Shakedown (1988 film)

Infobox Film
name = Shakedown


caption = Theatrical Release Poster
director = James Glickenhaus
producer = J. Boyce Harman Jr.
writer = James Glickenhaus
narrator =
starring = Peter Weller
Sam Elliott
Antonio Fargas
music = Jonathan Elias
cinematography = John Lindley
editing = Paul Fried
distributor = Universal Pictures
released = 1988
runtime = 112 min.
country = U.S.A.
language = English
budget =
preceded_by =
followed_by =
website =
amg_id = 1:44042
imdb_id = 0096087

"Shakedown" is a 1988 crime drama/action movie starring Peter Weller and Sam Elliott. The movie is about an idealistic lawyer teaming with a veteran "cop" to find out the truth in a possible police corruption scandal.

Plot

Roland Dalton (Peter Weller), a burned-out Manhattan public defender, his last case before leaving legal aid is crack dealer Michael Jones (Richard Brooks) accused of shooting to death Patrick O'Leary, a police officer in Central Park. Dalton soon discovers the shooting was in self-defence and that, according to Jones, officer O'Leary was a '"Blue Jean Cop"' (an opportunistic police officer who robs drug dealers).

Being a 'creature of habit', Dalton seeks the advice of Richie Marks (Sam Elliott), a renegade and "loner" narcotics agent who lives in an abandoned movie theater. Marks is initially hesitant when Dalton presses him for information on O'Leary, but eventually offers some cryptic advice: "Go to his house. Cops don't know shit about hiding money."

Dalton also finds out that the prosecutor in the O'Leary case is a former love interest, Susan Cantrell (Patricia Charbonneau).

The following night, Dalton discovers the truth about the deceased: "a brand new Porsche Cabriolet Turbo" in O'Leary's garage. Meanwhile, officer Marks is starting to suspect the same: a large NYPD corruption scandal involving many fellow officers, protection money and drug trafficker Nikki Carr (Antonio Fargas).

Officer Marks, operating on the inside, continues to make major busts, including Nicki Carr, but is frustrated by fellow cops on the take and an apparent incompetent Justice system (Nicki Carr surprises the judge by pulling USD $1,000,000 cash bail out of a suitcase at 5-minutes to midnight).

And on the outside, Dalton is harassed and intimidated by beat cops and is nearly executed after being caught breaking into the police evidence room on learning of an audio tape which could exonerate Jones but is saved at the last moment by Marks. In a daylight NYC chase scene, Dalton rushes late to court in a taxi with police following. The judge, however, disallows this new evidence.

Officer Marks also foils his own hit at Coney Island, ordered by fellow officer and bad cop Rydel (Larry Joshua) to Nicki Carr. "I'll take care of Marks personally...", says Carr, as would a drug baron (an exceptionally powerful drug trafficker).

Additionally, Roland and Susan, professional legal opponents in the O'Leary case, are again falling in love, unbeknown to his fiancée Gail (Blanche Baker).

Dalton is also torn between his new future with Wall Street and his commitment to legal aid. Dalton referring to his poverty: "why do you think its manifest destiny for me to be picking shit with the chickens the rest of my life", says Dalton to mistress Susan. "Because you love it to death - and of all the things you do - its what you do best".

The final court scene presents Dalton as an expert lawyer with an equally adept and skilled opponent (Susan) and while the evidence against Jones is incriminating, the artful Dalton wins his case and Michael Jones is exonerated by jury.

Dalton and Marks use O'Leary's Porsche to chase Carr and bad cop Rydel, who are making a getaway to the airport. Marks manages to climb onto the landing gear of the taking-off plane, shoots out the hydraulics and throws a live grenade into the plane in mid-air jumping into the river. As the plane taxis back onto the runway, the plane blows up. Both Carr and Rydel are killed.

Having cleared Michael Jones, re-falling in love with Susan and forging a friendship with Richie Marks, Dalton breaks up with fiancée Gail at a family function and re-takes his job in legal aid.

Tagline

*"Whatever you do...don't call the cops!"
*"An underpaid lawyer. An overworked cop. In a city where everyone is for sale, they're the best money can buy."

Trivia

* Parts of the movie were made depicting the West Side Elevated Highway, including the culmination of a chase scene that ended when a car falls off the edge of the unfinished highway.

* Artist Nikki Ryder performed "Looking for Love", the theme song at the ending credits.

Selected cast

* Peter Weller - Roland Dalton
* Sam Elliott - Richie Marks
* Patricia Charbonneau - Susan Cantrell
* Blanche Baker - Gail Feinberger
* Antonio Fargas - Nicky Carr
* Richard Brooks - Michael Jones
* Leland J. Eller - 1st Officer
* George Loros - Officer Varelli
* Thomas G. Waites - Officer Kelly
* Daryl Edwards - Dr. Watson
* Jos Laniado - Ruben
* Larry Joshua - Rydel

External links

*imdb title|id=0096087|title=Shakedown
*amg title|id=1:44042|title=Shakedown