Starring: Dan Aykroyd, Tom Hanks, Christopher Plummer, Harry Morgan, Alexandra Paul Directed By: Tom Mankiewicz Average Rating: Audience Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested) Binding: VHS Tape Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, NTSC Label: Universal Studios Number of Items: 1 Release Date: March 12, 1992 Running Time: 106 minutes Theatrical Release Date: June 26, 1987
Amazon.com: 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
Another 80's Classic!!! This was a really good buddy-cop comedy of the 80's! Although I never saw the original series, so I can't compare it to the show. Dan Akroyd does an awesome job as Joe Friday and Tom Hanks does an awesome job as Pep Streebek! Joe is by-the-books, and Pep is more laid back. They investigate a cult known as P.A.G.A.N. and try to get just the facts and stop the leader and save the girl! If you love comedy and cop action, you'll love DRAGNET!!!
More of a parody than a remake With that being said, it is done extremely well. There are some really unforgettable scenes in this movie which make it well worth the effort to find it and watch it.
Teenage memories not always reliable! I bought this movie because, in my memory, it was pretty good... and hilarious. It wasn't. Haha. O well. Anyway, the story is pretty juvenile. I think boys will enjoy this movie :) I even enjoyed it, just not as much as I had hoped. Drug references, sexual references, are numerous. One thing that may dissuade younger people from watching it is that it is so dated. "Typical" 80s movie - the music, the clothes, the cars, etc.
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.
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.
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