A mildly entertaining made-for-tv buddy cop feature, but well presented than most of its ilk. Two cops of different walks of life come together to find a killer in California. The stabbing murder of an old friend leads Wyoming detective Amanda Rider to the glitzy, if corrupt designer world of Beverly Hills, where she's paired up with LA officer Harry Wild.
Lisa Hartman's strong, forthright lead turn easily outshines a laidback James Brolin. Yet the tongue-in-cheek chemistry between the two simply bangs. One thing which would hit you straight away. Was the "Beverly Hills Cop" vibes. From music, to story beats and location shooting. The influence is rather obvious.
So being a tv feature, it's sort of light-hearted without the grit. Action is limited, but excitingly works when it happens. Like the car chase on a beach. While more time is spent on investigating suspects/leads (led by a perfectly smarmy David Hemmings), banter between Hartman & Brolin and eventually a foreseeable romance blossoming between the two. While it moves at a fast clip, it does lack consistent tension with its distracting side-pieces at times taking over proceedings. Mainly at the midway mark, where the sexual pull virtually took over. But when the story does settle back on solving the homicide (especially in the last 20 mins) it drew me in once again.
Predictable, and typical to a tee. However the two leads make this one worth a look.
