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Stakeout (1987)

Rate: 7
Viewed: 7/15

Stake1
7/15: I saw Stakeout at a theatre in 1987 and thought of it as a good buddy cop film.

However, the comedy was never there. The rest of everything else was inconsequential. Having seen it again recently, my opinion hasn't changed much.

The most memorable is Richard Dreyfuss' performance. He carries the film well. His chemistry with Madeleine Stowe, in her first big role, is fun to watch. More of an afterthought, Emilio Estevez, who sports an interesting mustache, is only there when needed. I didn't recognize Aidan Quinn as the bad guy the first time around. But knowing him from Legends of the Fall, he's now a recognizable actor. His character makes for a formidable antagonist in this picture.

Taken from IMDb, the following piece is funny: "Richard Dreyfuss and Emilio Estevez were having a movie trivia contest on the set one day. Estevez asked Dreyfuss to identify the movie that the line 'This is no boating accident' was from. Dreyfuss didn't recognize the quote, despite the fact that he was the actor who said it in Jaws (1975). Deciding that this was too good to pass up, this incident was re-enacted for the film."

All in all, Stakeout is a by-the-numbers policier, but Richard Dreyfuss makes it worth watching.