dragnet

Director: tom mankiewicz

Actor: dan aykroyd,tom hanks,christopher plummer,harry morgan

Data Published: Fri Jun 26 1987

Genres: Comedy,Crime

Key Words: city,urban setting,criminal,visit,opening a door

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0092925/

WIKI: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dragnet_(1987_film)

Description: Dragnet is a movie starring Dan Aykroyd, Tom Hanks, and Christopher Plummer. The equally-straight-laced and "by the book" nephew of Joe Friday must work with his more laid-back partner to solve a mystery.

Plot: Los Angeles Police Department Sergeant Joe Friday's nephew and namesake (Aykroyd), whose anachronistic views reflect those of his late uncle, is involuntarily assigned a smart-alecky, streetwise new partner, Pep Streebek (Hanks). Their contrasting styles clash at first, with Friday disapproving of Streebek's attitude, hairstyle, and wardrobe. However, they start to bond during their investigation of a series of bizarre thefts. One of the stolen items is the entire print run of Bait, a pornographic magazine published by Jerry Caesar (Dabney Coleman). Reverend Jonathan Whirley (Christopher Plummer) has been leading a moral crusade against Caesar's business. The trail leads Friday and Streebek to a cult calling itself P.A.G.A.N. (People Against Goodness and Normalcy), and they focus on member Emil Muzz (Jack O'Halloran), who also works as Caesar's limousine driver. Under interrogation, Muzz reveals the time and place of a secret ceremony. Friday and Streebek sneak in, disguised as members, and witness a masked leader using several of the stolen items in a ritual leading up to a virgin sacrifice. The leader throws the victim, Connie Swail (Alexandra Paul), into a pit of water with an anaconda. Friday and Streebek disrupt the ritual, saving Connie and subduing the snake, and report the incident to Captain Bill Gannon (Harry Morgan). However, when Gannon and Police Commissioner Jane Kirkpatrick (Elizabeth Ashley) visit the site with them the next day, no evidence of the ritual can be found. Kirkpatrick removes Friday and Streebek from the case. Streebek gets a tip on the whereabouts of a load of chemicals stolen by P.A.G.A.N. that can be used to mass-produce a toxic gas. He and Friday lead a SWAT team to raid the location, which proves to be an ordinary milk factory; the chemicals and gas-making equipment are actually hidden next door. With no further leads to follow, Streebek tags along on a birthday dinner for Friday and his grandmother, and Connie soon joins them at Friday's invitation. During dinner, Connie identifies Whirley (at another table with Gannon and Kirkpatrick) as the P.A.G.A.N. leader. Friday attempts to arrest Whirley, but Kirkpatrick overrules him and relieves him of duty. Gannon takes Friday's badge and gun and orders Streebek to stay away from Whirley. As Friday takes Connie home, they are captured by Muzz and taken to the Griffith Observatory, where Whirley reveals to them his plan to kill Caesar at a reunion party for the models of Bait. He has his men take Connie to his private jet and prepares to kill Friday, but Streebek arrives just in time, having forced Muzz to reveal Friday's whereabouts at gunpoint. Streebek infiltrates Caesar's mansion and disrupts the P.A.G.A.N. plans to release the gas made from the stolen chemicals, and Friday leads a SWAT team raid. Whirley sets fire to the stolen magazines and later escapes in the confusion. Gannon reinstates Friday and returns his badge so he can pursue Whirley. At the airport, Whirley meets Kirkpatrick, who has been secretly working with him, and then abandons her and takes off with Connie as his prisoner. The following morning, Friday catches up to him in a police jet and forces him to land. Whirley is convicted on multiple charges, and Friday continues his partnership with Streebek and begins dating Connie.