Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, April 29, 1995 TAG: 9505010029
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: B-7 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: MIKE MAYO CORRESPONDENT
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
The violence is well choreographed without being vicious or overly graphic, and the canine comedy is standard shaggy dog stuff. Think "Lethal Weapon" meets "Benji."
The plot revolves around a right-wing hate group that's planting bombs and plotting a return of Nazism. The heroes are two San Diego cops, Jake Wilder (Chuck Norris) and Reno, a mutt (actually a purebred French Briard). After the aforementioned bad guys kill Reno's original partner Lou (Carmine Caridi), he's teamed with the reluctant Jake. Lou's grandson (Erik von Detten) drops by regularly to see the pooch.
The characters and situations don't vary a millimeter from the Hollywood formula. Jake's a slob; the dog is smarter than he is; there's a shoot-out, chase or martial arts scene about every ten minutes. Grown up action fans will find their hands reaching for the remote control unit and their fingers twitching at a fast-forward button whenever things become too predictable.
But kids aren't as familiar with the genre, and so will probably enjoy the fast-moving story. Director Aaron Norris is an old hand at martial arts flicks. As he demonstrated in "Sidekicks," he knows the age group he's aiming at, and he delivers what they want to see. Their parents might wish that he'd toned down the language a little, but nothing is said on screen that most older kids haven't heard before.
Top Dog ++ 1/2
A LIVE Entertainment release playing at ht Salem Valley 8 and Valley View Mall. 85 mins. Rated PG-13 for violence, strong language and a dog in a Carmen Miranda hat.
|By MIKE MAYO| |CORRESPONDENT|
Despite its eerie echoes of recent headlines, "Top Dog" is a serviceable little shoot-'em-up for the younger set.
The violence is well choreographed without being vicious or overly graphic, and the canine comedy is standard shaggy dog stuff. Think "Lethal Weapon" meets "Benji."
The plot revolves around a right-wing hate group that's planting bombs and plotting a return of Nazism. The heroes are two San Diego cops, Jake Wilder (Chuck Norris) and Reno, a mutt (actually a purebred French Briard). After the aforementioned bad guys kill Reno's original partner Lou (Carmine Caridi), he's teamed with the reluctant Jake. Lou's grandson (Erik von Detten) drops by regularly to see the pooch.
The characters and situations don't vary a millimeter from the Hollywood formula. Jake's a slob; the dog is smarter than he is; there's a shoot-out, chase or martial arts scene about every ten minutes. Grown up action fans will find their hands reaching for the remote control unit and their fingers twitching at a fast-forward button whenever things become too predictable.
But kids aren't as familiar with the genre, and so will probably enjoy the fast-moving story. Director Aaron Norris is an old hand at martial arts flicks. As he demonstrated in "Sidekicks," he knows the age group he's aiming at, and he delivers what they want to see. Their parents might wish that he'd toned down the language a little, but nothing is said on screen that most older kids haven't heard before.
Top Dog ** 1/2
A LIVE Entertainment release playing at Salem Valley 8 and Valley View Mall. 85 mins. Rated PG-13 for violence, strong language and a dog in a Carmen Miranda hat.
by CNB