‘Shakedown’s’ Peter Weller Goes Where the Action Is

Peter Weller is in a hurry. The 41-year-old actor, who scored the biggest success of his career last year as “RoboCop,” is running late and has roughly an hour to pack and board a plane for Rome, but he doesn’t want to leave town without putting in a good word for his new film, “Shakedown.”

A cop-buddy-action picture based on a true story, “Shakedown” was directed by James Glickenhaus and stars Sam Elliott as the cop and Weller as the idealistic legal aide who joins him in exposing a corrupt Manhattan police precinct running a drug scam. Though the film has received mixed reviews--The Times’ Kevin Thomas dismissed it as “mindlessly enjoyable escapist fare,” while David Kehr of the Chicago Tribune described it as “a cynical film with lots of action and an affection for the more lurid aspects of life in the big city”--it appears that critics don’t cut much ice with the moviegoing public.

“Shakedown,” which has brought in $8.1 million in box-office receipts in three weeks of release, currently holds the No. 6 box-office spot this week, according to Daily Variety, but business dropped off 40% over last week.

Whereas Weller’s previous films have usually found him cast as a smoldering brooder, he plays a wryly comical do-gooder in “Shakedown,” and it’s a change of pace he welcomed. “I learned I could be funny on this picture, and that’s something I haven’t had many chances to do,” says Weller, whose devotion to physical fitness is reflected in his clothing. Clad today in a T-shirt, sweatpants, running shoes, a watch and an earring, this disciplined New Yorker rises each morning at 4:30, regardless of what city he finds himself in, and runs six miles.

Asked what attracted him to his part in “Shakedown,” he answers, “It’s because it’s about a lawyer, and I come from a family of lawyers. In fact, I based my characterization on an uncle who was once a hustling young lawyer, but who sold out. He’d hate to see that in print, but I understand why he sold out--that was his career. I consulted with him a lot in preparing for the part and also hung out in jail cells and spoke with legal aides and public defenders.”

What impact did director James Glickenhaus have in shaping Weller’s performance?

“When directors start driving actors in one direction or another they usually don’t get good results because actors get bruised easily,” Weller asserts. “He was real wonderful because he stayed out of my way--as all good directors do with good actors.”

The son of an Army pilot who relocated his family every three years, Weller earned a BA in theater at North Texas State but was looking toward a career in jazz at that point. (Weller is a trumpet player who still maintains a serious involvement with music).

A scholarship to the American Academy of Dramatic Arts took him to New York where he turned in a series of critically acclaimed stage performances that led to a handful of small film parts. His big break came in 1982 with a supporting role in Alan Parker’s “Shoot the Moon,” a domestic drama starring Diane Keaton, which he followed with starring roles in “Of Unknown Origin,” “The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai,” “First Born” and “RoboCop.” All of those movies are products of the smash-bang genre of film making, as is the R-rated “Shakedown,” which features an abundance of weapons and squealing automobiles.

The recent controversy surrounding the gang film “Colors” and the release this week of the high body-count “Rambo III” have injected new fire into the ongoing debate about on-screen violence. What does Weller think about the power of movies? Do they shape the culture or merely reflect it?

“Movies have a responsibility to educate and enlighten,” he replies.

How does “Shakedown” enlighten?

“ ‘Shakedown’ is a movie of entertainment. Strip that layer off and it’s a Wild West action film set on the streets of New York. Strip that layer off and you have a movie about idealism. Strip that layer off and what you really have is an anti-drug statement.”

One wonders if strong doses of violence are necessary to make such a statement.

“I don’t know--why is so much violence necessary?” Weller asks rhetorically, then adds “and who says ‘Shakedown’ is violent?”

Aside from an electrocution, a whipping, a death by roller coaster, some fatal car crashes, a blown-up plane, a game of Russian roulette, some stabbings, a lot of slugging and numerous shootings, “Shakedown” is not violent. It’s certainly no more violent than any one of a dozen films currently in release that reflect Hollywood’s obsession with cops and vigilantism.

“People are obsessed with crime, and rightfully so,” says Weller in explaining the glut of action films. “Drugs have a death grip on this country and people want the bad guys to lose, more now than ever. What are the responsibilities of actors appearing in films dealing with these problems? I’ve got no idea. Actors are just communicators.”

In light of the fact that Weller earned his actor’s stripes on the New York stage playing a wide variety of roles, it’s puzzling that he’s opted for a near-steady diet of action stories for his film career.

“Most of the films I’ve done have had a strong element of volatility,” Weller said. “I don’t know why I do ‘em--I guess because they’re exciting. Somebody thought I’d be right for ‘em and sent me the script and said do it. I don’t know. I just did a film in Spain called ‘The Tunnel,’ about an Argentine artist who becomes obsessed with a beautiful woman. It’s not violent--except I do kill her in the end.

“I have another film coming out this year called ‘The Killing Affair’ that also has nothing to do with volatility,” he continues. “It’s a romantic thriller about a poor Appalachian guy who gets involved with a widow, and the reasons why her husband is dead. I’m about to spend three months in Rome working on a very volatile action film called ‘Leviathan,’ directed by George Cosmatos. He never does action--he only did ‘Rambo’ and ‘Cobra.’ ”

One wonders if Weller worries about being typecast.

“As what? A robot?,” he asks.