Dog Watch

I'm rating this pretty high just because of Sam Elliott. I could've done without the female nudity but I'd sit through almost any nonsense in order to see Sam strut his stuff. He gets to spout wonderfully cynical witticisms, many of which I agree with, and it's a joy to see him in a role in which he actually gets to emote instead of just standing around scowling and looking virile as can be. My boyfriend opined that this movie is in a couple of ways similar to a film in which Ed Harris had a Hispanic partner (in the police sense of the term!) who was a little overeager to prove himself. You can draw your own conclusions on that score but if you like Sam, you'll like this. You could say I'm biased, but who isn't in some way? I'd buy this on DVD in a heartbeat!

A "sleeper". I had never even heard of this movie until I was channel jumping one night. I've been a police officer myself for 25 years and thought this was a true to life movie. Non-police critics are rating the movie purely from a critic's point of view and not from a police officer's point of view. This is real.

Where have i seen this movie before?? Oh yea, i remember now, pretty much EVERY other cop movie ever made!! For every "Narc", there's about 20 "Dog Watch" type films made. Insanely predictable, tedious & a chore to sit through. If it wasn't for the Great Sam Elliot, I would have turned it off within the first 15 minutes (if not earlier)

My Grade: D+

Eye Candy: Various strippers (mostly in the background)

Sam Elliot is brilliant as a tough San Francisco Detective Charlie Fallon. When his partner is killed while meeting with an informant Fallon snaps, beats the informant to death, and dumps his body in a river. The next day Fallon is assigned a rookie partner, and given the task of investigating the informants murder. Sam Elliot does a good job of portraying a man who tortured by the guilt of his own murderous actions, and grief over the death of his partner who may have been involved in police corruption.

Sam Elliott is tough, uncompromising, sexist, stubborn, and an honest cop. "Dogwatch" is an excellent police corruption film. It takes it's time to establish characters, and the story is complex enough to maintain interest. Not for the squeamish, the violence is pretty brutal. What holds things together is the outstanding performance by Elliott. His sexist conversation with his partner's wife at the dinner table will most likely make any females in the audience ultra uncomfortable. It alone is worth the price of admission. I am definitely pounding the table for this little known movie. If you would like to entertain your male friends with something truly entertaining, get "Dogwatch" and watch it. ......... MERK