AniInterview Sorry, this movie sucks

Marketic It's no definitive masterpiece but it's damn close.

ChanFamous I wanted to like it more than I actually did... But much of the humor totally escaped me and I walked out only mildly impressed.

Ezmae Chang This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

baycitymd Ah! When good actors take on bland material! If you are thinking of this movie as a tight police thriller you may be disappointed. While the situations are very true to life, the plot proceeds at a very predictable clip and you can pretty well see what lays ahead way before the actors take you there. Many of the criminals and secondary figures are really just stereotypes in motion. Much of the dialog is just plain silly.But! If you love to see good actors rise above this kind of material and make something of it, then you will LOVE this movie! Sam Elliott is nothing short of brilliant in taking the one-note character of Detective Falon come alive with depth and pathos. Those of you who have never seen Elliott emote that much beyond his usual scowling stoic stances will be delighted at the range of emotion he depicts in this film. And also, in his early fifties in this film, he looks fantastic! His bare chest scene gives hope to middle aged men everywhere! Esai Morales does a wonderful job elevating his role as Det. Falon's eager beaver new police partner. He could have easily played it as a Robin to Elliott's Batman, but instead he breathed a genuineness and passion into this role. He makes it work despite some of the lame lines he is given to say.Paul Sorvino is fun to watch! He plays the eccentric police captain. He seems to know he is slumming in this movie and is having a ball doing it. He makes it fun for us too.This movie is very by-the-numbers in plot but makes up for it with great performances! Sam Elliott fans should definitely get this one as it is suck a kick to see him spread his wings and do so much more than he usually is allowed to do!

dinky-4 Anchored by Sam Elliott's intense, hard-edged performance, (one of his best since "Lifeguard"), "Dog Watch" tells a good story in terse, efficient fashion, even though it never quiet overcomes its straight-to-video origins. While the focus of its story should be internal -- Elliott's reaction to the realization that he committed a fatal mistake -- the movie drifts into external concerns as Elliott and his partner, Esai Morales, investigate corrupt cops and drug deals. The internal and external stories are firmly linked but the movie's emphasis is on the wrong half of the combination.The best scene comes when Elliott has a tense, strained dinner with Morales and his wife, the excellent Jessica Steen, who matches Elliott line for line, expression for expression. The worst scene comes when Elliott later visits Steen's residence and offers her an apology of sorts. Even Elliott can't make us buy this out-of-character moment.Sam Elliott seems to have a tendency toward physical exhibitionism. (Remember his gratuitous nude scene in "The Legacy?") Here we see him bare-chested in bed when he answers a late-night phone call. There's no need for "beefcake" in this scene but it gives Elliott yet another chance to show off his lean, hairy torso -- never touched by a razor -- and even at age 51 this torso still looks mighty good.Elliott also deserves notice for the scene in which he delivers a kick to a man's crotch. (You can almost hear the testicles squish.) His aim is perfect and his kicking style would do a Rockette proud.

tonopah6 From the start you will like Sam Elliott's character (Falon) : a trustworthy cop that is notably loyal to his partner. But too loyal, and too revengeful when seeing his partner dead in an alley, cause he then kills who he thought to be the assailant before giving him a chance to explain. Falon is an alcoholic, and that tends to sway him from being in self control, though he manages to direct his attention towards finding who's really behind his partners death. He carries along a rookie as his new partner (which seems to be seen too often in films) but Esai Morales does well in accompanying Sam Elliot, though puzzling pieces begin to fit to where Morales begins a self-approved investigation towards Falon; he mainly wants to find the answers since Fallon isn't letting him in on the whole story, and does not like what he finds. There is not a last minute showing at who the bad detectives are, which is okay; and they are not able to sway Falon into joining them, leading to a dramatic ending. Fine acting all the way around, with a touch of humor from Paul Sorvino who is the captain of detectives. It's a good movie that will make you want to see it several times; so it qualifies as a -must see-, and a good addition to a movie collection! (Filmed in San Francisco)

radarsmith A "sleeper". I had never even heard of this movie until I was channel jumping one night. I've been a police officer myself for 25 years and thought this was a true to life movie. Non-police critics are rating the movie purely from a critic's point of view and not from a police officer's point of view. This is real.