EPISODE 116 — Top Dog: LIVE!

[Cameron H. 23786]

Not to mention earlier in the film when he goes to the docks. He heads into the harbor masters office, identifies himself, and asks to see the log as he reaches out for it. When the harbor master, who is crooked, stops him and asks if he has a warrant Norris just rips it from his hands and says "You got a problem?" Yes many! Anybody could get a real enough looking badge and come in, a warrant not only compels you to comply but shows that this is a legit and legal search. Like FisterRoboto said it a simple requirement of law and your rights and by doing this he negates any evidence gained. However Norris takes it even a step further by ripping the page out of the log!! Not only was it an illegal search but you can throw in destruction or tempering with evidence charges on top of that right?

 

Or when he first arrives at the police station and the hippie-looking dude is yelling that they have no right to hold him there and that he "knows his rights" and Norris physically forces the guy into the chair and says, "Sit your rights down!" I think the whole reason why Norris was on suspension is becoming a whole lot clearer...

 

It really does seem like the movie is positing that laws are there to govern the general populace, but if you are "morally right" then the laws don't really apply to you.

 

ETA-Officer Grandpa didn't have a warrant to search the boat at the beginning of the movie either. He was just going on a hunch that the nondescript, stocky white guy and the nondescript, skinny white guy (who were just hanging out at the scene of the crime...?) matched an eyewitness' description.

 

He also didn't bother, in the 6 or so hours he waited for nightfall, to write in his notepad anything other than, "Followed two suspects to the docks." You'd think he'd at least get a slip number, the name of the ship, or anything that might be useful. Then again, I guess that would cut into doughnut time.

[RikkiHo 84]

The gang mentioned all of the throwaway lines in this movie that had zero payoff. My favorite was when Jake visits his white supremacist mom and she offers to make him something to eat. He replies "That's OK, I think I'll have a banana." Was I the only one expecting a basic banana peel mishap here? The banana is eventually eaten, and forgotten. WHY IS THIS EXCHANGE IN THE MOVIE???

[Cam Bert 8145]

 

Or when he first arrives at the police station and the hippie-looking dude is yelling that they have no right to hold him there and that he "knows his rights" and Norris physically forces the guy into the chair and says, "Sit your rights down!" I think the whole reason why Norris was on suspension is becoming a whole lot clearer...

 

It really does seem like the movie is positing that laws are there to govern the general populace, but if you are "morally right" then the laws don't really apply to you.

You're right! Based on all of this I'll have to redo my sequel because this case is clearly going to be dismissed and Koller will be back on the streets. Wilder will be fired for wanton disregard for the law and excessive violence. This of course will reflect poorly on Callahan's mayoral campaign what with him bringing a cop off suspension only to have that same cop conduct multiple illegal searches and acts of brutality.

[RikkiHo 84]

During the episode, a random audience member shouted "chalkboard!" and was immediately shut down by Jason. Yes, this was very rude, but I think it needs some revisiting. One of my favorite set pieces in this movie was the chalkboard in the briefing room with all of the white power groups written on it. For some reason, "Neo Nazis!!" is followed by TWO exclamation points. Why? Is this the most infamous group on the list? Did this represent some sort of break in the case that warranted high excitement? Are they notes for Chuck Norris to please lay some intonation into his deadpan reading of his lines? Even one exclamation point would seem out of place in a sheriff's office, but two?

[Cam Bert 8145]

If anybody is going to rewatch this again please pay attention to the chalkboards during the police briefing. I wish I could have gotten a good screen grab, but it is never really all in focus or seen at one time. Here's what written as best as I can recreate it:

"FOCUS TODAY

SUPReMACIST GROUPs

NeO NAZIS!!

HeLL BANgeRS

ARYAN NATION

KKK - WHITE BROTeR

HOOD"

The thing that I love that can't be conveyed without a picture is the fact the word Aryan was clearly misspelled, erased and rewritten.

