Armed and Dangerous (1986)

User Rating:

5.0/10   

Director:

Mark L. Lester

Writers:

Brian Grazer (story) and
Harold Ramis (story) ...

Release Date:

15 August 1986 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Comedy | Crime

Tagline:

Undercover. Overdressed. And keeping you safe from the scum of the earth

Plot:

A fired cop and useless lawyer sign up as security guards and find they've joined a corrupt union.

Plot Keywords:

Union | Security Guard | Framed | Robbery | Organized Crime

Cast

John Candy	...	Frank Dooley
Eugene Levy	...	Norman Kane
Robert Loggia	...	Michael Carlino
Kenneth McMillan	...	Captain Clarence O'Connell
Meg Ryan	...	Maggie Cavanaugh
Brion James	...	Anthony Lazarus
Jonathan Banks	...	Clyde Klepper
Don Stroud	...	Sergeant Rizzo
Larry Hankin	...	Kokolovitch
Steve Railsback	...	The Cowboy
Robert Burgos	...	Mel Nedler
Tony Burton	...	Cappy
Robert Gray	...	Butcher
Larry Flash Jenkins	...	Raisin
Stacy Keach Sr.	...	Judge

Runtime:

88 min | Spain:83 min (DVD edition)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Australia:M | Spain:T | Netherlands:6 | USA:PG-13 (Certificate #28208) | Finland:K-14 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | West Germany:12 (nf) | Argentina:13 | Iceland:12

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

The film that Norman is watching in the warehouse is The Caine Mutiny (1954).

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: While Dooley is riding his motorcycle on the bridge, he drops the cycle because of engine problems. Later you can clearly see a smoke canister on the bottom of the cycle.

Quotes:

Maggie Cavanaugh: Just remember, when you pull the trigger, the bullets come out going very, very fast. So make sure to keep the weapon pointing away from you. Now that's about it. You are now armed... guards. God help us all.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Charles Manson Superstar (1989) (V)

Soundtrack:

YOU'RE THE V.I.P.

A Comedy With A Few Surprising Touches

This was a nice surprise. I figured it would be stupid and not all that funny. Wrong. It WAS funny. Yes, it's a harmless "no-brainer" type of movie but it was fun and had likable lead characters, people you could easily root for to make good. In this, it was a pair of security guards: "Frank Dooley" (John Candy) and "Norman Kane" (Eugene Levy).

Every comedy has its stupid moments, this included, but the good outweighs the stupid. What also makes this above-average is that it is not just a comedy. There is action and suspense in here and the combination works. Believe me, this film is not all laughs.

I watch this and makes me sad that Candy is no longer with us. He was a great entertainer.