Detective Sergeant Joe Friday (Dan Aykroyd) is less than impressed when he’s assigned a new partner, Detective Pep Streebek (Tom Hanks), who doesn’t adhere to this ‘by-the-book’ approach to policing. Forced to work together to solve a string of bizarre thefts, Friday and Streebek find themselves up against a cult called P.A.G.A.N. (People Against Goodness and Normalcy) led by a television evangelist (Christopher Plummer). Can they bring the cult down before it’s too late?
‘Dragnet’ was released in 1987 and it was a continuation of the classic series which originally aired as a radio drama in the late 40s before transitioning to TV in 1951. The show was relaunched in the 60s with Harry Morgan as Officer Bill Gannon and Jack Webb as Sergeant Joe Friday. The series ended in 1970 after four seasons but went on to become a cult classic. For the big screen return Aykroyd starred as the nephew of the original Joe Friday (Jack Webb passed away in 1982) and he co-wrote the screenplay. The film was a success at the box office and it managed to capture the essence of the original series.
Leaning in to slapstick, the film found a winning combination with comedy legend Aykroyd and a fast-rising Tom Hanks. Their chemistry is what drives the film and it’s a real delight to revisit what Hanks was like during his early career before he became worthy and award-chasing. The storyline here is bonkers, as you’d expect, with a cult trying to take down the publisher of a pornographic magazine. Given how censorship seems to be increasingly on the rise these days, it’s hard not to think that the film was ahead of its time.
As Friday and Streebek try to take the cult down, they encounter a series of hilarious situations and set-ups, including going undercover at a cult meeting to discover they are intending to sacrifice a virgin (played by ‘Baywatch’ star Alexandra Paul). The humour is on-the-nose, sarcastic and slapstick, very much in the vein of the comedies at the time. Aykroyd delivers his lines very straight with Hanks working off him as the unpredictable and uncontrollable sidekick. The actors clearly had a lot of fun when making the film and its watching them that keeps you engaged with the film, particularly when the plot gets very silly.
Bonus features on the Blu-ray release include biographies of the cast and filmmakers, a theatrical trailer and production notes. There’s also a double-sided fold-out poster feature new artwork by Rich Davies.
‘Dragnet’ is a very entertaining comedy that stands up nearly 40 years on. A lot of the content wouldn’t wash with modern audiences as the world has become so PC and easily offended, but for those of us that grew up in the 80s, it’s a fantastic reminder of how good the buddy cop comedy was. While it’s by no means the best film you’ll ever see, ‘Dragnet’ is a great way to switch off your brain, tune out of the real world and just have a laugh. What more could you want from light entertainment?
Cast: Dan Aykroyd, Tom Hanks, Christopher Plummer, Alexandra Paul, Harry Morgan Director: Tom Mankiewicz Writers: Dan Aykroyd, Alan Zweibel, Tom Mankiewicz Certificate: PG Duration: 106 mins Released by: Fabulous Films Ltd / Spirit Entertainment Release date: 3rd March 2025 Buy ‘Dragnet’ now
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