User Reviews

"Madigan", the Universal film of 1968 surfaced recently on a classic cable channel. Directed by legendary Don Siegel, and based on a novel by Richard Dougherty, with and adaptation by Abraham Polansky and Howard Rodman, proves to be a trip back to that era of the New York of the 1960s where crime took center stage for the police. There are two main stories in the narrative, one involving a team of detectives and the other about the police commissioner who finds himself in a dilemma as he finds out his best friend in the force has been involved in a shady deal.

The detectives Madigan and Bonaro come to pick up Barney Benesch, a criminal, who is being sought in Brooklyn as a witness for a crime. The two irrupt in the apartment where Benesch is in bed with a young woman. He outmaneuvers the detectives, fleeing with their weapons, an embarrassing position for the lawmen who become the target of all jokes in the department.

Anthony Russell, the commissioner, is told as he arrives in his office about the investigation that points out one of his colleagues, chief inspector Charles Kane has engaged in a shady deal which appears to be a criminal act, something a person in his position is immediate grounds for termination. Russell and Kane go way back in the police department. Russell, a decent man must get to the bottom of the situation to determine whether the chief inspector has to go.

Don Siegel shot the film using locations in New York. The screenplay adaptation was written by Abraham Polonsky, a veteran of Hollywood, who was a good director himself and Howard Rodman. The emphasis of the action revolves around Madigan and his partner Bonaro, but another, probably more interesting film would have been made from the conflict between the two friends in higher places. Russell is no saint, he was having an affair with a socialite, but basically is a decent man. Kane, on the other hand, was just a good police officer whose whole family had been involved in the force in several positions.

Richard Widmark does a wonderful job as Madigan, a man who has problems of his own, with an unsatisfied wife who is more interested in having fun, which her husband was not able to provide. Henry Fonda plays the upright commissioner with his usual easy way for giving a good performance without even trying. James Whitmore is Kane the man who makes a mistake and lives to regret it, thinking he has jeopardized his friendship with Russell. Inger Stevens' Julia is a tad exaggerated, not feeling real. There are interesting supporting roles.

The film had locations in New York City and Brooklyn, but it is obvious studio sets stand for real Manhattan streets. The final sequence was filmed in Los Angeles. Russell Metty, the cinematographer shows the New York of the late 1960s with flair. The music score is by Don Costa.

"Madigan" is widely recognised as being a significant influence on the spate of TV and movie cop dramas that become so popular in the 1970s. It's also quite an ambitious movie because in its 110 minutes, it features a manhunt for a killer, provides an insight into the complicated personal lives of police officers and contrasts the work of street cops with those in more senior roles. Maybe more significantly though, it also shows how the events that take place over a single weekend in June, lead a Police Commissioner to rethink the whole set of values and principles that he'd previously adhered to throughout his long and distinguished career.

Tough NYPD detectives Daniel Madigan (Richard Widmark) and Rocco Bonaro (Harry Guardino) break into a tenement apartment in Upper Manhattan to apprehend a suspect who's wanted for questioning and find Barney Benesch (Steve Ihnat) in bed with a naked young woman. Benesch reacts by pushing the woman out of the bed and takes advantage of the distraction that this causes to disarm the two cops and escape with their guns. When Chief Inspector Charlie Kane (James Whitmore) informs Police Commissioner Anthony X Russell (Henry Fonda) about the incident, the strict disciplinarian reacts by criticising the Manhattan officers for departing from the rules by attempting to make an arrest on behalf of a Brooklyn precinct and gives them just 72 hours to recapture Benesch.

Some other matters that Russell has to deal with on the same day include delivering a speech at the Police Academy graduation day, meeting a black preacher who claims that his son was beaten up and racially abused when arrested in connection with a sexual assault charge and also what to do about convincing evidence he'd been given of some serious wrongdoing by his oldest friend and colleague, Charlie Kane. Russell is a firm believer in what's right and what's wrong and doesn't recognise any middle ground and so decides he'll have to deal head-on with the accusations made against Kane.

