Cops Are People Too!
Added 10/4/2009
MADIGAN(1968)---Richard Widmark, Henry Fonda, Harry Guardino, Inger Stevens, James Whitmore, Susan Clark, Michael Dunn, Don Stroud
A gritty New York City "cop/crime" drama, directed by Don Siegel. Widmark plays the title role---a detective who puts his job before everything else, including his wife, played by Inger Stevens. Madigan is a tough veteran who doesn't always "play by the book". His equally tough partner is played by Harry Guardino. During a routine arrest of a suspect wanted for questioning, Widmark and Guardino "drop the ball"; the suspect escapes and subsequently murders several people, including two cops. This does not please "strictly by the book" Police Commissioner Fonda, who gives Widmark and Guardino 72 hours to find their man. Along the way, Fonda must deal with evidence that his closest friend and subordinate, Chief Inspector James Whitmore, may be "in bed" with a mobster and he is forced to re-evaluate his rigid code of conduct because of his affair with a married woman(Fonda's character is a widower). As I said, this is a gritty, complex film, with no easy conclusions or "pat answers". Widmark, Fonda, and Whitmore all turn in their usual first-rate performances, as does all of the cast of this fine film.
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Dual Character Study of Two Cops with Different Ideals and Responsibilities.
Added 7/17/2009
"Madigan" is one of the most critically acclaimed of director Don Siegel's films, low-key and introverted by the standards of Siegel's action oeuvre. Dan Madigan (Richard Widmark) is a fine New York cop who likes to show off and freely admits to enjoying the occasional perk of the job. Police Commissioner Tony Russell (Henry Fonda) doesn't like Madigan's type. Russell is a real straight arrow, insisting that his officers be scrupulous in their own respect for the law. Madigan and his partner Rocco Bonaro (Harry Guardino) burst into the apartment of Barney Benesch (Steve Ihnat), a hood they want to take in for questioning. Benesch gets the upper hand and flees. The Commissioner puts the cops under pressure to capture Benesch before the weekend is out, while he copes with other potentially embarrassing problems in the department.
"Madigan" is based on the book "The Commissioner" by Richard Dougherty, but the focus has been shifted from the Commissioner to Madigan, as the titles imply. The action takes place over the course of 3 days, cutting back and forth between Madigan and Bonaro's efforts to track down Benesch and the Commissioner under similar pressure to deal with politically volatile issues of alleged racism and possible corruption on the part of his old friend, Chief Inspector Charlie Kane (James Whitmore). The film is talky. It's a dual character study, much of the characters being revealed in conversation. Madigan and the Commissioner are men of very different temperament, and they each have their pressures and foibles to deal with. We essentially observe how these men act under pressure. It's an unusual formula, but two great leading actors make it well worth watching.
The DVD (Universal 1999): Bonus features are a theatrical trailer (2 1/2 min), cast and filmmaker bios and selective filmographies (text), and Product Notes (text) that include comments on the conflict between director Don Siegel and producer Frank Rosenberg and some of Widmark's memories about the production. Captioning is available in English, subtitles in Spanish. Dubbing available in French.
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Siegel's pre Dirty Harry
Added 6/20/2008
Before he directed "Dirty Harry", the late Don Siegel made this gritty New York City thriller about a maverick cop(the late Richard Widmark) who along with his partner (Harry Guardino) loses their guns to a psychopathetic killer. In contrast to "Harry", "Madigan" focuses on the lives of the various people in the Police Department, the Commissioner (Henry Fonda), Madigan's troubled marriage, a corrupt veteran cop (James Whitmore), and of course the pursuit of the killer interwined with the various subplots. It plays almost like a police soap opera but a fine cast of pros (Widmark, Fonda, Whitmore) bring it to life. According to sources, Fonda was particularly displeased that the movie focused more on the maverick cop than his character, nevertheless the film proved to be a hit commercially and critically and even spawned a TV series also starring Widmark. As he has recently passed, this film marks one of the late actor's best roles (the others being "Night and the City", "The Bedford Incident" and "Kiss of Death"). Don Costa contributed a nifty score and the film is never boring. Recommended for Widmark fans and lovers of cop flicks!!
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Cops in Hats
Added 5/21/2008
The second Don Siegel movie from 1968 about a cop in NYC hunting the killer who stole his gun. (Paging Dr. Freud.) Great NYC location work is mixed with some dreay backlot stuff in this otherwise good policer. We get a little too much of the cops' homelives, but there's a hard-hitting climax. (Plus the last line in the picture provides ironic resonance to the city's racial issues with law enforcement that haven't gone away since the picture's release. ) Nice brassy Don Costa score.
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Gritty 60's cop movie
Added 11/26/2007
This actionful New York set cops and robbers movie was co-scripted by the once blacklisted leftist writer Abraham Polonsky and this may ,together with the anti-establishmant modes of thinking current at the time of its making ,be responsible for its strongly critical stance on police corruption and morality .
