K-9
Directed by Rod Daniel
- action
- comedy
- crime
The story
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 (Officer Lewis), 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...
What it’s like
Bright, flat late-80s daylight over sunlit Southern California streets, with warm interiors, cluttered suburban kitchens and a squad-room look of fluorescent beige, all shot in conventional, evenly lit coverage that favours quick cuts and wide establishing shots over any particular style. Its vibe is brisk, goofy and undemanding: a slapstick buddy comedy with a cop-movie spine, the kind of thing that suits a lazy weekend afternoon, a comfort rewatch, or background noise while tidying up. Pacing is quick and episodic, with set-pieces built around a German shepherd's chaos (wrecked cars, trashed rooms, mistimed interruptions) and a loud, sitcom-style score that keeps the energy up. The emotional register is light and broad, following a hot-headed, self-absorbed cop who grudgingly softens toward his canine partner and the people around him. Violence is present but cartoonish and mostly off-screen, with brief shootouts and a few tense car chases, never graphic; there is some crude sex-related humour and mild profanity. It is for viewers who want a silly, gentle, undemanding crime comedy with a dog at its centre.
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