K-9 (1989)

Thanks for the memories!

Powerful

I wanted to but couldn't!

Absolutely Fantastic

The extravagant cop Michael Dooley needs some help to fight a drug dealer who has tried to kill him.A "friend" gives him a dog named Jerry Lee, who has been trained to smell drugs.With his help, Dooley sets out to put his enemy behind the bars, but Jerry Lee has a personality of his own and works only when he wants to.On the other hand, the dog is quite good at destroying Dooley's car, house and sex-life...This was one of those films that I absolutely loved as a kid, and could watch it over and over, because who wouldn't like a film where a dog can say 'oh oh'? Take the element of the dog away, and you pretty much have a dog of a story though. It's basically the buddy cop movie with a twist, and thanks to Belushi being quite likable, the film manages to be funny whenever the dog is off screen.Support is okay, but it looks like they are just letting the two get on with it.It's harmless stuff, one of those movies you will find on TV one Sunday afternoon, and still be able to enjoy it through rose tinted specs.Still miles better than Turner and Hooch.

Pursuing crime boss Lyman, maverick cop Dooley is tipped over the edge when a false lead ends up with an attempt on his life. Determined to finally get his man, Dooley enlists the help of a police dog called Jerry Lee {The Killer} to hopefully sniff out the drugs that he knows Lyman is involved in. Trouble is is that Dooley has no idea how to treat a dog and Jerry Lee is more of a maverick cop than he is!Given its low rating, it's hard to know what sort of film the critics and general movie watching public were expecting with this one. Since a buddy buddy cop movie staring James Belushi and a German Shepherd Dog doesn't say anything other than the film we actually get. By the time of K-9s release it was evident what sort of film would Belushi's staple money earner, the kind that called for him to play the cocky quipper with a glint in his eye. Belushi would try to abandon his buffoonery roles post Curly Sue {who could blame him after that mess really?}, and attempt to be a more dramatic, action type actor. It wouldn't work, his excellent performances in Oliver Stone's Salvador and The Principal {the latter also criminally undervalued} were long behind him. So you hear the name James Belushi in relation to films and you by and large think larking about action comedy. Coming a year after Red Heat {it looks like Belushi is wearing the same suit from that film in this one!}, K-9 delivers exactly what it screamed out it would from the off.Technically the film has very few things to recommend, but as a family friendly action comedy it has much to laud. The interplay between man and dog is great fun, they are both members of the animal kingdom, they both got needs and they are both great cops. Yes we are never in any doubt that after a troubled start, this pairing are going to become firm friends, and that ultimately, by hook, crook and paw, they will get the job done. Belushi has a nice line in facial comedy and he also never comes up short in delivering quips with panache, and a confidence that often belies the trouble his characters are often in. The dog too is hilarious {hats of to animal handler Robert Zides}. Courtesy of writers Steven Siegel & Scott Myers, this is a dog that eats chili and wants to vie with Dooley for Tracy's affections {Mel Harris as Dooley's frustrated girlfriend}. It makes for a number of funny set-ups that both man and beast revel at being involved in. Kevin Tighe as villain Lyman is a touch under written, and the obligatory emotional heart tugger moment now looks like over egging the formula pudding. But this is harmless witty fun that gets in and does its job without proclaiming to be anything other than what it is. 7/10

This is NOT the best cop/dog movie, but it IS superior to the Chuck Norris/pooch flick. Personally, I found Turner and Hooch to be superior to this work, but it is still enjoyable, and comes in second to my favorite.HOwever, this is witty, and funny enough to be endearing, without resorting to Jim Belushi's usual tactics, although he does employ the beginning of those posturing and chest-beating tactics here. But they are not so dominant that the movie suffers. In fact, they play well in this situation, though it IS sad to watch a grown man who is romantically jealous of a dog.This fails any Oscar possibilities, but I do not honestly believe that would surprise those involved with this work. The bottom line: This is a fun movie. It fails to warm the heart as well as Turner and Hooch, but does not make you feel sorry for the dog like some other movies have, along this venue. It is entertaining and fun, and rates a 6.6/10 from...the Fiend :.

James Belushi) is a "loose cannon" cop. He has to do everything his own way on his own time and doesn't know the meaning of the word, "team-work" But after he screws up his last bust by buying a car from a car dealer and five minutes later proceeds to crash it into a building where the bad guys are dealing dope, he is assigned a new partner, a dog! To be exact. A rouge German Shepard that wants to be treated more like a person than a dog.Belushi is very convincing and hilarious in his role as a cop, and the dog, surprisingly (I never thought I'd write this), was a great actor and did a terrific job. Hat's off to his handler!There are predictable and very typical cop vs. bad guy moments, but overall I thought the movie was an extremely funny cop-doggy comedy, with a very predictable but humorous ending to it.When compared to other cop-dog movies like "Turner and Hooch," it's a credit to Belushi's comedic timing that this film wound up on the top 250!