Sometimes a film doesn’t need a sequel. There are many examples of this, but I wondered if Another Stakeout belongs in this category. Let’s find out.
The Plot
Chris and Bill’s recent undercover operation gets dangerous and results in the death of a suspect while in custody. While neither of them is blamed but the two cops are reassigned to Gina Garret, the Assistant District Attorney, who has a stakeout plan that needs veteran cops who know how to run a stakeout.
The three will pose as a family, while staking out a household on a nearby island in hopes of seeing Lu Delano show up. She is a wanted witness in Las Vegas for an upcoming mob trial, and having just escaped an assassination attempt, this is the only lead that the District Attorney must find this important witness.
While they settle in and meet the O’Hara family, their targets, in Las Vegas the hitman Tony Castellano who attacked Lu’s safehouse, is told to find her before the trial begins, and kill her.
Having a rookie as a part of their team leads to all kinds of problems. Gina invites the O’Hara’s to dinner which results in Bill getting captured by the hiding Lu, when he tries to bug their house. A chase ensues and a real battle to apprehend Lu commences.
By now, Tony Castellano knows of Lu’s location, and when the final encounter starts, it will take Bill, Chris, and Gina to risk their life to save Lu.
The Good
Dreyfuss and Estevez are funny, and their chemistry is still there. I enjoyed watching these two with their back-and-forth banter which would be worth the price of admission alone.
Rosie O’Donnell is quite funny and adds a substantial growth to the film that allows Another Stakeout to avoid the carbon copy syndrome of the first film. This movie feels fresh, unique, and while it has a lot of the same formula, the ingredients are different and make for a fun film.
Miguel Ferrer could do anything with a look, and in this film, he is absolutely terrorizing just with how he glances in a direction, or the inflection he places on certain words. He plays a menacing assassin perfectly.
The Bad and the Ugly
Dennis Farina was wasted in this film. He should have had a stronger part, but instead played a third-rate supporting character that never allowed the man to shine.
I needed more about Lu for me to really connect with her. I felt like Lu wasn’t given enough development for the audience to really like her as a character which is a shame because Cathy Moriarty is a talent and should have been given more screen time.
Beyond the Film Facts
- Rosie O’Donnell received an American Comedy Award nomination for Funniest Actress in a Motion Picture.
- In the opening of the film, when Lu walks by the tv in the safe house, the movie on the television is Stakeout.
- Madeline Stowe only has a minor role in the film as Maria because of a scheduling conflict with Bad Girls. Her work went uncredited.
- This was one of three movies that Estevez appeared in in 1993.
- Dan Lauria, who played a cop in the original film, appears as the captain in this film.
- Director John Badham has a cameo in the film as the ferry captain.
- Roger Ebert gave the film three stars, stating that it was chewing gum for the mind and that it holds its flavor better than most.
- On opening weekend, the film landed in 9th place with almost $5.5 million for its first three days.
- The movie was a box office failure. It didn’t make its budget back.
The Streamy Award
{The following four categories are based on a Film Reel scale.
1 Reel-Bored and Killing Time, 2 Reels-When You Have Some Time, 3 Reels-Make Some Time, 4 Reels-Big Screen Event}
Another Stakeout says it all in the title, but while it is a sequel with many similarities to the first film, there are plenty of new ingredients that spice up the order of the movie which makes it stand out from the original.
I missed having Madeline Stowe in the whole film. Thankfully she was in a part, but her presence would have helped the film.
Another Stakeout is good but it’s not a must see. The film gets a 2 Reels rating. If you have some time, check it out and enjoy the laughs, but you don’t need to hurry.
Cast and Crew
- Richard Dreyfuss as Chris Lecce
- Emilio Estevez as Bill Reimers
- Rosie O’Donnell as Gina Garrett
- Cathy Moriarty as Lu Delano
- Marcia Strassman as Pam O’Hara
- Dennis Farina as Brian O’Hara
- Miguel Ferrer as Tony Castellano
Directed by John Badham
Produced by Touchstone Pictures / Stakeout II Productions / Kouf/Bigelow Productions
Release Date: July 23, 1993
Budget: $30 million
Box Office Gross
Domestic: $20,208,496
Coming Soon
Next week a look back at the action-packed Apocalypto.