he was a Jack Webb fan) so I had a true appreciation for this movie.

Dan Aykroyd was PERFECT as the "new" Joe Friday and he and Tom Hanks played perfectly off of one another. The always underrated Dabney Coleman was also perfectly cast as well as Christopher Plummer. Both actors play their villainous roles with the perfect mix of deviousness and tongue-in-cheek humor.

I think that's why a lot of people panned this movie. It was supposed to be a humorous take on the Dragnet series, not a direct copy or a continuation. It's a tribute film to a one-time American icon. Too many people took this film too seriously.

The plot is pretty straightforward and a bit predictable, but the dialogue and humor are top-notch. Just relax, and enjoy the film for what it is and you will come away feeling like you have just been given a treat. Not filet mignon, but a good juicy burger. That's what this movie is. Filet is the cream of the crop, but you wouldn't want to eat it every day. Even if you had a lifetime supply, you would still want that juicy burger every now and again.

Pass the A-1 and enjoy!
July 6, 2007

More reviews at Amazon.com ...