Shakedown (1988)

My buddy scooped this at a used video store a few years ago. The moment we saw it, we knew we had an instant classic on our hands. The following weekend I took it with me to Bangor to show my buddies up there, and they were as enamored with it as we were.

Shakedown features DTVC Hall of Famer Peter Weller as a Legal Aid attorney who has a client that's been framed for murder. He has a buddy on the force, played by Sam Elliott, and they surmise that there are some crooked cops doing some crooked things that don't want P Dubs and Elliott snooping around. At the same time, the prosecutor trying Pete's defendant is a former flame, and the two rekindle their romance, despite Weller's pending engagement to another woman. After some crazy action, things get hairy, but finally our heroes are able to prevail. Oh yeah, and there's a tribute to Dr. Strangelove at the very end.

The Dr. Strangelove thing comes when Elliott, trying to keep the cops from escaping, gets on their plane, sits on the wheel before its pulled in, and throws a grenade in it while it's flying. The shot looks just like the end of Strangelove, when the dude is riding the A-bomb. I also think it was an inspiration to Jerry Bruckheimer and the people who make the XXX movies on how absurdly an action movie can blur the line between what's plausible and what's downright ludicrous.

This film features one of the all time greatest movie scenes. Weller, while cheating on his fiancee with his old flame, is debating coming clean. He's fallen for the old flame, and wants to leave his current woman, but can't quite find the words. The old flame tries to brow beat him, and Weller's response is a speech to end all speeches. I won't write down the whole thing, but I'll give you some quotes. "Is this going to be some kind of female territorial doo-wop?" "...because it's kickin' the life outta me, see?" "Why do you think it's some god damned manifest destiny for me to pickin' shit with the chickens the rest of my life?" Not only are these lines too sweet, but they're compounded in their glory by Weller's in ability to properly remember them, and the director's decision, not to reshoot the scene, but to just go with it with all of Weller's mistakes evident. I love it so much.

Another favorite is Weller's cab ride to the court to get a tape to the judge that will exonerate his client. The cops are trying to keep him from doing that, so the cabbie is speeding recklessly down the road. At the courthouse steps, the car gets caught on a crane hook, and the crane lifts it over the blockade of cop cars. Weller's face during this crane ride is priceless. We had to watch it multiple times and play it in slo-mo.

This movie is so worth your time. Don't hesitate if you see it at the store. $5 is a good price, and I'd snatch it up for that. This film should be in everyone's video collection.

For more info: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0096087/

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