[Cam Bert 8145]

During the episode, a random audience member shouted "chalkboard!" and was immediately shut down by Jason. Yes, this was very rude, but I think it needs some revisiting. One of my favorite set pieces in this movie was the chalkboard in the briefing room with all of the white power groups written on it. For some reason, "Neo Nazis!!" is followed by TWO exclamation points. Why? Is this the most infamous group on the list? Did this represent some sort of break in the case that warranted high excitement? Are they notes for Chuck Norris to please lay some intonation into his deadpan reading of his lines? Even one exclamation point would seem out of place in a sheriff's office, but two?

I guess I started writing my thing the moment after this went up. Sorry.

[RikkiHo 84]

At the paint-by-numbers hate rally ("WE ARE WHITE! WE DON'T LIKE MINORITIES!"), we are introduced to the vest-wearing, second-in-command white supremacist with the giant mane of hair. He is in plenty of other scenes, always wearing a vest. Was anyone distracted by how much he looks like Kevin Kline? I was referred to him Ku Klux Kline throughout the entire movie.

[Auden 1809]

If anybody is going to rewatch this again please pay attention to the chalkboards during the police briefing. I wish I could have gotten a good screen grab, but it is never really all in focus or seen at one time. Here's what written as best as I can recreate it:

"FOCUS TODAY

SUPReMACIST GROUPs

NeO NAZIS!!

HeLL BANgeRS

ARYAN NATION

KKK - WHITE BROTeR

HOOD"

The thing that I love that can't be conveyed without a picture is the fact the word Aryan was clearly misspelled, erased and rewritten.

 

FOCUS TODAY, tomorrow the police will focus on something else. I also like the random capitalization, it's like a kindergarten crafts project or a ransom note.

[TheLadyEve 14]

They mentioned the weird connection with the Oklahoma City Bombing, and in the film they talk about Hitler's birthday being the day to pick for an attack. That made me think of the Columbine massacre, which also took place on 4/20. I was 17 at the time, and I remember buzz about why the shooters chose that day and whether or not they were white supremacists because of the Hitler's birthday connection. Now I wonder if the shooters just saw Top Dog. They would have been 14 at the time Top Dog came out. Maybe we can blame this movie for the OKC bombing AND Columbine.

[ChunkStyle 1160]

At the paint-by-numbers hate rally ("WE ARE WHITE! WE DON'T LIKE MINORITIES!"), we are introduced to the vest-wearing, second-in-command white supremacist with the giant mane of hair. He is in plenty of other scenes, always wearing a vest. Was anyone distracted by how much he looks like Kevin Kline? I was referred to him Ku Klux Kline throughout the entire movie.

 

I kept thinking he looked like Paul Rudd.

[nthurkettle 148]

When they asked the question "how would a dog go undercover with white supremacists?" an answer that was both obvious AND a better movie occurred to me immediately, which is...to combine "Top Dog" with "Face/Off".

 

In "Top Face/Dog Off", Chuck Norris is a badass cop who finally captures the beloved dog of a dangerous white supremacist, and decides to CHANGE FACES with the dog in order to infiltrate the gang and learn about their bombing plot. So a dog with a KARATE FIGHTING CHUCK NORRIS inside returns to the white supremacists and gains their trust to destroy them from within, while the faceless dog WAKES UP AND STEALS CHUCK'S FACE, so a snarling, rabid Chuck Norris WITH THE SOUL OF A NAZI DOG starts wreaking havoc in San Diego.

 

"Top Face/Dog Off": It's a face waterfall...with a dog paw.

[Cameron H. 23786]

As we all know, the key to writing compelling and believable characters is to imbue them with some sort of character flaw. And while I daresay all of the characters in Top Dog appear to have many flaws, I have never seen a movie in which so many characters (heroes and villains alike) all seemed to share a common flaw. Of course I'm talking about the movie's depiction of people suffering from a chronic lack of peripheral vision.

