Armed and Dangerous

While most reviews describe this movie as 'just an average comedy', even at this, Armed and Dangerous is a laugh and a half. It's charming, fast-paced, and furthermore, I adored Candy and Levy's interactions on-screen. One minute, they're ragging on each other, the next, they're the best of friends.

The movie also has, though almost impossible to find a copy of, an excellent soundtrack, including "Armed and Dangerous" by Atlantic Starr, and, of course, half a dozen or so other popular 80s hits. With that, the movie is also on DVD, and while it doesn't have much in the way of extras, it does include anamorphic widescreen with Dolby Stereo 2.0 Surround Sound.

Possibly the only complaint one could make we might all agree on was that it was just too short. At just under an hour and a half, as endearing as each minute is, the film does leave much to be desired.

All in all, Armed and Dangerous is a mid-80s classic well-worth watching. It's the perfect blend of action and comedy, and SCTV fans will find that it's no flop for either Candy or Levy; even as the script is considered by some to be lacking, both hide it well.

This movie bombed at the box office but seems to have picked up a small cult through video and frequent showings on cable. Admittedly it's not a classic and Candy HAS done better films, but this one has its share of funny moments. Candy and Levy work well together. The film is somewhat reminiscent of "Police Academy" (the first one) and is certainly funnier than any of the increasingly kiddie-oriented sequels that followed that movie. All in all, a good deal of undemanding fun if you check your brain at the door.

This was a nice surprise. I figured it would be stupid and not all that funny. Wrong. It WAS funny. Yes, it's a harmless "no-brainer" type of movie but it was fun and had likable lead characters, people you could easily root for to make good. In this, it was a pair of security guards: "Frank Dooley" (John Candy) and "Norman Kane" (Eugene Levy).

Every comedy has its stupid moments, this included, but the good outweighs the stupid. What also makes this above-average is that it is not just a comedy. There is action and suspense in here and the combination works. Believe me, this film is not all laughs.

I watch this and makes me sad that Candy is no longer with us. He was a great entertainer.

In a way, maybe it does weaken "Armed and Dangerous" just a little to have so much high action, but how can you not like a John Candy/Eugene Levy movie? In this case, they play security guards who discover all sorts of corruption. But mostly, it's an excuse to be silly. Low humor, sure, but still likable (especially the clothing-switching scene; I bet that they liked filming that!).

Anyway, it's one of many movies that shows what we lost when John Candy died. In other words, it's armed and dangerously funny. Also starring Robert Loggia (happy birthday, Robert!), Kenneth McMillan and Meg Ryan.

A 50 caliber...

I used to watch this movie every time it came on TV when I was younger. This movie didn't get a lot of attention; and it's not as good as Planes Trains and Automobiles, but it still worth watching. The last 30 or 40 minutes is great. I like the part where John is riding in truck with the cowboy and John pulls out a huge handgun. The cowboy says" I've never seen a gun like that before". John says" It's a 50 caliber, only legal in 2 states and this isn't one of them". Another part to mention is John on the motorcycle. John is in this old style biker outfit and riding an old police motorcycle. The outfit is reminiscent of something out of Rebel Without a Cause. The old motorcycle was probably a old Harley police bike. For you gun fans out there, the gun John is using is probably the 50 caliber revolver made by Ruger. This pretty entertaining film. Enjoy.