Meanwhile, Madigan and Bonaro make progress in their search for Benesch by conscripting the help of a bookie called Midget Castiglione (Michael Dunn) and a young man named Hughie (Don Stroud) who'd acted as a pimp for Benesch. Working long hours and under considerable pressure, Madigan also has to cope with the complaints of his beautiful wife Julia (Inger Stevens) who berates him for the commitment he gives to his job and the fact that it leaves her lonely and frustrated at home. She also doesn't understand why he's not more focused on gaining promotions to achieve greater status and respect. A brief amount of time he spends with his ex-girlfriend Jonesy (Sheree North) provides a more pleasant interlude but when reports are received that Benesch has shot a couple of police officers with Madigan's gun, the pressure to bring the unhinged killer to justice becomes even more intense.

Despite there being many different threads to its plot, "Madigan" never loses its impetus or clarity and through the use of extensive location work, also achieves a gritty, semi-documentary style which is perfect for this type of material. The characters are also interesting to watch because they're so well-developed and display the kinds of contradictions that are so commonly seen in everyday life. A great example of this is Commissioner Russell who demands that everyone under his control should maintain the highest moral standards at all times and yet, this man who presents himself as a paragon of virtue, is actually involved in an adulterous affair with a married woman. What he learns about himself and others during the course of this drama easily makes him the story's best written and most fascinating character by a considerable distance.

The quality of the acting is particularly good in this movie with Richard Widmark and Henry Fonda both outstanding in their lead roles and some fine supporting performances, especially from Inger Stevens and Don Stroud.

In the late Sixties there has been a tendency towards rough cops who are up against the system – whatever that is – yet who win through despite all odds… Richard Widmark was one of them…

In "Madigan" he is a solid, touchy New York detective who, like Quinn in "Across 110th Street," knows the people on his patch and knows how to handle them…

Unlike the Quinn character, however, he is honest to the nth degree… He will kill, beat and cheat to destroy the big villains, yet retains a curious affection for the little crooks that cross his path… One feels that if Madigan took a bribe, it would be secretly witnessed and the evidence produced in court to the ruination of some baddie

This movie should be dedicated to Virginia Gregg. I don't care what anybody says. She's Esther, the secretary who tries to prevent detectives Widmark and his partner Guardino from searching the premises of a certain Mr. Castigliano. She's been in lots of movies and TV programs. I counted them, and they add up to one hundred thousand and forty six. She stands out because her roles are always small, stereotyped, and immediately forgettable -- a beacon for all of us.

The sardonic Widmark and the affable Guardino have been surprised by a killer and had their guns taken from them. The killer escapes. They have seventy-two hours to find the miscreant, Ihnat. They wind up chasing leads all over New York city and finally wind up cornering him, not that he's going to give up without the requisite shoot out.

Don Siegel knows how to direct thrillers like this. Four years later he'd come up with "Dirty Harry." He's really quite good in this genre. There are moments you wouldn't expect from a humdrum hack. When the two detectives have been thoroughly chewed out and dismissed for their botch, they return glumly to the precinct and Guardino calls his wife, explaining that he may be late. She complains. Widmark calls HIS wife, Inger Stevens, and she carries on about the new dress she bought for tomorrow night's party. When he hangs up, he and Guardino sit silently at their desks, staring at one another. Nothing is made of that shared understanding. It only lasts a few seconds. But it's an expression of at least a modest directorial talent.

While the two non-commissioned officers struggle through the next few days, we discover that moral mistakes are being made at the top. Fonda is the Police Commissioner, not a nasty character but by the book. He's just found out that his best and oldest friend, Chief James Whitmore is on the tab. But Fonda himself is obeying a hypothetical imperative. He's schtupping somebody else's wife, Susan Clark, a real stunner, on the sly, while pretending to be so principled. In a way, the corruption-at-the-top business is a little distracting, like the Gloucester/Edgar narrative in "King Lear," and I wish this tale had stuck with Widmark and Guardino.

