Plot Details: This opinion reveals major details about the movie's plot.

Recently it seems like I have been watching more movies from the late 80's. My family didn't get a VCR until the late 80's, and I hadn’t been to see that many movies in the theaters before that. Once we had a VCR and starting renting movies, I saw many movies that I still enjoy watching today. Stakeout is one of these movies. I’ve seen it several times over the years, and I just watched it again when it turned up on one of my cable stations. This was the first time I’ve seen the whole movie in a while, and I had forgotten a few things.

CAST

Richard Dreyfuss - Chris Lecce
Emilio Estevez - Bill Reimers
Madeleine Stowe - Maria McGuire
Adian Quinn - Richard “Stick” Montgomery
Dan Lauria - Phil Coldshank
Forest Whitaker - Jack Pismo
Earl Billings - Captain Giles
Jackson Davies - FBI Agent Lusk
Scott Anderson - Reynaldo McGuire

John Badham - Director

Jim Kouf - Writer

Stakeout is rated R for some language, sexual situations, and some violence in a few scenes. Stakeout shows up on television from time to time and it is edited so there is little swearing and hardly any sexual situations left. I don’t think children should see the R-rated version, but the edited version that shows up on television should be ok for older children to see. Parents should watch the movie themselves and then decide if it is something that they feel would be alright for their children to see. Stakeout is 116 minutes long and was made in 1987.

PLOT

A fight breaks out in a prison, and some of the convicts are injured. One of them, Richard Montgomery, is taken to the doctor. He escapes with help of his cousin, killing a guard. The two men go on the run.

Chris Lecce and Bill Reimers are partners on the Seattle police force. They have been working on a big case, but they get pulled off it to work with the FBI on a case. Agent Lusk explains about Richard Montgomery escaping. Richard killed an FBI agent in the past, so the FBI really wants to catch him and get him back in prison. The FBI thinks Richard and his cousin are heading for Mexico, but they believe there is a chance he will try to contact or meet up with some of his old friends. The FBI is putting some people under surveillance. They will watch the people they think Richard is most likely to try to contact. The police are to watch people that the FBI thinks Richard is less likely to contact.

Chris and Bill are assigned to watch Maria McGuire, Richard’s ex-girlfriend, every night. Two other cops, Jack and Phil will watch her place during the day. None of the cops are happy about the assignment. Jack and Phil don’t want to work on another stakeout with Chris and Bill, but they are stuck. The FBI rented the house across the street from Maria’s. The house is a disaster inside. Maria works as a waitress and goes to college. The first night of the stakeout, it is very late when she comes home. Chris is attracted to her when he first sees her.

When Chris gets home the next morning, he discovers that his girlfriend moved out, taking most of the furniture, including the blinds, with her. That night, Chris actually talks to Maria when he is pretending to be the phone repair man. He is really bugging her phone, and he even tries to search some of her things while she is in another room. He gives her a fake name too. Another day, Chris runs into Maria at a grocery store. He walks her home, and they end up having dinner together while Bill is watching from across the street. Chris is becoming more and more attracted to Maria. He continues to see her while he still has her under surveillance. Their relationship does become serious.

Richard and his cousin are slowly heading to Maria’s. Richard hid something with her before he was arrested. She doesn’t know she has it. Bill is not happy that Chris is getting mixed up with Maria. Many more things happen during the movie.

I really like Stakeout. I think it is a very entertaining movie. I have seen it several times over the years, and I still enjoy it when I watch it. I think the plot isn’t that original since I have seen other movies where a cop gets involved with someone they are protecting, but there is a little different twist to it in Stakeout. Chris isn’t really protecting her, he is just watching her to see if her ex-boyfriend turns up, and Maria has no idea what is really going on. I don’t know anything about how police work is done, so I really have no idea if the movie is realistic in that regard or not. It did seem like the relationship between Chris and Maria developed fast, but that didn’t make me like the movie any less.

