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Owen Wilson and Ben Stilller |
In the mid 1970’s Starsky and Hutch was compulsive Saturday night viewing on the TV.
So with the recent transformation of other hit shows from the decade that style forgot, like Charlie’s Angels, Scooby Doo, The Brady Bunch, it was only a matter of time before some of the 70’s Cop shows would get a Big Screen make over.
And after the release of the PC game caught the imagination of new fans, Starsky and Hutch ride again with Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson taking over the roles made famous by Paul Michael Glaser and David Soul.
Along with the principal characters, we still have the trademark Ford Grand Torino car, we have the traditional car chases down the back alleys, the Cool Dude Huggy Bear.
But this is anything but a carbon copy of the hit action TV show.
In this big screen version, it can best be described as an action packed comedy, but it would be wrong to call Starsky and Hutch the movie a spoof, more like a tribute to the TV show, which includes a brief return to the streets of Glaser and Soul in a cameo role.
In the film itself, the characters of Starsky, played by Ben Stiller and Hutch, by Owen Wilson. are in a different world from their TV counterparts.
The film version of Starsky is a guy who lives and breathes the life of a cop, maniacally devoted to putting the bad guys off the streets, following in the footsteps of his mother, who was legend amongst police circles.
One the other side of the city is Hutch, who is so laid back in his approach to police work and has a tendency to work the system to suit his own needs.
As for the actors themselves - Stiller was the perfect double of Dave Starsky from his haircut right down to his famous cardigan.
And he obviously did his homework and watched end to end videos of the TV show, getting the mannerisms right down to perfection.
Wilson is nothing like the TV version of Hutch, just a blonde haired guy who fancies his chances with the ladies “I take anything”.
Only Starsky and Hutch fans would get so picky. But it is simply a partnership that works.
Unlike the Charlies Angles and the Hulk, this is was a Seventies story that could only work in a seventies setting and even though their may be fans out there that might hate it, the more open minded of us would mark this down as a buddy Cop Movie with a lot of laughs.
The film is unashamedly retro with the baddy of the piece, Vince Vaughn spouting what could best be described as a “Jason King” type handlebar moustache.
After all that, there is the matter of the story itself – yes there is a story there.
After causing chaos on the streets on their own, Bay Street Police Chief, Captain Doby (Fred Williamson) things that the best solution for everyone is to team then up.
And it is not long before the mismatched partenrship are on their first case when a floating body is washed up on Bay City Shore.
And
with the help of Hutch’s streetwise informant, Huggy Bear ( Snoop Dog),
the partners begin to unravel their first murder case.
In a series of events that combines elements and characters of the TV show, they are soon lead to crooked businessman, Reese Feldman (Vaughn) who has been his prison rehabilitation programme as a front to carry out a major drugs scam.
Unlike their small screen counterparts, the Starsky and Hutch continuously foul up in their quest for justice, but like all good cop shows from the 70’s, the bad guys never win.
Whether you have watched the TV show or not, Starsky and Hutch provides you with something that is badly needed in this day and age – lots of laughs.
Whether they decided to keep the partnership going with follow up movies remain to be seen – but it will be a hard act to follow.
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Owen and Stiller
with the original TV cast: Paul Michael Glaser, David Soul and Antonio
Fargas |
STARSKY AND HUTCH THE MOVIE IS ON UK GENERAL RELEASE FROM MARCH 19TH.
