Spanning a weekend in the career of the titular cop, Richard Widmark doesn't always play by the rules. When he tries to make an arrest, but the man steals his gun and escapes, it's a bit embarrassing. The police commissioner, Henry Fonda, is righteous and doesn't approve - but he has two skeletons in his closet. First, he's having an affair with a married woman, Susan Clark; second, his close friend James Whitmore, the chief inspector, was caught on tape taking a bribe. Meanwhile, Dick has marital trouble with his shallow, needy, immature wife, Inger Stevens. She's been a cop's wife for decades, and she still complains that he has to work late and can't escort her to a party!
Richard Widmark really carries this movie. Henry Fonda is his usual lackluster self, Inger Stevens is laughably bad, and the production values feel like a canceled 1970s tv series. Actually, it could have been turned into a series, since there were so many plot lines involving different characters as well as an abundance of crime in New York that could have carried out season after season. If you're a Widmark fan, you can try this movie to see what he might have done with the Tony Rome movies. If you're not, you're better off skipping it. Cop dramas of 1968 weren't generally very good, save No Way to Treat a Lady and The Boston Strangler.
Richard Widmark really carries this movie. Henry Fonda is his usual lackluster self, Inger Stevens is laughably bad, and the production values feel like a canceled 1970s tv series. Actually, it could have been turned into a series, since there were so many plot lines involving different characters as well as an abundance of crime in New York that could have carried out season after season. If you're a Widmark fan, you can try this movie to see what he might have done with the Tony Rome movies. If you're not, you're better off skipping it. Cop dramas of 1968 weren't generally very good, save No Way to Treat a Lady and The Boston Strangler.