I haven't seen "The Presidio" for about a decade, so watching it again recently after so many years was almost like watching it for the first time. Although it's definitely not a top class thriller, more of a low-key crime drama, the final twist in the tale makes it a decent picture. It's got fantastic setting. Peter Hyams, who apart from directing the film also holds a spot as director of photography, shots exteriors stylishly. The slightly cold colours correspond well with Sean Connery's characterisation as a strict man of principles. In case of Connery it's always as much about the acting as it is about the looks and he looks really good as an MP officer, mostly wearing regular uniforms, prefferably dark blue. If he hadn't succeeded as 007 he would have definitely made a career as a character actor playing officers. Mark Harmon takes over as an action man from Connery which is a nice change. The chase scene is quite impressive even by today's standards, well done! On the other hand the fight scene with Connery is also well choreographed. My only complain would be about Meg Ryan's character. She seems too soft, too childish as for a person rised only by a father, who happens to be a rather tough guy, shy of showing emotions. Somehow her character doesn't convince me at all. In a nutshell: you'll like the film if you like San Francsico and you'll love it if you like Sean Connery. No more, no less.

The Presidio (1988)Plot In A Paragraph: A San Francisco civilian police detective is forced to work on a series of murders with his former enemy commanding officer while dating his daughter.The Presidio is a backwards step for Connery, it's pretty predictable, routine thriller that had the potential to be so much more. Thankfully it proved to be only a momentary blip, and is largely forgotten about these days. This was the first time I had watched it since about 1990 (my DVD was still in its shrink wrap) and the main thing I remembered was that Meg Ryan went topless in it during a love scene.I think if Connery had anticipated his Oscar success, he would have chose his next project more carefully, and this would not have been in his filmography. After 3 great performances in a row, he kind of phones this one in.Meg Ryan had nailed the cute blonde prt down in the late 80's early 90's and she looks great here!! Jack Warden has a decent role as an old army buddy of Connery, and he is always worth watching. We get an awful rent a bad guy, but Rick Zumwalt (Over The Top's Bull Hurley) has a role here as 'Bully In Bar, who Connery beats up using only his thumb. The love scene I mentioned earlier is missing from my DVD!! I am not impressed about it. The Presidio grossed $20 million at the domestic box office to end the year as the 48th highest grossing movie of 1988.

A break-in at a military base leads to a murder; the perpetrators' escape causes the death of a cop outside the base, so the case will involve both the San Francisco P.D. and the military police. Former MP Jay Austin (Mark Harmon) is now a detective who will butt heads with his old commanding officer, Lieutenant Colonel Alan Caldwell (Sean Connery). They'll argue about methodology, and jurisdiction, and other such things, and Jay will naturally fall in lust with Caldwells' conveniently cute daughter Donna (Meg Ryan).Although there are some good moments for the main actors - Jack Warden also among them, as Caldwells' longtime friend Ross Maclure - this movie is more entertaining during its murder investigation scenes. It IS played awfully straight, with not much in the way of humour, but then, this is more of a serious thriller than the typical buddy-cop action film. It does also have, however, a ridiculous scene that serves no real purpose to the plot other than to show how bad ass Connery is, as he beats up Rick Zumwalt (as a bully in a bar) with his THUMB. Slickly made, with capable direction by Peter Hyams, who again serves as as his own cinematographer (and does a better job of lighting the proceedings than usual). The location work in SF is excellent, fortunately.The handsome Harmon is passable as our likable good guy protagonist, but he doesn't have much chemistry with either Connery or Ryan. The supporting cast is solid: Mark Blum, Marvin J. McIntyre, Dana Gladstone, the much too briefly seen Jenette Goldstein, Don Calfa (in a quick cameo), John DiSanti, Robert Lesser, Patrick Kilpatrick, etc., but Connery is the principal reason to watch "The Presidio". His effortlessly strong presence lends itself well to the role of a career military man.This is easy enough to watch, but also easy enough to forget.Six out of 10.

A Military Policeman investigating what looked like a break-in at the Officer's Club at the Presidio in San Francisco is shot down. The same man also shoots an SFPD officer while fleeing the first crime. This makes the whole thing a dual jurisdiction between the Army and the local law enforcement.Hard enough normally, but in this situation you have a detective played by Mark Harmon who's a former MP who has a bad history with Sean Connery the provost marshal in charge at the Presidio. Though they hate each other's guts they of necessity have to work together.Sean Connery is one of those players who just being in a film elevates in class. Without him in the thing this would be just a routine police yarn, might have been good enough for a made for TV film and nothing more. Another conflict in the film is Connery with daughter Meg Ryan who takes an interest in Harmon at first to spite dad, but then finds herself falling for him.Acting honors in this film go to Jack Warden the retired sergeant major who won a Congressional Medal of Honor saving Connery's life in Vietnam. Warden and Connery keep you interested in the film, in finding out just why the MP and the SFPD officer had to die. Without them, I doubt anyone would care.