Alien Nation (1988)

Director: Graham Baker
Starring: James Caan, Mandy Patinkin, Terence Stamp

Synopsis:
An LA detective partners with a newly promoted alien to investigate a string of murders tied to a drug manufacturing plot.

Impressions:
At its core, Alien Nation is a fairly standard buddy cop film with a few tweaks to accommodate its core premise. That being said, this somewhat stock story is fairly well-executed and its peculiarities help make it memorable. James Caan does his thing as the world-weary Sykes and Mandy Patinkin makes a good foil as the slightly awkward Francisco (quite a change of pace from the role I know him best for, Inigo Montoya of The Princess Bride). Terence Stamp lends his striking voice to the main villain Harcourt and Leslie Bevis leaves an impact with her brief role as the exotic dancer Cassandra. If you'd like to try a buddy cop movie with a twist, give this one a watch.

Rating:
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