The ‘80s saw many a buddy cop film being released with some actors gaining star status through the concept. To put a new slant on the idea came a couple of films with a twist. Rather than the straight cop - nutcase cop scenario that was prevalent in many of the films, K-9 came up with the concept of nutcase cop – dog cop. This was aimed to attract the adult male audience for the humour of James Belushi along with the female and younger audience for the canine inclusion, adding to the “aw” factor. The only other film to successfully try this idea was Turner and Hooch, both doing very good business at the box office.
Dooley (Belushi) is a bit of a rogue cop. He is obsessed with sending Lyman (Kevin Tinghe) to jail as he is sure he is guilty of drug running, but is lacking the proof. Dooley realises he must be getting too close when his car is destroyed in an assassination attempt. His boss will give him a new car on the condition he takes on a partner, but Dooley refuses. On a tip off that drugs are being stored in a warehouse, Dooley needs a police dog that can find the drugs and put the bad guys behind bars. Enter Jerry Lee, an Alsatian with personality and a killer instinct.
Through many ups and downs and battles for control, Dooley and Jerry Lee work well as a team. They appear to hate each other, continually fighting for the upper hand along with the affection of Dooley’s girlfriend. Both being cops, however, means that police work comes first and they must strive to get the bad guys.
This film has not aged too well, but still offers a few laughs and tons of cute from the canine perspective. It is basically light entertainment that has enough to offer the viewer some pleasure, but will not leave them feeling they have just seen a classic. James Belushi is quite humorous in this role, but you knew there had to be one role where that occured didn’t you? The star of the film, however, is Jerry Lee, who oozes personality. There are tons of fart and poo jokes to keep the kids amused, however this film may struggle to keep older kids amused for long. Adults will see it for what it is, a light entertainment buddy cop film and by not expecting too much should find it enjoyable.
Many viewers, like myself, would have seen this during its original cinema release and for the time it was a decent comedy. The sad thing is that due to the age of the film, this humour doesn’t quite work as well as it did back then, so rather than many belly laughs please don’t expect more than the odd giggle. There is every cliché in the book as far as the storyline and humour goes, so if all you are after is a bit of light entertainment with some cutesy dog scenes then look no further.
Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.85:1 and 16:9 enhanced, this transfer is reasonable considering its age. There is quite a bit of softness, although the picture is generally sharp. Colours are also generally true and although not of the quality of more recent releases, are consistent with the age. There are quite a few film artefacts and some aliasing, but again these were expected and don’t cause too much distraction. The layer change is located at 42:30 between scenes and therefore causes no real distraction.
Audio is supplied in Dolby Digital 2.0 surround and this is quite sufficient. Sound is kept predominantly across the front speakers with the rear channels being used to emphasise the ‘80s music soundtrack. Dialogue is quite clear throughout, but does on occasion get overpowered by the music. Overall the audio does all it needs to without impressing or disappointing the viewer.
This is not a total dog of a movie. It should keep kids reasonably amused and adults will find the odd scene supplies a giggle. The video and audio are decent while being nothing too flash and the lack of extras make this a bare bones release. Perhaps worth a look as a weekly rental or even picked up in the sale bin, but this film really doesn’t require one going out of one’s way.
