I had heard of the legendary exploitation director James Glickenhaus before, but I had never seen one of his films until now. After seeing Shakedown, I feel confident in saying that Mr. Glickenhaus has a new convert. The film follows Manhattan public defender Ronald Dalton (Peter Weller) and NYPD narcotics agent Richie Marks (Sam Elliott) as they try to take down a ring of corrupt police officers and free the name of a crack dealer who killed an undercover cop in self-defense. I've seen this kind of story many, many times, but where Glickenhaus sets himself apart from other filmmakers is his intimacy with New York City and his ability to incorporate it into the actual story instead of simply using it as an exotic backdrop. Take one scene near the end where a magnet crane helps a taxi escape from a group of corrupt policemen. Or what about the shootout on 42nd Street centered around the infamous Deuce? Or the fight between Marks and a criminal on a roller coaster? Glickenhaus has an intuitive ability to block and choreograph actions scenes that are thrilling, original, and most importantly, memorable. This movie should be shown in Action Filmmaking 101.
7/10
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