Product Details

• Actors: Alan Arkin, James Caan, Loretta Swit, Jack Kruschen, Mike Kellin
• Directors: Richard Rush
• Writers: Floyd Mutrux, Robert Kaufman
• Producers: Richard Rush, Anthony Ray, Floyd Mutrux
• Format: Color, HiFi Sound, NTSC
• Rated: R (Restricted)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Warner Home Video
• VHS Release Date: February 21, 1995
• Run Time: 113 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (31 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6300269671
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #181,671 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

70's action caper about two police detectives in San Francisco - Freebie and Bean. They've been working for months to bust Red Meyers, a local numbers racketeer. Finally there's a break in the case, but before they can arrest the crook,

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Freebie and the Bean Is Great Fun, February 6, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Freebie and The Bean [VHS] (VHS Tape)

Great and forgotten buddy-cop/action/ comedy movie which is a forerunner for other movies like Lethal Weapon, Running Scared, etc. Good comedic chemistry between James Caan and Alan Arkin in the title roles of two undercover cops trying to nail a mob king pin Red Meyers (Jack Kruschen) and at the same time trying to protect him from a reported "mob hit". Their banter of partners who annoy, but still very much care for each other is done well and seems ad-libbed.The film is an action/comedy, but there are serious moments to add to the film's slight absurdity. This includes a sub-plot in which Alan Arkin is trying to figure out if his wife (Valerie Harper) is cheating on him. Valerie Harper gives an outstanding but brief performance as Arkin's no-nonsense and faithful wife. There is a hilarious motorcycle chase scene through the streets of San Francisco, an incredible stunt of crashing a car off an elevated highway into an apartment building, and a climactic confrontation at the Superbowl game at Candlestick Park. Overall... Very Entertaining! On network TV the movie is edited beyond recognition, but the video has all the scenes restored. Too bad it is not on DVD. Look for Loretta Swit (TV's MASH) in small cameo as the gangster's mistress.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Original Lethal Weapon, February 21, 2005

By 

Joe Clay - See all my reviews

This review is from: Freebie and The Bean [VHS] (VHS Tape)

This is truly one of the greats....Arkin and Caan are a couple of cops and get into all kinds of misadventures. The comedy is fast and furious, and believe you me this is the original Lethal Weapon!!!


So if youre a fan of action movies and/or Lethal Weapon movies and want to know where it all started, check it out. Its a gas!!!

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It's a great comedy!, December 9, 2003

By 

Thomas F. Redmond (Cleveland, OH) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Freebie and The Bean [VHS] (VHS Tape)

Check this out:

Arkin plays a Mexican-American cop nicknamed "Bean" (I can see now why this movie didn't receive more promotion) who is smart about police work, but so dumb that he can't figure out that his wife is having an affair. Bean believes that phalic-shaped vibrators are for facial massage only, "because that's what the ads say," he remarks offhandedly to Freebie, played by Caan.

Caan plays Freebie, a white cop who, besides being terrifically cynical, is a two-bit con artist to boot. Together, the two make a sort of fantasy partnership, incorporating some slapstick along with some dry humor along the way.

The characters aside, the minute details of the screenplay are the cogs that make this movie work: Caan's spoken fanfare, "Taaa Daaa!", when the pair's car hits the ground after sailing over a moving railroad flatcar. The way the two can't seem to get in sync during an interview with the city's police commissioner. The nonchalance displayed by everyone when the two sail into the apartment of an older couple from a highway overpass.

I saw this at a local theatre after it was released, which was over 25 years ago. In terms of humor, it's much more sophisticated than current films with similar themes that hammer home slapstick gags without any sense of subtlety.

In terms of being an action flick, it's not quite up to that genre, especially when compaired to "The French Connection", "The Seven Ups", or "Dirty Harry", which were all films of that era.

Parts of the screenplay are somewhat weak, and don't exactly contribute to the overall story. However, it is a very funny film that has held up very well over time.