An eager rookie cop gets transferred to a tough downtown Philadelphia precinct after stopping a powerful man for traffic violations. When his old cop buddy is murdered, he wants in on catchi... Read allAn eager rookie cop gets transferred to a tough downtown Philadelphia precinct after stopping a powerful man for traffic violations. When his old cop buddy is murdered, he wants in on catching the killer.An eager rookie cop gets transferred to a tough downtown Philadelphia precinct after stopping a powerful man for traffic violations. When his old cop buddy is murdered, he wants in on catching the killer.
- Inspector Ben Glass
- (as Frank McCarthy)
- Director
- Writer
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThe film has often been considered as being one of the knock-offs of 'Lethal Weapon' (1987).
- GoofsWhen Alex says "Get off here!" at the exit for the Bryn Meyer Suburbs, they are definitely on a major multiple lane highway, but when Dennis takes the exit, it shows them on a side road.
- Quotes
Henry Coleman: A fuck-up. Another goddamn, four-star, class-A fuck-up! Every backward candy-ass shit-for-brains fuck-up in the city, I get 'em. Not Wynnefield, not South Philly, not Germantown, me!
- ConnectionsReferenced in Crazy People (1990)
- SoundtracksDowntown
Written by Def Jef, Matt Dike and Michael Ross (as Mike Ross)
Produced by Matt Dike and Michael Ross (as Mike Ross)
Performed by Def Jef
Courtesy of Delicious Vinyl Records
Yet "Downtown" is more entertaining than its "bomb at the box office" reputation would lead you to believe. The production design, filming, and editing are first class. Although the action scenes are unconvincing, this is due more to lamely inserted comedy elements than cheap staging.
Much is genuinely embarrassing such as when a PCP abuser holds a little girl hostage, with a gun to her head, and the subtext lamely plays the scene for laughs. What genius thought that scene would work? And they wonder why these things lose money? In this exercise in schizoid film-making, Anthony Edwards and Forest Whitaker are the standard odd couple partnering up to solve the murder of Edwards' former partner. Nerd boy Alex (Edwards) in his worst scenes listens to Beach Boys music and in his best scenes is paired with his girlfriend (Penelope Ann Miller).
Alex is a suburban patrolman who has been banished to the worst downtown Philly division because of a confrontation with a slimy bigwig (unconvincingly overplayed by David Clennon). Dennis (Whitaker) is a detective with a lot of baggage that makes it difficult for him to warm up to Alex.
But Alex and Dennis eventually bond (big surprise) and Whitaker turns in a pretty good performance (much too good for this material). Whitaker and Miller assist the marginally talented but generally likable Edwards enough that it is possible for the average viewer to suspend disbelief most of the time and actually get into the story. Just be prepared for a lot of extremely lame moments that would have been more entertaining had the editor relegated them to his deleted scenes bin.
Then again, what do I know? I'm only a child.
- aimless-46
- Aug 16, 2008
- Permalink
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Details
Box office
- Budget
- $10,000,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $2,346,150
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $821,626
- Jan 14, 1990
- Gross worldwide
- $2,346,150