Amy Adler Frank (John Candy) is a good policeman but he is framed for theft when he catches other officers pilfering electronics. He is kicked off the force in short order. Meanwhile, Norman (Eugene Levy) is an inept lawyer who messes up big time when he assigned to defend a Charles Manson type offender. The judge in the case orders Norman to find alternative work. With few options, Frank and Norman both enroll in a security guard officers training school, where they become fast friends and partners. This is, in part, because so many of their classmates are complete idiots, like the man who wonders if he should put his own name on the application line that says "name"! Frank and Norman's first assignment is to stand watch inside a factory but they soon realize that their company, Guard Dog Security, may have some criminals on the staff, ones that are stealing from the companies they are supposed to be guarding. Can Frank and Norman, with the help of the firm-owner's daughter, Maggie (Meg Ryan), expose the bad elements in the company, without getting fired or killed? This is a very funny film with abundant laughs. Yes, it may be considered a more "low-brow" vehicle, but it is still very mirthful and will cause any viewer to laugh themselves silly. Just watching the less-than-intelligent guards on the staff of the security firm makes for a fun, fun evening. Candy, Levy, and Ryan are terrific but, then, so are the relative unknowns who round out the rest of the cast. Sets, costumes, and production values are great, too. If you want to see a classic Candy film, this is a great choice, for it displays his marvelous and abundant talent, no doubt. But, anyone truly wishing to transport themselves to a world of laughter will find this one a very good choice.

ccthemovieman-1 This was a nice surprise. I figured it would be stupid and not all that funny. Wrong. It WAS funny. Yes, it's a harmless "no-brainer" type of movie but it was fun and had likable lead characters, people you could easily root for to make good. In this, it was a pair of security guards: "Frank Dooley" (John Candy) and "Norman Kane" (Eugene Levy). Every comedy has its stupid moments, this included, but the good outweighs the stupid. What also makes this above-average is that it is not just a comedy. There is action and suspense in here and the combination works. Believe me, this film is not all laughs.I watch this and makes me sad that Candy is no longer with us. He was a great entertainer.

Ralph I have watched this movie mindlessly whenever I see it on TV, it's got to be an addiction, but I can think of worse addictions! It's just such a STUPID movie and I guess thats the charm it holds for me. Candy is the mainliner here but I really liked Levy's hapless character getting in all sorts of crap because he's following Candy around (as a rent a cop no less!). It's probably a 4/10 star movie for the objectionable viewer but I guess I grew up on this flick seeing it in the 80's and the scene of the two of them coming out of the porn store wearing the drag and s&m getup is gut bustingly priceless stuff! I'll really miss Candy and it's a shame he didn't make better choices for movie script's because some are really really bad, but although this one may fall in that group for some, it's a funny flick in my book! See it with Dragnet as a double feature and an early Police Academy flick for a triple feature (one with Bobcat in it!). 7/10, so bad it's funny.

MovieAddict2016 Armed and DangerousWell, here's another cop-buddy comedy from the eighties with a weird sense of humor: `Armed and Dangerous.' It features old SCTV Canadian buddies John Candy and Eugene Levy in one of their most forgettable roles. John Candy plays Frank Dooley, a policeman who, one day, finds some corrupt cops stealing some TVs. Unfortunately for Dooley, the tables are turned when he confronts them and gets the blame, causing him to lose his badge and suffer.Eugene Levy plays Norman Kane: a bumbling, inept lawyer who we feel got his job because he either had extremely rich parents, or just made some fake certificates to prove he is a lawyer. One day while defending a client, Norman realizes that he is about to lose the case. The man he represents is a psycho, who will almost surely kill him after he gets out of jail. So, Norman makes a deal with the court judge; the judge hates Norman, so he tells him that he will put the psycho behind bars forever if Norman quits his job, because he is a `Disgrace to lawyers.' And that's exactly what Norman does. He quits his job.So now both men decide to enter the `Watchdog Security' program, where they meet each other for the first time, as well as the daughter of Watchdog president, Maggie Cavanaugh (Meg Ryan). Candy and Levy are later assigned night watch at an old factory, and unfortunately for the two men, they have no idea that something more than meets the eye is going on; if they wish to keep their job, they must discover the truth and reveal it.John Candy is great as Frank Dooley. I thought his character would be the bumbling one, but in fact, Dooley is smart, and Levy's character Norman is the stupid one. Dooley's motivation behind it all is that he wants his respect as an officer back; he took the blame once, and he wants to get his badge back.Eugene Levy is endearingly dumb as Norman, a guy we all find a place for in our hearts. He obviously has a crush on Ryan's character, but is not as persistent or cocky as Dooley is; he just can't muster up enough guts to ask her out. However, he is not completely stupid. He isn't the kind of character that talks with a lisp and has crossed eyes. He is just…Eugene Levy.Despite the two comedians' great performances, however, the film is simply average. The gags become old after a while, and the ending is quite ridiculous and not even fun. Candy and Levy try their best at delivering laughs, but fail miserably, mainly because the script is so awful and the direction wonders around aimlessly searching for the right direction.The beginning/first half of the film is, actually, quite funny, but eventually, after the men join Watchdog Security, the film suffers from lack of dialogue and lack of direction; director Mark L. Lester must have lost the film's script during filming, because I find it hard to believe anything so average and basic could be coughed up by co-writer Harold Ramis.There are some laugh-out-loud sequences in `Armed and Dangerous,' but only a few in the beginning. The film just withers away into a laugh-free zone after the first act, and the ending is just plain typical of an eighties cop-buddy film: high speed chases, stunts, and explosions, topped off by a corny, stereotypical ending that has the audience cowering in their seats.No matter how much I love John Candy as an actor, I simply can't muster up enough to recommend this film. The film's main problem is its lack of intelligence, humor, and wit, as well as containing some boring and typical dialogue expected from a film like `Police Academy,' not a film with John Candy and Eugene Levy. It is quite a tragic comedy, and is the exact definition of `average.' I've seen much worse, but nevertheless, average is average. Perhaps you should see it only for a glimpse of Meg Ryan's early career, but that's pushing it. My summary: `Armed and Dangerous' is `Harming and Ridiculous.'2/5 stars –John Ulmer