A comedy thriller with a silken thread of romance, 1987s Stakeout stars Richard Dreyfuss and Emilio Estevez as a pair of undercover cops assigned to watch the apartment of the former girlfriend (Madeleine Stowe) of a violent escaped convict. Complications ensue when Dreyfuss cop poses as a telephone inspector to get in and bug the girlfriends phone and they strike up a relationship. Initially coming on a bit like a cross between Hitchcock's Rear Window and Porky's, Stakeout ends up falling between the two stools of mirth and suspense. Some half-amusing business involving a series of practical jokes between the cop duo and their relief partners doesnt add materially to the film. Emilio Estevezs sidekick role is under-developed and he brings to this none of the loose cannon mania he would later bring to Young Guns. Dreyfuss isnt entirely convincing as a tough, seasoned cop and Aidan Quinn as the villain comes across as a poor mans James Woods. Yet for all these flaws, director John Badham just about manages to cobble together a watchable caper. On the DVD: Stakeout on disc has no extras of any kind, not even a trailer. The feature is presented in widescreen 1.85:1 format with Dolby digital 5.1 sound. The dubbing briefly goes awry near the end. --David Stubbs
Please wait. Loading...
This site uses cookies.
More details in our privacy policy