 

Examples:

 

*The grandfather, in a small room on a boat, doesn't see (or hear) the large metal door opening behind him. Result: Death.

 

*The cops staking out the warehouse, whose sole purpose is to keep an eye on things, are somehow snuck up upon by two gun toting thugs. Result: Death.

 

*The henchman chasing Reno is so busy looking for the dog UP IN THE PIPING!! that he doesn't notice it sitting quietly behind him. Result: Unclear. At the very least, he's almost certainly concussed, but there's a very good possibility he also has cerebral hemorrhaging which will most likely result in Death.

 

*The vested henchman who is beating Norris doesn't notice the large, hairy dog creeping up--not from behind--but from the side. The same dog that then slowly gnaws the ropes loose so Norris can get free. Result: Incapacitated, possibly killed, with a good ol' fashioned dose of Chuck Kwon Do.

 

In each of these scenarios, had their visual acuity been any where close to normal, the tragic outcomes that each of these characters suffered could have easily been avoided--all without turning their heads even a fraction of a degree.

 

What's going on San Diego?? Are you guys okay? Do we need to dispatch CDC to investigate what is obviously a city wide glaucoma pandemic?

[RikkiHo 84]

 

I kept thinking he looked like Paul Rudd.

 

I definitely saw that too, but "Fourth Reich Rudd" didn't have the same ring to it.

[Elektra Boogaloo 3371]

They mentioned the weird connection with the Oklahoma City Bombing, and in the film they talk about Hitler's birthday being the day to pick for an attack. That made me think of the Columbine massacre, which also took place on 4/20. I was 17 at the time, and I remember buzz about why the shooters chose that day and whether or not they were white supremacists because of the Hitler's birthday connection. Now I wonder if the shooters just saw Top Dog. They would have been 14 at the time Top Dog came out. Maybe we can blame this movie for the OKC bombing AND Columbine.

Chuck Norris caused Columbine. It is known.

 

I liked this episode. I was travelling yesterday and was very excited that I got to listen to it while I walked around a strange city with all my belongings because the metro wasn't working. I kept an eye out for The Clowns, of course.

 

I loved when June walked off stage in this episode. Do not put up with this, June! We are with you! We demanded Betty the dog be credited for her heroic work in this film. She, like Dolly Parton in "Rhinestone", has strapped this god awful movie to her back and is carrying it across the finish line. If she's uncredited does that mean she wasn't eligible for awards contention? Because if that's the case, then Susan Sarandon's Oscar for "Dead Man Walking" should have an asterick by it.

 

Just now reading the Slash film oral history and this made me laugh.

 

Betty did a lot of shots in the movie too. She was real mellow and she was a good dog. Except the problem with Betty was that she had had puppies earlier that year. So she had this one breast that would hang down. And every time, before we shot with her, we’d have to tape it up. We had to give her a boob job every time before we did a shot! So Aaron would be looking through the camera and he’d go “Betty’s boob is hanging out.” And then I’d go up there and tape it up. Poor thing, she just needed some cosmetic surgery that we couldn’t afford at the time.

 

Also like Dolly Parton... I imagine.

[SaltPeanuts 479]

Based on the ending is Reno anti-catholic? This would support the idea that Reno is really some grizzled old police officer trapped in a dog's body.

[Elektra Boogaloo 3371]

I have a question for the dog trainer woman who asked questions at the end of the show, if she reads the forums. Is it typical for a regular cop to just assigned to a dog partner? Shouldn't he have been there for the trianing or something? What if he's allergic to dogs? What if he kicks dogs? If you train a dog, how long is the process to handing him or her off to the cops?

 

I mentioned in the minisode thread that Briard dogs aren't often used by police forces because

I have a hard time believing the Chuck Norris character is going to do all that. He doesn't even pick up after himself. This dog is going to end up in one of those Sarah McLachlan commercials, I'm sure of it.

