Overview
Two detectives find themselves in a high-stakes game of love and crime during a tense stakeout.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Moderate
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Moderate
- witty
- bawdy
- breezy
- lazy weekend
- retro movie night
What critics said
Critics broadly praised the film's entertaining premise and the comic chemistry between Richard Dreyfuss and Emilio Estevez, while finding its violent thriller elements less smoothly integrated with the humor.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Chris Lecce and Bill Reimers combine comic friction with effective police teamwork throughout the stakeout and pursuit.
Chris falls in love with Maria while secretly monitoring her as part of an official stakeout.
The stakeout premise and police investigation are repeatedly punctuated by irreverent humor, chases, killings, and getaway peril.
Chris must hide that he is a detective from Maria while occupying a surveillance role in her life.
Films like Stakeout, and why
48 Hrs.
shared buddy-cop chemistry, comic procedural setup, and escalating action
Running Scared
shared mix of police action, bawdy humor, and romance under criminal pressure
The Hard Way
shared romantic comedy framework built around deception, pursuit, and law-enforcement tension
Lethal Weapon
shared 1980s action-comedy tone, police partnership, and opposites-at-work dynamic
Movie Details
- Director
- John Badham
- Release Date
- 1987-08-05
- Runtime
- 116 min
- Rating
- 6.5 / 10 (472)
Cast
- Richard Dreyfuss
- Emilio Estevez
- Madeleine Stowe
- Aidan Quinn
- Dan Lauria
- Forest Whitaker
- Earl Billings
- Jackson Davies
- Ian Tracey
- Denalda Williams
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Stakeout about?
- Two Seattle detectives turn a routine surveillance assignment into a volatile mix of forbidden romance, odd-couple comedy, and fugitive-driven action.
- What is Stakeout like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Stakeout as brisk, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is Stakeout violent?
- Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in Stakeout as moderate.
- What did critics think of Stakeout?
- Critics broadly praised the film's entertaining premise and the comic chemistry between Richard Dreyfuss and Emilio Estevez, while finding its violent thriller elements less smoothly integrated with the humor.
- Which films are like Stakeout?
- Films with a similar feel include 48 Hrs., Running Scared, The Hard Way, and Lethal Weapon.
- How long is Stakeout?
- Stakeout runs 116 minutes.
- Where can I watch Stakeout?
- In United States, Stakeout streams on Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads.
