Armed and Dangerous (1986) is a movie starring John Candy as Frank Dooley, Eugene Levy as Norman Kane, Robert Loggia as Michael Carlino and Meg Ryan as Maggie Cavanaugh. The plot involves Dooley, a police officer and Kane, a criminal defense attorney, recently drummed out of their respective professions. Frank Dooley loses his job as a police officer after he catches two corrupt officers stealing a television set. He refuses to join in with them, so they overpower him and fabricate a story which gets Dooley fired. Kane seeks new employment after unsuccessfully defending a Charles Manson-like character, inspiring the presiding judge to pronounce him the worst lawyer he has ever seen after lamely claiming that his obviously insane client "didn't mean" to commit his various crimes.

The film's premise involves the pair uncovering a scheme formulated by the security guard union's leaders (who collect $15 from each worker's weekly paycheck) to embezzle the money for their own personal gain. The pair are assigned to guard a toxic waste site as punishment after clashing with the union leaders, who refuse to answer questions about the status of the pension's fund.

The main source of the film's comedy comes from the interactions between Dooley and Kane, and the various mishaps and close-calls that befall the pair on their journey. There is also a romantic interest between Kane and Cavanaugh, although there does not seem to be much on-screen chemistry between the two.

The film was released in the United States on August 15 of 1986, and is set in Los Angeles, California during the 1980s.

Tagline: Undercover. Overdressed. And keeping you safe from the scum of the earth.

Quote on Promotional Posters: A comedy about security guards with the safety off

Armed and Dangerous (2002) is a short film about two escapees from an asylum for the criminally insane. It is notable for climaxing in an elaborate chase where supermarket trollies stand in for police cars. The makers are planning a feature film version for release in 2008.

Dooley, a cop wrongly sacked for corruption, teams up with a useless defence lawyer in their new careers... as security guards. When the two are made fall guys for a robbery at a location they are guarding, the pair begin to investigate corruption within the company and their union. They soon make enemies of everyone, but can the unlikely duo save the day ? Written by Rob Hartill

Frank Dooley is an ex-cop, thrown out of the force after being framed by corrupt colleagues. Herman Kane is an out of work attorney who quit because he lost his nerve. Both men turn to a private security firm to find employment, but everything goes quickly wrong when the first warehouse they guard gets robbed! Dooley and Kane suspect foul-play, and there's something fishy about the security firm's union too. Our two heroes decide to investigate, and uncover intrigue and conspiracy, with only their ingenuity and resourcefulness keeping them alive! Written by Simon N. McIntosh-Smith