Surprisingly, this movie has one of the best chase scenes I have seen with some crazy driving. It is so good that it almost makes you overlook the fact that one of the officers in pursuit is shot right in the face with a shotgun and doesn't seem to notice!
Too bad this movie didn't make more use of Ian Tracey (of Da Vinci's Inquest, one of the running bad guys in this one and dies without fanfare).
I agree, both about the chase scene and about the underuse of Ian Tracey (though I thought he and Aidan Quinn had some great evil buddy chemistry that nicely paralleled Dreyfuss and Estevez). I felt sorry for the character when he bought it so horribly offscreen. I think this is one of those films where you just have to suspend disbelief and go with it. The entire scenario is pretty out there, the way the cops talk about Stowe's character (who is mainly guilty just of having a stalkery creep in her past and gets zero protection while they dangle her as bait) is disgusting, and stuff like the crazy 80s chase where a bunch of gung-ho state police who come out of nowhere shoot the poor loyal cousin and put dozens of motorists in danger is not even close to realistic.
And yet, Stakeout is a blast, lots of fun in that 80s action film way. It's even fun after you pick it apart. The acting is great, the characters feel real and sympathetic, the buddy and romantic chemistry is off the charts, and the script is crisply constructed. It's one of those films where you don't know how it managed to work so well; you just know it did.
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John Badham definitely knows how to put together a good chase scene! I would even dare rate this one right up there with Bullit, Ronin and French Connection. While it may not seem that complex at first glance, it has damn fine jamming with the cop car against the concrete barrier (no CG FX there!), some real near misses, everything was shot at 24fps (except for the obvious water splash) with no need to cheat the speed, just great work on everyone's part.
Add to that really tight script, great acting, good humor, and you got a winner.