SUMMARY: RUNNING TIME: 3:44 Min.
Released in mid-1987, the big-screen buddy cop comedy/spoof, Dragnet, stars Dan Aykroyd (as LAPD Sgt. Joe Friday) & Tom Hanks (as LAPD Detective “Pep” Streebek). Heard over the closing credits is Aykroyd/Hanks’ rap parody duet entitled “City of Crime” that embellishes the movie’s plot. The song was included in the film’s official soundtrack.
To promote the film and soundtrack sales, Aykroyd & Hanks performed the song in a music video directed by Marty Callner — complete with Paula Abdul’s dance choreography.
REVIEW:
Being a huge fan of 1987’s Dragnet, not to mention this song, this reviewer eagerly spied City of Crime’s obligatory MTV music video online. Regrettably, there isn’t an internet return policy to try getting those precious few minutes back.
Wildly misguided, this campy eyesore gives the word ‘obligatory’ a bad name. Not only is the acting cringe-worthy, but the rudimentary dance choreography (including female back-up dancers predictably dressed as sexy squad room cops) never escapes a sense of clueless amateurism.
This assessment defines a foolish-looking Aykroyd & Hanks, as somebody conned them into simultaneously singing (most likely, lip-synching) and dancing. Instantly qualifying for their career-low lists, the actors and Paula Abdul (considering her high-profile choreography gigs of that era) should be mortified that this insipid music video actually still exists.
One might shrug off this mistake as the players merely goofing off with the wacky song. That defense, in a stretch, could even suggest “City of Crime” is a parody of mid-80’s rap videos. Even if such a claim were proven true, quality control still took the day off when this dreck was actually filmed.
Had the “City of Crime” video instead been a conventional Dragnet movie clip-fest (with Aykroyd & Hanks appearing in character for ‘live’ cameos), there shouldn’t have been a problem. Unfortunately, the misguided end result is one of the worst movie soundtrack videos ever concocted.
BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING: 1½ Stars
