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Best movie ever!

If you like to be scared, if you like to laugh, and if you like to learn a thing or two at the movies, this absolutely cannot be missed.

Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.

Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

A routine cop action thriller that has a split personality in that it develops a more than decent multi layer story, only to throw in some Perry Mason court room intrigue interspersed with several every more entertaining but outrageous action fill up's that seem to belong to another movie.In the end there are just to many plot holes and sub plots going on, a little discipline would of made for a better film. But, for all of these irritants, this is still entertaining fair, if ultimately rather shallow.A easy going 6 from 10, I'm in a good mood!

It starts off with an interesting if already familiar problem: How do we dig out corruption in the NYPD when there is so much crack money floating around? In "Serpico" a Brooklyn narc hijacks the hero off the street and threatens him, saying, "This is serious money." That's the milieu we find ourselves in here.Peter Weller is a nobody Legal Aid lawyer trying to get his drug-dealing client off because the suspect actually killed in self defense. An undercover cop tried to rip off his drugs and cash in Central Park, shooting him in the process. The opposing prosecutor is Weller's ex-lover, Patricia Charbonneau. Weller enlists the aid of an undercover friend of his, Sam Elliot, in trying to uncover the truth.The questions addressed are important, and the script sounds literate for the first half hour. Someone went to the trouble of ferreting out apt quotes about justice from the New Testament. But after that it goes downhill fast. It's as if somebody had handed in a decent and thoughtful script about the characters, then another party had taken the script and doctored it, putting in a quote from Dirty Harry (twice), a shootout in what looks like Times Square, a funny car chase through the streets of New York (twice), wisecracks in times of mortal danger ("You drive, I'll shoot."), and finally a rip off of a physically impossible feat from Schwarzenegger's "Commando." Too bad. Charbonneau and Weller are well matched, each with prominent bony facial features. Charbonneau sounds like Sondra Locke if you close your eyes. Sam Elliot is reliable too, and he demonstrates his range here. At one end, he can lower his face then cock it over his shoulder at someone and offer sage advice with a smirk and a baritone. At the other end, he can chuckle. Peter Weller I've always liked, though he shows his limitations as an actor here. Whatever prompted him to pursue a Master's degree in, what?, Ancient Civilizations? And then look for positions as Adjunct Professor at places like Franklin and Marshall and Syracuse University? (I've got it. He needed the money a part-time teacher makes!) Whatever his motives, I admire him for his intellectual curiosity. Weller's character is no invincible superhero either. When somebody holds a gun to his head he's scared to death and tells them what they want to know.Notwithstanding all that, this isn't a movie designed to appeal to grown ups. There's no point in listing the plot loopholes or loose ends. The evil people are plain evil. The good people are plain good. There's none of the ambiguity of real life. One can only wonder what a yeoman director like Don Seagal or Sidney Lumet might have done with material like this.

I enjoyed the movie. Good entertainment. Especially enjoyed the live action stunts in a movieworld obsessed with sickening unrealistic comp-gen action scenes. If I want to watch animated action I turn on the Bugs&Daffy Show. Anyhow, my favorite part is the "DSAF" lecture. Seems there's alot of dsaf candidates wandering around out there these days...

Director James Glickenhaus (The Soldiers, The Exterminator, McBain) has composed a reasonably well constructed thriller with the usual spectacular action sequences and an interesting plot. This time though, the strong performances from the lead stars help propel Shakedown above the usual mundane low budget films. Peter Weller (Robocop, Screamers) is excellent as Roland Dalton, a frustrated attorney who must help defend a troubled youth who has been accused of murdering a police officer. However, there is more to the scene of the crime than meets the eye...Sam Elliot (Road House) is grand as Richie Marks, a rogue police officer who is always at the wrong place at the right time. Marks and Dalton happen to form a "buddy-buddy" type bonding, and their investigation eventually leads knee deep into a conspiracy of corruption, deceit, and murder...Shakedown is a decent action flick with an intriguing plot with enthralling plot twists and top notch action sequences. The fist fight aboard a moving roller coaster is a highlight and the extended vehicle chase through the streets of Manhattan is another highlight.What makes Shakedown an exceptional thriller though, is the three dimensional performances. Peter Weller is definitely the performer worth watching in Shakedown. His convincing portrayal as a tough lawyer adds an extra depth of integrity to an otherwise standard "kill or be killed" actioner. Sam Elliot has his moments too as a cynical renegade cop who helps Weller expose corruption in the police department.Shakedown is worth watching just for the high caliber performances from both Weller and Elliot. The action scenes are worthwhile as well. The only setback though is these action sequences are used a little too sparesly. The lack of a breathtaking pace destroys an almost superior thriller. Otherwise, Shakedown is an adequate film. This movie would benefit greatly with a faster pace, but the acting from stars Weller and Elliot make Shakedown a film worth a look.RATING: **1/2 out of ****.