Review of Turner & Hooch (1989) by Jani H — 21 May 2009

"This is not your room.".

I remember some of these caninecop movies from the 80's. This one was probably the best of the bunch. The film also features a young Tom Hanks, who wasn't at that time a big star. That would happen after some years...

The film starts as a typical 80's cop movie with a saxophone tune on the background when the lead character is being introduced. It's immediately obvious that Hanks' character is a good, not your typical cop who is something of a neat freak.

The first time Hooch, a super drooler mastiff, was introduced, I became instantly infatuated with the dog. It looked somewhat of a Predator on four legs. The slow motion sequence, with its snout going all over... Excellent.

The story is a typical cop movie that has its moments but most of the movie concentrates on the building relationship between Turner and Hooch. Tom Hanks shows his comedic talents but most of the scenes are robbed by the dog. The scene where he shows the house to the dog, the stakeout scene, the end scene. All of these scenes were perfect examples on how a good dog 'actor' can make an average movie worth a look. Some scenes, especially in the end may give tears of laughter and sadness to all who admire these cute furry pooches.

As an end statement, I must confess that I'm a dog owner. I just love these "man's best friend's". I've always had dogs and I can understand the reactions of Hanks character, that occurred throughout the movie. You simply can't find a more trust worthy animal.