Hawkeye (1988)

aka: Karate Cops
Two unruly cops work together to stop drug dealers.
Starring: George Chung, Chuck Jeffreys, Hidy Ochiai, Troy Donahue

Link to IMDB

Alexander "Hawkeye" Hawkamoto is a wild Texas cop that never plays by the rules. He's recently been transferred to Las Vegas to get out of trouble but it seems to follow him everywhere, much to the annoyance of the Vegas police and mayor. Hawkeye's boss isn't too pleased with the unorthodox and violent methods that he uses to get the job done, so he's paired-up with a new partner to keep him under control. Officer Charles Wilson is a street-smart and highly decorated cop that tries to follow the proper protocols, but he's pretty much a loose cannon also, so these two hot-heads instantly dislike each other.

They're assigned to investigate the murder of an informant, which quickly gets them on the trail of a crime boss named Tony Caprisio. Wilson and Hawk begin to bond as they beat-up bad guys and kick down doors together. Their personalities might clash, but they're both good cops that want to see justice served.

"You're not as crazy as me." - Hawkeye

The middle section slows down a fair bit, as we see more of the guys life at home and there are some random scenes played just for laughs, but watching these two do anything is a treat. Soon enough they are back to work, and they better get serious because the case is bigger than they expected. Tony Caprisio has got himself involved with a powerful drug cartel, and they kidnap Hawk's girlfriend in attempt to control him. Of course it just pisses him off, and he and Wilson get ready to use all their police training and karate skills to clean the streets.

The story attempts to keep a gritty realism but it's also aware of how goofy it's being, so this was a pretty enjoyable time. Chung and Jeffreys' portrayals of the heroes is a sight to behold. There's an impressive amount of bad acting, but it's done with such a rowdy "no fucks given" style that it makes the characters seem even more ridiculous than the wacky things they're saying.

"Stay off my back , stay outta my way, and stay outta my face." - Wilson

The plot is a bit of a mess and there really isn't as much action as I was expecting. Luckily, there's plenty of laughs, bad taste, and amateur attempts at imitating popular movies to keep me excited about what's coming next. It's also fun how the roles go against stereotypes. Hawkeye is a legitimate Texan cowboy that doesn't know anything about Asian culture, while street-smart Wilson is the more cultivated guy.
Much like the entire movie itself, the soundtrack has everything cheesy about the 80s you could ask for. Swooning saxophones, beeping synths and plenty of Seinfeld bass slaps.
This is a trashy hidden gem of the cop-buddy genre, and despite the plot vanishing a few times it's the fun characters that make this worth seeing.

This guy

Be sure not to miss:
- This guy near the start. He seemed terrified to be on camera. It's not just bad acting, it's a human mind collapsing in on itself.
- Packing shit.
- Junior Cadet day. Hawkeye's rant at the boy named Lionel is amazing.
- Rats enough!

Internet review:
"Every scene is amazing." - candeeman

Should I watch it?
Highly recommended.

Where can I find it?
On YouTube.

Hawkeye gets...