Quartile rating: 6.5/10 · 1 rating
Detective Scott Turner has three days left in the local police department before he moves to a bigger city to get some 'real' cases—not just misdemeanors. When Amos Reed is murdered, Scott sets himself on the case, but the closest thing to a witness to the murder is Reed's dog, Hooch, which Scott has to take care of—to avoid Hooch being 'put to sleep'.
Turner & Hooch is a serviceable late-80s buddy comedy that leans heavily on the odd-couple dynamic between Tom Hanks and the slobbery Dogue de Bordeaux. Hanks brings genuine charm and comedic timing that elevates what is otherwise a fairly routine cop-comedy plot. The cinematography is functional but unremarkable, typical of the era. The film has some novelty in its specific pairing — a fastidious detective with an enormous, destructive dog — and Hooch's screen presence is genuinely memorable, giving it a slightly distinct flavor among buddy-cop films. However, the murder mystery plot is thin and predictable, and the ending, which kills off Hooch, is tonally jarring and divisive, undercutting the lighthearted comedy with an abrupt emotional gut-punch that feels unearned rather than dramatically resonant.