The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

Clever and entertaining enough to recommend even to members of the 1%

This movie feels like it was made purely to piss off people who want good shows

One of the film's great tricks is that, for a time, you think it will go down a rabbit hole of unrealistic glorification.

Oh boy. Do you like Eddie Murphy? Do you wish he did some more police action-comedy films? Well, this fine movie might help fulfill your desire for more Murphy. Hawkeye is a pudgy Asian karate expert who comes from Texas, we learn that early and don't have a chance to forget it through the entire movie. His old buddy and partner gets killed during some drug deal, actually the worst drug deal ever. He gets a new partner much to his displeasure, we'll call him Neddy Gurphy. Hawk and Neddy are a couple of wild and racist guys that like to do whatever the hell they want. Early on, maybe before Neddy and Hawk join forces, the likes of which have never been seen, Hawkeye is at a dojo in the desert. He is getting qualified with the "best in the country" for some kind of certification. The dojo is more of an apartment building and the desert looks like the suburbs of Phoenix. He is there beating the crap out of people when he gets called to a bank robbery. A bank robbery, kind of a big deal right? Not this one. Hawk shows up, after changing clothes and is the first one there. In a big city, bank robbery goes out on the police radio (or the roller-rink announcer), husky Hawkeye gets it on his beeper, does a costume change and still arrives before any other cops. Impressive. What is even more impressive is the poor editing and miraculous shooting displayed while the cops (more do show up) break up the heist on the front steps of the bank. So Hawk gets a new partner, Neddy Gurphy, they but heads at first but then become good buddies. There is some good ol' 80's racism; black people like watermelon, Asian people can't drive...good stuff. There are some fun fight scenes, some random lines. They are after two bad guys, a white guy and an Asian guy. The white mafia bad guy has an interesting crew of muscle men that hang around. One of them likes to take his shirt off for some reason. At one point Hawk goes to a gay bar and has no idea the men hitting on him are gay...he keeps using this line about packing shit with his buddies, its very weird. Maybe it is a line they actually use in Texas, I've never heard it. He and Neddy basically wander around questioning the bad guys and stirring up trouble. Hawk has an ego as fat as his face and his partner follows suit. It gets a bit slow in the second half. The two different bad guys takes a lot of screen time. The white mobster seems to like unattractive women, there is a funny scene where he is sitting in bed engaged in some heavy-petting while talking to a couple of his henchmen. The police chief is always telling Hawk and Neddy they are on thin ice, and for some reason he seems to only travel with the Mayor and another guy. Eventually there is an ending, I think its the shootout on the strip...tough to tell. Good guys win though, that's for sure. Honestly, I could never quite get past the resemblance to Eddie Murphy...it's either a impressive and consistent impersonation or just a phenomenal likeness. You should watch this movie, it's funny. 3 out of 5 kamikaze t-shirts for Hawkeye

I really liked this film. Think the French Connection meets Chuck Norris in Code of Silence. Cheung is Gene Hackman-like in this modern Vegas set noir. The tension throughout the movie is held by an expertly written script and well choreograph action scenes. Cameos by Martin Balsam and Tobias Pahloosh were comic interludes that allowed the viewers to have a chuckle here and there.SPOILER ALERT!!!!! Look for Steven Seagal in a very funny scene involving a prostitute, a cab driver, and a little person. My only gripe was that the gunfights were a little too long in spots. The car chases were right out of Ronin, A!!Naomi Campbell was hot. Some of the sex scenes were a little too explicit for an R Rated movie especially given that they show actual penetration and digital manipulation of genitalia.

Cop On the Edge Alexander "Hawkeye", "Hawk" Hawkamoto (Chung) is a man so awesome, even his nickname has a nickname. Formerly a Texas cop, he resettles in Las Vegas where he's out to settle the score with the mob, led by gangster boss Tony (Wertlieb). After being assigned a new partner, an equally brash detective named Charles Wilson (Jeffreys), the two tear up the town like nobody's business. Forget MASH, here's the real Hawkeye!We absolutely loved Hawkeye. This type of movie is right up our alley - it's fun, funny, ridiculous, and wildly enjoyable. The supposed "amateurish" nature of the movie is far from a negative, it actually endeared us to it even more. Just the level of (non) acting from everyone except the leads is enough to provide more entertainment value than you'll find in many other movies. Starting from the great intro, Hawkeye never runs out of steam and is highly watchable the entire time.It wouldn't be an 80's cop movie without sax on the soundtrack, acid washed jeans and radical sunglasses. Chuck Jeffreys puts in one of his best performances as the energetic new partner. The movie is also filled with un-PC humor that you never see today. While there seems to be some controversy over who actually directed the movie, Leo Fong or George Chung, it definitely has that Fong-y style we recognize from his past projects. But someone really should look into possible misspellings in the credits ("Kieth"? "Micheal"? "Stien"?) As for George Chung, he's at his best during "Junior Cadet Day" at the academy, where a bunch of kids come to learn about police work. Apparently it mainly consists of threats. It's also completely ignored that Chung/Hawkamoto is even Asian, as other characters call him "Cowboy", he hates Sushi, and doesn't know what a Dojo is. Throw in some random narration, and there you have it.As if that wasn't enough, Troy Donahue is (barely) involved, and his use of pauses in his speech makes William Shatner look like John Moschitta. Lest we forget "All-Pro Football Star Ronnie Lott" (if seeing that on a box while perusing a video store doesn't make you want to rent the film, what will?). A unnecessarily shirtless guy who looks like Jerry Trimble, among a row of meatheads completes the picture.The tape seems like a homemade production, having been released by Valley Studios of Sunnyvale, CA, and the copyright is 1988 Action America Entertainment. Did they ever release anything else? Hopefully. If you have a sense of fun and/or humor, you will totally love this gem. Hawkeye is a bona fide winner. For more action insanity, drop by: www.comeuppancereviews.com

Another little gem in the all too brief filmography of martial arts movie star/writer/producer/director George Chung (Fight To Win, Kindergarden Ninjas).Structurally and technically a little crude (and not quite up to par with Chung's earlier masterpiece, FIGHT TO WIN), KARATE COPS (aka HAWKEYE) nonetheless remains a very enjoyable modern day martial arts film. Decidedly tongue-in-cheek, this extremely low budgeter (the editing especially has a homemade look to it) contains superb martial arts, snappy one-liners, and a knockout performance by co-star Chuck Jeffreys (Bloodmoon, Deathfight, Fight To Win), who, like Chung, warrants much more merit than he has ever received.Chung plays a cop from Texas who, against his will, is assigned a new partner, played by Jeffreys. Together the two crack down on a Japanese mobster and his henchmen. Years before RUSH HOUR, Chung and Jeffreys demonstrated a great rapport and talent for bicker and banter.Filled with situational comedy, fantastic martial arts, and even some surprisingly well done dramatic acting (from BOTH leads), KARATE COPS also features a first rate villain, the legendary Leo Fong (Blind Rage, Blood Street, Fight To Win).Memorable bits include Chung foiling a bank robbery by knocking out a female bystander and shooting around many hostages, Jeffreys taking a game of good cop/bad cop a little too seriously, Chung explaining that his martial arts instructor was just a fat guy at the Y, and a climactic game of high stakes roulette.A must-see for fans of American martial arts movies.Very fun!