The Presidio (1988)

My Review

Major movie stars, a crime on a military base, and a photogenic locale in San Francisco are all factors that make “The Presidio” a decent ninety minutes of entertainment.

Military police officer Patti Jean Lynch (Janette Goldstein) is killed while investigating a break-in on the Presidio Army Base. The SFPF sends in detective Jay Austin (Mark Harmon), who clashes with base Provost Marshall Lt. Col. Alan Caldwell (Sean Connery). To spice things up, Austin is dating Caldwell’s daughter (Meg Ryan). Veteran actor Jack Warden plays Caldwell’s pal Sgt. Major Maclure. Other cast includes Mark Blum, Marvin J. McIntire, Dana Gladstone, and James Hooks Reynolds. (This role for Harmon is a glimpse into his future role as Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs on CBS-TV’s “NCIS” from 2003-2021.)

Peter Hyams (“2010: The Year We Make Contact” 1984) did a good job doing double duty as the motion picture’s director and as head of cinematography. Larry Ferguson wrote the screenplay, which is at least lucid. “The Presidio” was successful at the box office for Paramount Pictures. It was filmed primarily in San Francisco with some studio work done on the soundstages at Paramount Studios in Hollywood.