[FisterRoboto 7499]

I have a question for the dog trainer woman who asked questions at the end of the show, if she reads the forums. Is it typical for a regular cop to just assigned to a dog partner? Shouldn't he have been there for the trianing or something? What if he's allergic to dogs? What if he kicks dogs? If you train a dog, how long is the process to handing him or her off to the cops?

 

I mentioned in the minisode thread that Briard dogs aren't often used by police forces because

I have a hard time believing the Chuck Norris character is going to do all that. He doesn't even pick up after himself. This dog is going to end up in one of those Sarah McLachlan commercials, I'm sure of it.

This is similar to what Cameron and I were discussing a couple pages back. It's pretty irresponsible to give him a dog/force a dog on him, especially considering the obvious disdain he has for it.

[FisterRoboto 7499]

True story: I got home from work today, and my asshole dog managed to get my refrigerator open using the towel I keep on the door handle. He even ate the food I had sitting in the fridge to cook tonight, which was....yeah, chicken. I guess I'm changing his name to Reno now.

[Auden 1809]

True story: I got home from work today, and my asshole dog managed to get my refrigerator open using the towel I keep on the door handle. He even ate the food I had sitting in the fridge to cook tonight, which was....yeah, chicken. I guess I'm changing his name to Reno now.

What a clever dog! I highly encourage other forum memebers to share any dog tails. Maybe with pics? I don't have a dog, let me live vicariously through you!

[VJ Sepp 97]

Does it take an Australian to figure out the multiple wetbacks one bullet comment? I skimmed through the comments and didn't see this answer.

 

It's because Mexicans travel in a single file line when crossing the border illegally. So the bullet will pass through the first one and hit the one directly behind.

 

Edited to include depressing photos (border policies the world over suck):

 

 

Edited August 12, 2015 by VJ Sepp

[Elektra Boogaloo 3371]

Does it take an Australian to figure out the multiple wetbacks one bullet comment? I skimmed through the comments and didn't see this answer.

 

It's because Mexicans travel in a single file line when crossing the border illegally. So the bullet will pass through the first one and hit the one directly behind.

I never heard the single file thing before. I thought "wetback" referred to people who swam across the Rio Grande. Do people swim in single file? Maybe if they swim in a group? OR maybe the line is like a bad allusion to "shooting ducks in a barrel" kind of thing? Like shooting wetbacks in the Rio Grande???

 

This is similar to what Cameron and I were discussing a couple pages back. It's pretty irresponsible to give him a dog/force a dog on him, especially considering the obvious disdain he has for it.

Whoops. Yes, your discussion made me think we should ask the dog trainer lady. It does seem super irresponsible and also a waste of San Diego's tax dollars. Like they had to train this dog, and house and feed this dog then they just... give it to Chuck Norris on a whim?

[RyanSz 3140]

I never know when this podcast comes out anymore.

Not to be mean but I think that is the perfect definition of a first world problem. I find it unfortunate that the schedule has changed so much over the last year and a half, but at least it's not as bad as a couple years ago when there were weeks between episodes. As for this episode I thought the sound quality was similar to the first few live episodes where they were still getting the hang of being in front of a crowd, overall good episode and thanks to the hosts for at least mentioning that Norris, while almost always shown holding a gun on the cover of his movies, almost never uses them. And as far as his writing goes, I know he has written at least one Western novel since the library I work at purchased it a few years back, though I can't vouch for the quality.

[Joven 373]

I never heard the single file thing before. I thought "wetback" referred to people who swam across the Rio Grande. Do people swim in single file? Maybe if they swim in a group? OR maybe the line is like a bad allusion to "shooting ducks in a barrel" kind of thing? Like shooting wetbacks in the Rio Grande???

 

 

Not to mention the fact that the people he was pointing the gun at were standing side by side.

[WarlocksEvilPlan 10]

The kid in this movie just kind of shows up like Denny in the Room.

[JamesBundtrock 3]

When we first meet Jake he is in a shirt and undies. Did anybody else think we might get to see some Hulk Hogan style feet on the bed push ups?