4/5 Still enjoyable after all these years
  by mskrisclark (home)
I have always enjoyed this film.
Funny, interesting idea. Good script.
Even with WAY OLD MOVIE TRICK-CARS RUNNING INTO GARBAGE CANS, cars in car chases running into each other, that type of thing.

Now we have 2 Oscar winners in it. Dreyfuss & Estevez had good chemistry as the 2 partners.

Stowe in her short film career, all I ever remember from her in the 2 films I saw her in (remember, she went NO WHERE after this, her only hit movie) was her taking her clothes off.

An older DVD, needs to be released.
NO extras.

Since it is older, nice to have a chapter search page.
BUT, WHAT I CAN NOT FIGURE OUT. A 2 HOUR MOVIE & ONLY 10 CHAPTER STOPS?

And, widescreen the way it should be seen.

The unnecessary sequel I saw once & was NOT funny. Stick to this, the original.


4/5 Good Comedy-Action Mix
  by Craig Connell (Lockport, NY USA)
This was a success at the box office because it had a great mixture of action and humor. Usually if you can do well in those categories on the same film, you have a hit.

Richard Dreyfuss and Emilo Estevez play off each other well as "stakeout" partners and Madeline Stowe looks good as something good to stake out! It's basically a lot of fun to watch.

For those wondering why it's rated "R," a lot of it is the language. The two male leads use an excessive amount of the Lord's name in vain, for one, as well as a bunch of "colorful" descriptions.

It was nicely filmed and looks a whole lot better on DVD than it did on my old VHS tape.

5/5 FUNNY, THOUGHTFUL ROMANTIC SUPENSE THRILLER
  by Janice Harrison (Malvern PA)
This movie has everything! Richard Dreyfuss is extremely talented and his acting ability shines through in this movie as a recovering alcoholic police officer with the Seattle Police Dept. in Washington State. He and his partner, played by Emilio Estevez, are assigned to stake out the apartment of an old girlfriend of a dangerous escaped federal prisoner who is wanted by the FBI for killing an FBI agent. The prisoner, played by Aidan Quinn, is a really "bad guy" and it's hard to see why the ex-girlfriend (Madeleine Stowe) would fall for a man like that in the first place. Once the stakeout begins, Dreyfuss is hopelessly drawn to Stowe's character, an Irish-Mexican waitress who, though very courageous, has real vulnerability that makes her very likeable. Some very funny moments throughout with real humor that makes you laugh out loud, combined with some extremely thought-provoking moments, such as when Dreyfuss realizes how much he loves this woman that he's been assigned to watch, make this movie a real winner. This is one to buy and hang onto!

4/5 Stakeout this movie
  by Kim Foster (Goleta, CA USA)
When I first saw this movie, I wasn't sure how it would play out. However, I ended up really liking it - the humor, the romance and even the drama. Richard Dreyfuss does a great job creating a character who is funny while still being sympathetic. Emilio Estevez is a good counter-balance, helping keep the movie from being a total farce.

3/5 A Hollywood Action Film in Seattle
  by Acute Observer (North Jersey Shore)
The picture begins on a cold night. A truck enters a prison, the driver is searched. Two prisoners fight in a cell. This diversion allows an escape. The police are on the trail of this fugitive. Elsewhere two detectives find a fugitive in a fish factory. Then they are assigned to a new task force to find the escaped prisoner; he has a girlfriend in Seattle. They tap the telephone of this girlfriend and intercept the call from the fugitive. [Is this too easy?] Would a telephone repairman show up at night? The action seems to pad out the film and provide comic relief. [Is it believable? Is it funny?]

Complications arise from "Bill's" friendship with Maria and his need to hide his background. Then the action picks up on the highway. [Do the automobiles suggest product placement?] "Bill" confesses to Maria, and a new problem shows up for dramatic tension. [Couldn't they call for backup?] There is a final battle in a lumber mill, with the usual happy ending. "You saved my life." The credits thank Vancouver, British Columbia. It has a good plot, but the acting seems so-so. Some parts are not too credible. Is this a serious dram with comic relief, or a comedy with serious moments?