Movie Type: Police Detective Film, Romantic Mystery
Themes: Military Life
Main Cast: Sean Connery, Mark Harmon, Meg Ryan, Jack Warden, Mark Blum
Release Year: 1988
Country: US
Run Time: 97 minutes
MPAA Rating: R
Plot
San Francisco detective Jay Austin (Mark Harmon) is assigned to investigate the murder of a female MP at the 212-year-old Presidio army base in this crime drama. Jay must interview Lieutenant Colonel Caldwell (Sean Connery), his former commander from his military days. The two must overcome their past and present differences to track down the killer as they manage to stumble across a smuggling operation relating to the murder. Jay falls for Caldwell's pretty daughter Donna (Meg Ryan), who proves to be as forceful as her father. Highlights of the film are the chase scene through Chinatown and Connery's exceptional performance. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
Dana Gladstone - Lt. Col. Paul Lawrence; Jenette Goldstein - Patti Jean Lynch; Don Calfa - Howard Buckely; Ron Cummins - Maintenance Man; Ruth de Sosa - Teacher; Bob Delegall - Squad Room Lieutenant; Jesse Lawrence Ferguson - Pilot at Travis A.F.B.; Michael Fosberg - Captain Gordon; Jesse D. Goins - M.P., Bygrave; Joe Hart - Bully's Bar Pal ("Arrowhead"); Larry "Flash" Jenkins - M.P., Dutton; Patrick Kilpatrick - Mark; Peter Kwong - Squad Room Officer; Robert Lesser - Sergeant Moeller; Rosalyn Marshall - Lawrence's Secretary; Marvin J. McIntyre - M.P., Zeke; Dean Miller - Leroy; Kim Robillard - M.P., Mitchell; Susan Saiger - Gloria; Michael Strasser - M.P., Stillwell; John Allen Vick - Post Commander; Rick Zumwalt - Bully in Bar; Jophery Brown - Workman; Justin Derosa - Workman; Frank Orsatti - Workman; Peter Fitzsimmons - Patrolman Schmidt; James Hooks Reynolds - George Spota; Tracy Tanen - Peale's Receptionist; Allan Graf - Workman; John DiSanti - Detective Marvin Powell; Pete Antico - Patrolman Dotson
Credit
Kandy Stern - Art Director, Jane Jenkins - Casting, Janet Hirshenson - Casting, Major Mary Rupert - Consultant/advisor, Fred Caruso - Co-producer, Alan B. Curtiss - First Assistant Director, Peter Hyams - Director, James Mitchell - Editor, Jonathan A. Zimbert - Executive Producer, Bruce Broughton - Composer (Music Score), Bong Soo Han - Martial Arts Instructor/Coordinator, Albert Brenner - Production Designer, Kandy Stern - Production Designer, Peter Hyams - Cinematographer, D. Constantine Conte - Producer, Bernard Cutler - Set Designer, Harold L. Fuhrman - Set Designer, Roland Hill - Set Designer, Marvin March - Set Designer, Philip C. Cory - Special Effects, Gene S. Cantamessa - Sound/Sound Designer, Chuck Picerni, Jr. - Stunts, Glenn Wilder - Stunts, Glenn Wilder - Stunts Coordinator, Larry Ferguson - Screenwriter, Norval D. Crutcher Jr. - Supervising Sound Editor, Johnny Mercer - Featured Music
Please help improve this section by expanding it. Further information might be found on the talk page. (January 2009)
At the Presidio Army base in San Francisco, MP Patty Jean Lynch (Goldstein) is shot and killed while investigating a break-in on the base. Military veteran and San Francisco Police detective Jay Austin (Harmon) is sent to investigate. He clashes with Lieutenant Colonel Alan Caldwell (Connery), the base Provost Marshal.
Years ago Austin and Lynch were partners in the MPs with Caldwell their commanding officer. When Austin arrested Colonel Paul Lawrence (Gladstone), Caldwell didn't support him. In the aftermath Austin was demoted and decided to get discharged from the army. Austin and Caldwell since share a mutual dislike for one another.
The murder investigation now casts suspicion on Lawrence. When Caldwell refuses to let Austin press him, Austin goes after him on his own but the suspect is killed in a hit and run after a lengthy footchase. Caldwell is not pleased at all, and the fact Austin is now dating Caldwell's daughter Donna (Ryan) is not helping the two investigators' relationship either. In the course of time, both repeatedly attempt to pull themselves together and cooperate. Pooling their resources they finally uncover the truth, while several twists and sometimes devastation in the relationships between best friends, father/daughter, lovers keep them emotionally occupied.
Cast and Crew
Also appearing are Mark Blum, Don Calfa, John DiSanti, Robert Lesser, James Hooks Reynolds, Curtis W. Sims, Rick Zumwalt and Rosalyn Marshall. Kevin Costner was originally signed for the Mark Harmon part before departing the project (much to the disappointment of Connery who had hoped to re-team with his costar from The Untouchables[citation needed]).
Box office
US gross: $20,036,242.
Trivia
Mark Harmon's character Leroy Jethro Gibbs in the 2003-present series NCIS would bear some similarities with his 1988 role as Jay Austin : they are both former military personnel (Gibbs is a veteran Marine and Austin a former MP in the Army) turned police investigators, with a taste for coffee and defiance.
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