Madigan (Richard Widmark)and his partner Bonaro (Harry Guardino)go to arrest a hoodlum wanted for murder ,one Benech(Steve Inhat).They find him in bed with a woman and using the fact that they are distracted by this he steals Madigan's gun and makes his getaway.Police Commissioner Russell (Henry Fonda) givbes them 72 hours to nail him and restore the prestige the department has lost by the fiasco
Russell has other weighty matters on his mind .He is having an affair with a married woman (Susan Clark).A prominent black minister (Raymond St Jacques) is hassling him over the death of the minister's son ,an "activist"who has been beaten by racist cops.Plus ,he is on the take from local brothel owners to ensure their businesses are undisturbed by the police .
Madigan also has problems outside his work life namely his domestic situation .His socialite wife (Inger Stevens)is pressurising him to leave the force and take up more remunerataive work .The crisis worsens when Benech uses Madigan's gun to kill two people .
Don Siegal directs splendidly ,in a semi-documentary style ,and this contributes to a realistic and gritty movie with an authentic feel to its depiction of police work on the streets of (mainly Spanish )Manhattan.The acting is uniformally excellent with Richard Widmark especially outstanding ,
There is a technical problem which some may find impairs enjoyment slightly -the Techniscope process used by Universal gives a certain grainy quality to night scenes but in some ways this is appropriate to the ambience of the movie
This is a very good movie if a tad heavy on the leftist propaganda at times
2 out of 2 people found this helpful.
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Cops Are People Too!
Added 10/4/2009
MADIGAN(1968)---Richard Widmark, Henry Fonda, Harry Guardino, Inger Stevens, James Whitmore, Susan Clark, Michael Dunn, Don Stroud
A gritty New York City "cop/crime" drama, directed by Don Siegel. Widmark plays the title role---a detective who puts his job before everything else, including his wife, played by Inger Stevens. Madigan is a tough veteran who doesn't always "play by the book". His equally tough partner is played by Harry Guardino. During a routine arrest of a suspect wanted for questioning, Widmark and Guardino "drop the ball"; the suspect escapes and subsequently murders several people, including two cops. This does not please "strictly by the book" Police Commissioner Fonda, who gives Widmark and Guardino 72 hours to find their man. Along the way, Fonda must deal with evidence that his closest friend and subordinate, Chief Inspector James Whitmore, may be "in bed" with a mobster and he is forced to re-evaluate his rigid code of conduct because of his affair with a married woman(Fonda's character is a widower). As I said, this is a gritty, complex film, with no easy conclusions or "pat answers". Widmark, Fonda, and Whitmore all turn in their usual first-rate performances, as does all of the cast of this fine film.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
|
Dual Character Study of Two Cops with Different Ideals and Responsibilities.
Added 7/17/2009
"Madigan" is one of the most critically acclaimed of director Don Siegel's films, low-key and introverted by the standards of Siegel's action oeuvre. Dan Madigan (Richard Widmark) is a fine New York cop who likes to show off and freely admits to enjoying the occasional perk of the job. Police Commissioner Tony Russell (Henry Fonda) doesn't like Madigan's type. Russell is a real straight arrow, insisting that his officers be scrupulous in their own respect for the law. Madigan and his partner Rocco Bonaro (Harry Guardino) burst into the apartment of Barney Benesch (Steve Ihnat), a hood they want to take in for questioning. Benesch gets the upper hand and flees. The Commissioner puts the cops under pressure to capture Benesch before the weekend is out, while he copes with other potentially embarrassing problems in the department.
"Madigan" is based on the book "The Commissioner" by Richard Dougherty, but the focus has been shifted from the Commissioner to Madigan, as the titles imply. The action takes place over the course of 3 days, cutting back and forth between Madigan and Bonaro's efforts to track down Benesch and the Commissioner under similar pressure to deal with politically volatile issues of alleged racism and possible corruption on the part of his old friend, Chief Inspector Charlie Kane (James Whitmore). The film is talky. It's a dual character study, much of the characters being revealed in conversation. Madigan and the Commissioner are men of very different temperament, and they each have their pressures and foibles to deal with. We essentially observe how these men act under pressure. It's an unusual formula, but two great leading actors make it well worth watching.
The DVD (Universal 1999): Bonus features are a theatrical trailer (2 1/2 min), cast and filmmaker bios and selective filmographies (text), and Product Notes (text) that include comments on the conflict between director Don Siegel and producer Frank Rosenberg and some of Widmark's memories about the production. Captioning is available in English, subtitles in Spanish. Dubbing available in French.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
|
Siegel's pre Dirty Harry
Added 6/20/2008
Before he directed "Dirty Harry", the late Don Siegel made this gritty New York City thriller about a maverick cop(the late Richard Widmark) who along with his partner (Harry Guardino) loses their guns to a psychopathetic killer. In contrast to "Harry", "Madigan" focuses on the lives of the various people in the Police Department, the Commissioner (Henry Fonda), Madigan's troubled marriage, a corrupt veteran cop (James Whitmore), and of course the pursuit of the killer interwined with the various subplots. It plays almost like a police soap opera but a fine cast of pros (Widmark, Fonda, Whitmore) bring it to life. According to sources, Fonda was particularly displeased that the movie focused more on the maverick cop than his character, nevertheless the film proved to be a hit commercially and critically and even spawned a TV series also starring Widmark. As he has recently passed, this film marks one of the late actor's best roles (the others being "Night and the City", "The Bedford Incident" and "Kiss of Death"). Don Costa contributed a nifty score and the film is never boring. Recommended for Widmark fans and lovers of cop flicks!!
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
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