Undercover cops Starsky and Hutch hit the road

Horsing around
Starsky and Hutch


Stars Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson, Vince Vaughn, Juliette Lewis, Snoop Dogg, Jason Bateman, Fred Williamson, Carmen Electra, Amy Smart. Rated M.

Reviewer :: Lt Simone Heyer

Inspired by the Starsky and Hutch television series of the '70s, this film will give you a blast from the past.

The ever-keen Starsky, whose mum was on the force for more than 20 years, screws up and is teamed with the despondent Hutch, whose idea of infiltrating a gang is to lead them in robberies.

They are tasked to investigate an expected drug drop and go from source to source to find suspects, and eventually, the haul.

Of course, as soon as we discover that the cocaine is a special breed - odourless and slightly sweet tasting - we know that one of the hot-shot team will ingest it at some stage.

There's plenty of dodgy '70s-style humour, crazy hair, crazy clothes and crazy props. At one stage, Starsky (Stiller) runs up the beach in a baggy grey tracksuit, wearing great big headphones with aerials. Of course, the film is rife with the obligatory mad driving, car chases and burnouts.

All sorts of madcap adventures happen, including what Hutch must do to have an informant give him a lead.

Snoop Dog plays the divinely suited Huggy Bear, who runs a club - and snitches to the cops. It's a great character.

This movie is cleverly made with a laugh a minute. Stiller and Wilson are a great team - as seen in the 2001 hit Zoolander.

While Stiller is often pretend-serious, playing goofy, Wilson effectively downplays his roles, then comes out with the cracker lines.

Simone rates this movie 4 out of 5