spamred Dabney Coleman plays a cop getting into his "short time" just before retirement. Knowing what we do about police movies, we understand why he's careful and plays it safe. During a routine blood test, he finds out he has a terminal disease and his insurance will only pay out to his estranged wife and son if he dies in the line of duty. From that setup, we get a marvelous performance by Coleman. Matt Frewer as his new partner is wonderful as well. Everyone gives a solid performance here, even Coleman's unmarked cruiser in a amazing chase sequence. If you happen to see this one coming up on TV, give it a try. I think you'll like it.

Jekkyl i thought this was a great movie. i am not a big dabney coleman fan but he was funny in this.the idea of the movie is that dabney coleman is a cop who is getting close to retirement. he is very careful, doesn't swear, eats healthy food and doesn't like to chase criminals if it puts himself in danger at all, especially now that he is so close to retirement.but then he has a regular checkup with his doctor and discovers that he has a rare disease that can't be cured. he worries about his ex-wife and child so he checks out his insurance and finds out that they only get a huge payout on his life insurance if he dies on the job. so obviously he ends up all of a sudden taking huge risks like getting into car chases, fighting on the side of a building, confronting a maniac with a bomb, etc.his partner is very funny too. this is a great comedy.

Blake (TimeForChillie) Short Time, 5/10, 23rd best movie of 1990, 332nd of the 1990s, 842nd all time I had actually really wanted to see this movie for a long time. I had seen a preview for it when I watched some movie in high school and thought it was a good idea for a movie. I was actually going to order it on netflix but nobody ever bothered to put it on DVD. But while I was looking for something to watch at my girlfriends the other day I saw it was on show time. It's about a Cop who finds out he has a terminal desiease. He is uneffected now, but will be dead in 3 months. He can collect insurance in the amount of 250,000 dollars for his family, but the thing is, he has to die on the job. Thus he starts taking ridiculous chances on the job, but keeps accidentally succeding, and getting all these commendations for bravery when all he wants to do is get killed. Now I thought this sounded like a very funny idea for a movie. And while I still feel the premise was very good, the movie isn't really done very well. There is one ridiculously funny 10 minute car chase scene which I feel shows exactly how good this movie could have been, and single-handedly bumped this movie up from a low four to a low five. But other than that I think this movie is mostly a lot of lost potential.

vchimpanzee Burt Simpson is an uptight, practical Seattle detective with just over a week before retirement. He expects his son Dougie (who lives with mother Carolyn) to go to Harvard. His partner Ernie is more easygoing and carefree and wants to go into the hot tub business.Not wanting anything to happen in his last week on the job, Burt refuses to take risks, and he lets a suspect get away--a man whose face appeared on a wanted poster he was looking at just seconds before spotting him, and a man connected with Carl Stark, whose gang hijacked a shipment of military weapons. Naturally, the captain is furious. While he is getting tests at the doctor, Burt's blood sample is switched with that of a bus driver who smoked a joint and doesn't want to get caught. The bus driver, as it turns out, has a terminal illness. Burt wants to make sure his son is provided for (especially after a dream he has where the son gets into Harvard but his mother has no money to pay for it), but the only life insurance he has is a $350,000 policy that pays off only if he is killed in the line of duty. So Burt volunteers for the most dangerous duty and takes lots of risks. He also learns what is important in life.This movie was very funny, when it was funny. At first it didn't seem as good in the dramatic scenes, but Dabney Coleman did so well in them that even those were good. Matt Frewer, on the other hand, didn't give a strong enough performance as Burt's partner. Barry Corbin made an impression as the captain.One of the biggest highlights of the entire movie was an exciting and hilarious car chase involving Carl Stark's gang. Burt had nothing to lose, and the criminals thought he was insane. I was exhausted afterward from laughing. Later, Burt's new outlook on life proved quite valuable in another risky assignment, in a well-done dramatic scene.There was some violence, but I guess no more than in a typical cop movie. I was glad I saw a version where they cleaned up the language.This movie was a real winner.********************SPOILERS********************Burt defused a hostage situation, but he forgot to defuse the bomb!Near the end, Burt went to the hospital and found the men whose car was demolished in that car chase, and tortured them until they told him Carl Stark's whereabouts. What followed was an edge-of-your-seat adventure involving the cop and the criminal hanging off the side of a building. And Burt was assured, from a helicopter, that the doctor made a mistake--he's not going to die! (Oh, yeah?) Oh, yes, we do see what happens when the bus driver starts to feel the effects of his illness. *************************************** *************************************** SPOILERS YOU DON"T DARE READ UNLESS YOU REALLY REALLY WANT TO*************************************** ***************************************It's a touching funeral ceremony after Burt falls off that building. But Burt is on crutches. His son can't understand why that bus driver was so important.