Stakeout is mainly a comedy, but there is some action in the movie too. Richard is in prison at the beginning of the movie. When he escapes, he kills a guard. Richard continues to commit crimes while he is heading to Maria’s. There is one or two chases during the movie. There is some violence in some scenes, so people who don’t like to see movies with violence in them should avoid Stakeout. There are a few suspenseful moments in the movie, but overall, it isn’t a suspenseful movie.

Stakeout is a comedy, and there are many funny moments throughout the movie. Bill and Chris constantly play pranks on Phil and Jack. The other two cops play their share of pranks of Bill and Chris. Most of the pranks are rather juvenile, but they are funny. Some people may think that the pranks are too juvenile. Chris and Bill have some funny exchanges throughout the movie. In some of the scenes, different characters just say or do something that I thought was funny.

There is some romance in Stakeout provided by the developing relationship between Chris and Maria. The two end up spending some time together even though Chris has no business becoming involved with a woman he had under surveillance. He is not truthful with Maria about whom he really is, and that does affect their relationship. Chris is attracted to Maria when he first sees her, and he ends up doing some things, like helping her brother Reynaldo get out of jail, to get on her good side. There are some sexual situations and scenes between Chris and Maria. There aren’t that many of those scenes, so they should offend any viewers. When Stakeout is shown on television, it is edited so that there is not much sexual content left in the movie. Bill is married, but his wife is only in a few scenes, and none of them are sexual in nature.

I thought that the acting in Stakeout was very good. Richard Dreyfuss and Emilio Estevez are very funny in the movie, and they have good chemistry together. It really did seem like they were good friends who had been working together for a long time. Madeleine Stowe is good in the movie, and she plays a bigger role in this one than in the last movie I watched that she was in, Imposter. She does have an accent in this movie. It was a little strange to me to hear her talking with an accent, but I got use to it. I don’t know how accurate she was with the accent, but it sounded good to me.

I have seen several movies over the years with Aidan Quinn, but this is the only time I have ever seen a movie in which he plays a bad guy. I thought he was very good in the role of Richard. He was believable as an escaped criminal. There isn’t a lot of character development in the movie though. Even for the main characters, there isn’t a lot of development. That didn’t make the movie less enjoyable for me though.

CHARACTERS

Chris - A Seattle police officer. He is friends with his partner, Bill. They have worked together for several years. Chris seems to be dedicated to his job. He doesn’t like the idea of being pulled off his case to work with the FBI and watch Maria. He hasn’t had the best of luck with women in the past. He does some things that he shouldn’t at times, like becoming involved with Maria when he is watching her. He becomes involved with her under questionable circumstances, but he does really care for her, and will protect her if necessary. Chris enjoys playing pranks on two other cops, Phil and Jack. At times it seems like Chris has problems with taking orders.

Bill - Anther Seattle police officer. He has been Chris’s partner for several years. Bill is married and has a young son. Bill is a good cop and dedicated to his job. He is also unhappy about being put on the surveillance job. He helps Chris play pranks on the other cops. Bill does have a good working relationship and friendship with Chris, but Bill is not happy about some things Chris chooses to do.

Maria - She is the ex-girlfriend of Richard, an escaped convict. She works as a waitress and is going to college. She is close to her family, and very concerned when her brother is arrested. After her boyfriend was arrested, she slowly stopped visiting and writing him. She seems to be trying to distance herself from him. She is a trusting, kind woman, but she does get upset over some things.

Richard Montgomery - He escaped from prison. Before he was arrested and sent to prison, he killed an FBI agent. He killed a guard when he escaped. He is heading to Maria’s because he hid something with her before he was arrested. He is a very violent and dangerous man.

Stakeout is a fun, entertaining movie. It isn’t a serious movie, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t worth watching. It is a good movie to watch just for enjoyment. People who like to watch comedies with a bit of action in them should enjoy Stakeout. Fans of any of the actors should also enjoy the movie. Another Stakeout, a sequel, was released several years later and was no where near as good as the original.



Recommended: Yes

Video Occasion: Fit for Friday Evening
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 13 and Older