Shakedown (1988) Universal/Action RT: 97 minutes Rated R (strong violence, language, sexual references, nudity, drugs) Director: James Glickenhaus Screenplay: James Glickenhaus Music: James Horner Cinematography: John Lindley Release date: May 6, 1988 (US) Cast: Peter Weller, Sam Elliot, Patricia Charbonneau, Blanche Baker, Richard Brooks, Antonio Fargas, John C. McGinley, Thomas G. Waites, Larry Joshua, Jude Ciccolella, Vondie Curtis-Hall, Paul Bartel, James Eckhouse, William Prince. Box Office: $10M (US)
Rating: ***
It’s nice to know James Glickenhaus didn’t forget his grindhouse roots while making the mainstream cop actioner Shakedown. An early scene is set at a shabby Times Square movie theater showing The Exterminator and The Soldier, two of the writer-director’s early efforts. Remember when Times Square used to be lined with movie houses showing mostly exploitation fare? It was Movie Guy’s visualization of heaven.
ANYWAY, let’s talk about Shakedown, the second time Glickenhaus worked under a major studio; his 1985 actioner The Protector was distributed by Warner Bros. It’s one of those movies in which big, out-of-hand action scenes serve to compensate for lack of a coherent narrative. The plot has something to do with corrupt cops, an incriminating cassette tape and a crack dealer (Brooks, Law & Order) on trial for killing an undercover cop. He’s being defended by Roland Dalton (Weller, RoboCop), a burnt-out public defender one week away from leaving this dream job to join a Wall Street law firm run by his fiancee’s father (Prince, The Gauntlet). He’s assigned the crack dealer’s case, of course. The dealer claims he didn’t know the victim was a cop and only shot him in self-defense. He refers to him as a “blue jean cop”. Dalton decides to look into it with help from his friend, renegade cop Richie Marks (Elliott, Road House). Together, they try to uncover the truth. The problem is the truth could get them killed. In fact, it almost gets them killed a few times.
A subplot has Dalton facing his ex-lover Susan (Charbonneau, Desert Hearts) in court. She’s the prosecutor on the dealer’s case. I’d think this would constitute a conflict of interest of some sort, but never mind. They create further conflict by rekindling their romance. Frankly, I don’t blame Dalton for hooking up with Susan. His younger fiancee (Baker, 16 Candles) is a blonde bubblehead; she thinks Jimi Hendrix is heavy metal.
The highlight of Shakedown is, of course, the action. Although well-staged, they often stretch the limits of believability beyond the breaking point. They’re far-fetched even for a loud, violent action movie. In one scene, somebody hangs onto the wheel of an airplane containing key villains as it ascends. He then plants a hand grenade and jumps to safety in the water below. There’s also an exciting chase through Times Square as the heroes try to apprehend the bad guy who killed an informant on the orders of drug kingpin N.C. (Fargas, Starsky & Hutch). And let’s not forget the amusement park scene with the runaway roller coaster. The action is simultaneously thrilling and laughably OTT.
The main problem with Shakedown is the screenplay. It too often goes off into tangents that have little or nothing to do with the main plot. It’s not always clear what’s going on. Characters’ motives tend to be vague. This is typical of Glickenhaus; he never was a strong storyteller.
The two leads do a good enough job in their respective roles. Weller is in fine form as an idealistic lawyer who’d be more at home in a hippie commune than a stuffy law firm. Elliott, always a pleasure to watch, is good as a gruff, disheveled cop who catches naps in 24-hour movie theaters. The actors have solid enough chemistry. Fargas’ role isn’t that big, but he makes the most of what little screen time he has as kingpin N.C. Charbonneau, as the prosecuting attorney, proves to be more than a match for Weller’s character. Supporting roles are filled by Larry Joshua (The Burning), Thomas G. Waites (The Thing) and John C. McGinley (Wall Street).
I really like Shakedown; I just wish it had been stronger in the storytelling department. It’s okay though because the scenes between the action set-pieces, especially those involving Dalton questioning whether or not he should go through with the wedding, don’t really matter. We all know what he’s going to decide long before he does. Thankfully, Shakedown is mighty in the area of action. It’s fun because it’s so ridiculous. It’s the kind of action movie where you can shut off your brain because it’s such a no-brainer.
