Dragnet is directed by Tom Mankiewicz and he also co-writes the screenplay with Dan Aykroyd and Alan Zweibel. It stars Aykroyd, Tom Hanks, Christopher Plummer, Harry Morgan and Alexandra Paul. Music is by Ira Newborn and cinematography by Matthew F. Leonetti.
A parody and homage to the much loved TV show of the same name from the 60s, Dragnet works hard to bring 1980s chic to the formula but ultimately has to rely on the two stars to keep its head above water. Plot pitches Aykroyd and Hanks together as mismatched cops trying to decipher the nefarious workings of cult outfit PAGAN (People Against Goodness And Normalcy).
Aykroyd's Sgt. Joe Friday is a by the book copper with a stick up his backside, Hanks' Det. Pep Streebeck is the unconventional sloth who doesn't mind fracturing laws to get a result. Naturally Friday will have to loosen up for the plot machinations to work, so enter Connie Swail (Paul) as the love interest who smooths Friday's rough edges. Plummer is scraping the bottom of the barrel but seems to be having fun doing so, and Morgan just looks bemused.
Thankfully the script is ripe with dialogue tailor made for Aykroyd, ensuring his fans get good value out of the picture. The pairing of Hanks and Aykroyd is a good one, their polar opposite dynamics spicy, and many lines become ever quotable. The action sequences aren't up to much, the direction equally so, while the soundtrack is just plane bad. So for enjoyment purpose it's best just to buy into Aykroyd's deadpan take on the Joe Friday character and kinda ignore the rest. It has moments, but the material isn't worthy of being stretched to over an hour and forty minutes of film. 6/10
A parody and homage to the much loved TV show of the same name from the 60s, Dragnet works hard to bring 1980s chic to the formula but ultimately has to rely on the two stars to keep its head above water. Plot pitches Aykroyd and Hanks together as mismatched cops trying to decipher the nefarious workings of cult outfit PAGAN (People Against Goodness And Normalcy).
Aykroyd's Sgt. Joe Friday is a by the book copper with a stick up his backside, Hanks' Det. Pep Streebeck is the unconventional sloth who doesn't mind fracturing laws to get a result. Naturally Friday will have to loosen up for the plot machinations to work, so enter Connie Swail (Paul) as the love interest who smooths Friday's rough edges. Plummer is scraping the bottom of the barrel but seems to be having fun doing so, and Morgan just looks bemused.
Thankfully the script is ripe with dialogue tailor made for Aykroyd, ensuring his fans get good value out of the picture. The pairing of Hanks and Aykroyd is a good one, their polar opposite dynamics spicy, and many lines become ever quotable. The action sequences aren't up to much, the direction equally so, while the soundtrack is just plane bad. So for enjoyment purpose it's best just to buy into Aykroyd's deadpan take on the Joe Friday character and kinda ignore the rest. It has moments, but the material isn't worthy of being stretched to over an hour and forty minutes of film. 6/10