Shakedown is a 1988 crime drama/action movie starring Peter Weller and Sam Elliott. The movie is about an idealistic lawyer teaming with a veteran cop to find out the truth in a possible police corruption scandal.
Plot
Roland Dalton (Peter Weller), burned-out, mild-mannered Manhattan public defender, his last case before leaving legal aid is crack dealer Michael Jones (Richard Brooks), accused of shooting to death police officer Patrick O'Leary in Central Park. According to Jones, the shooting was in self-defence and that officer O'Leary was a 'Blue Jean Cop' (an opportunistic police officer who robs drug dealers).
Being a 'creature of habit', Dalton seeks the truth to his mysterious case and looks to Richie Marks (Sam Elliott), a renegade loner NYPD narcotics agent. In a Times Square movie theatre, Dalton presses Richie Marks on the O'Leary case. "Go to his house. Cops don't know shit about hiding money", says Marks.
The following night, and doing just that, Dalton breaks into Officer O'Leary's garage to find "a brand new bright red Porsche Cabriolet Turbo". Both Roland Dalton and Richie Marks are starting to suspect the same: a large NYPD corruption scandal involving many fellow officers, protection money and drug baron Nikki Carr (Antonio Fargas).
In a twist, Dalton realizes the prosecutor in his last case is a former love interest, the smart and sexy Susan Cantrell (Patricia Charbonneau). Throughout the trial Roland rekindles this former affair with Susan unbeknown to his fiancée Gail (Blanche Baker).
Meanwhile, Richie Marks is frustrated by fellow cops on the take and an apparent incompetent justice system (Nicki Carr surprises the judge by pulling USD $1,000,000 cash bail out of a suitcase at five minutes to midnight). Outside, Dalton is harassed by New York beat cops.
Roland is caught in a daring break-in of the police evidence room in search of an audio tape. The audio tape which could possibly exonerate Michael Jones was part of the opening scene of the film: before shooting O'Leary, Jones puts down his boom box (ghetto blaster) - it was evident to a watchful eye that Jones also hits the RECORD button. But the opening scene leaves the audience guessing as to what happened... It is only now revealed when three NYPD play the tape with Roland Dalton that the recording (a conversation between Jones and O'Leary) exonerates Jones.
The three NYPD officers order Roland's immediate execution after the fire alarm is pulled. He is saved by friend Richie Marks who shoots all of them during the confusing scene. Bad cop Rydel pulls the fire alarm and escapes the melee. In a daylight NYC chase scene, Dalton rushes late to court in a taxi with police following. The judge, however, disallows this new evidence. Richie Marks also is nearly killed at Coney Island, ordered by fellow officer and Rydel (Larry Joshua). "I'll take care of Marks personally...", says Carr.
Roland is also torn between his new future with Wall Street and his commitment to legal aid. Referring to his poverty Dalton asks Susan, "Why do you think its manifest destiny for me to be picking shit with the chickens the rest of my life." She answers, "Because you love it to death and of all the things you do, its what you do best".
Roland in his closing arguments states that "Officer O'Leary was after Michael Jones for his drug money and Officer O'Leary did not identify himself as a police officer and Officer O'Leary shot Michael Jones first." Roland wins his case and Michael Jones is exonerated by jury. As the courtroom celebrates, Roland receives a private message from Richie Marks.
Waiting at the steps of the courthouse, Dalton and Marks use O'Leary's Porsche to chase Carr and bad cop Rydel, who are making a getaway to the airport. Before the plane takes off, Richie Marks manages to climb onto the landing gear, shoots out the hydraulics, and throws a grenade into the plane in mid-air. As the plane taxis back onto the runway, the plane blows up. Both Nikki Carr and Rydel are killed. Richie Marks escapes death by jumping into the river.
Having cleared Michael Jones, re-falling in love with Susan and forging a new friendship with Richie Marks, Dalton breaks up with fiancée Gail at a family function and resumes his old job with legal aid.
Trivia
- Parts of the movie were made depicting the West Side Elevated Highway, including the culmination of a chase scene that ended when a car falls off the edge of the unfinished highway.
- Artist Nikki Ryder performed "Looking for Love", the theme song at the ending credits.
- In many non-US localities (including the UK and Australia) the movie is called "Blue Jean Cop"
- The version of the movie shown on UK TV is often the cut/overdubbed version prepared for US TV to remove any bad language, though amusingly at one point it replaces/dubs the words 'tight asses' with 'tight fannies' making it actually more rude in the UK because of the different meaning of the slang.
Selected cast
External links