At the same time, Fonda and Whitmore add a layer of irony that adds a bit of ironic texture to what otherwise might be a simple cop story. Widmark sees an old flame too, Sheree North, but he's true to his wife. North unzips her dress with one hand over her shoulder and the other twisted up behind her back. That's a special talent. Men can't do that.

I'm not sure what the moral of the story is, or if there is one. The only character who evolves in an important way is Henry Fond'a police commissioner, who finally compromises when he realizes the world isn't a simple Manichaean one of pure good versus pure evil.

Typical Tony Rome/Bullitt/Coogans Bluff era thing. Boys you can tell that the French Connection was right around the corner from this--gritty location filming, low key drama, guys in suits and office politics kinda getting in the way of the action.

I liked the period detail-late fedoras, boat-like cars, bad attempts at 'youth culture', all the smoking, it just is a time-capsule.

Some of it doesn't work well-slow pace, Fonda's role not well fleshed out, Inger Stevens has a Sharon Stone-like shrill role, and you know Widmark wasn't thrilled to be there either.

Best part-besides the final shoot-out? I really liked seeing Whitmore, Guardino and Clark. Good character actors all. They helped push this across the finish line and make it worth watching.

**1/2 outta ****

Richard Widmark as Detective Dan Madigan and Harry Guardino as Detective Rocco Bonaro are not exactly in their chief's good books. But needless to say, they both manage to pull through in style.

Despite its lack of originality, director Don Siegel's big-budget "Madigan" (1968) was a popular police drama with both critics and public cheering wildly!

Siegel's astute use of real locations as well as his top-of-the-form cast had audiences cheering.

The plot had several noirish features, but Siegel kept the action keyed at such a fast tempo, these elements actually made little impression.

Also making little impression on both cheering critics and audiences was one-time super-popular sex bomb, Sheree North, billed as "Jonesy", somewhat way down the cast list! I didn't spot her at all. I will have to watch the movie again!

I saw Madigan when it came out, some 40 years ago. Revisited it again recently on DVD. Wow, what a disappointment! As others have pointed out, above, they just didn't know what they wanted to do with the film. The story is absolutely atrocious, full of loopholes and lack of exposition. The notes on the DVD said that Henry Fonda's Commissioner character was supposed to be the lead - and why he took the part. Then they changed it to Widmark's Madigan character. They had to force the two to have some relationship to make any sense of the story, but it was thin, very thin. A quick note about the music. It was, indeed, awful and inappropriate. But at least it was jarring enough that it woke you up during the numerous dull parts! What you can see here is the struggle to make the transition from the heroic cop/detectives of the previous decades (though clearly not the film noir types)to what became Clint Eastwood in Dirty Harry. This "struggle" in Madigan was painful to watch. It was never clear why Madigan was considered such a rogue. (Can you say that about Harry Callahan? NO!) Just an offhand remark that he had an incident or two in the past, quickly countered by James Whitmore's character saying "He's a good cop." And the opening scene where Inhat's (SP?) character gets the best of Widmark and Guardino made absolutely no sense. Why was the villain so bad? Why all the scorn for Widmark and Guardino when they were just "doing Brooklyn a favor" by picking up this guy? And never explained why the villain was so heinous other than that he shot some guy. They had to have him shoot two cops later to make you think, "Ooooooooooooh, he is very bad." Come on! And inserting all of the women into each of the character's lives, then giving them the most shallow of development and no explanation of, say, Sheree North's character, inserted into one scene so you know Madigan once had a mistress but now "loves his wife." On and on. Absolutely terrible writing. A high school level. Fonda (59) and Widmark (54) were too old for their roles. But again, it was a transition time in Hollywood. Still trying to use the older stars until the next generation - and a very different style of detective films - came along. Ugh!