Dragnet

I've never seen the TV series "Dragnet", and I've heard that it was little more than an excuse to glorify the police, lionizing them for going after hippies. Therefore, I'm perfectly content only knowing the 1980s movie starring Dan Aykroyd as the no-nonsense Joe Friday and Tom Hanks as his hip new sidekick. While the plot focuses on their investigation of a shady televangelist (Christopher Plummer), it's mostly an excuse for both men to be just plain old funny. Both guys easily succeed in that respect. It's the most hilarious - let alone the best - movie for either, but truly a nice bit of entertainment for its running length. Worth seeing for that. Also starring Alexandra Paul, Jack O'Halloran, Kathleen Freeman and Dabney Coleman.

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 ;-)

GOOD - This is a fast-moving film which entertains throughout. It features a good mixture of humor and action. Dan Aykroyd does a good job imitating Jack Webb as "Joe Friday. Alexandra Paul has about the sweetest face and smile I've seen on film. Too bad she never was involved with any other films I know about. BAD - Another cheap shot at Christianity as a "reverend" is the bad guy in the movie. The movie associates greed, money and power with the church. Real moral subjects are treated lightly and with irreverence. On the violence, there is too Rambo mentality where the good guys never get hit. OVERALL - Entertaining and worth a rental and perhaps a purchase.

It gets a bit better every time, until about the 5th time. Then you get a little bored of it. That's why it should be enjoyed Friday night, with a bowl of popcorn,and you should really try to listen to some of the jokes. I must admit a few of the things are a little exaggerated, but it makes up for it with funny things. The expressions and everything Akyroyd does is perfect as the new Joe Friday. I also love how Hanks reacts to some of the things Akyroyd does, and vice versa. The plot is after Friday's old partner leaves, he gets Tom Hanks as his new sidekick, Streeback. They are trying to find out why a cult has been taking things from the animals at a local zoo, a magazine company's been burned down by the cult, and the mystery unravels as you're watching. Like I said, gets a little old after a while, but it's definately worth renting out on Friday night. 3 and a half stars out of 5

Uneven and loaded with a sarcastic sense of humor yet this movie version of "Dragnet" may not top the classic t.v. series, however; it deserves a look sixteen years later. Dan Aykroyd, well-cast as Joe Friday (and sounds like him) and his new parter Pep Streebeck (Tom Hanks) stumble around and verbally clash with each other while tie a crooked televangelist (Christopher Plummer)to a twisted cult. "Dragnet" has its share of hilarious moments in the movie and the best one involves where a limo driver intentionally drives over Friday's feet. The expression on Aykroyd's face, well, speaks for itself. Another note, one of the cast members from the tv series, Harry Morgan, reprises his role as Gannon, who is now the captain.

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.

dragnet is by no means a great film. but it is a funny, goofy light hearted film that both actors play well. i thought it was unusual to see christopher plummer in such a movie but he was good as the founder of "mama". this wont go down as the best film of either tom hanks or dan akroyd.dan has the jack webb impersonation down well though. it still is entertaining and if you want a decent laugh it's worth renting.