This review contains declarations that some may view as Spoilers.
Fort Apache the Bronx is the sort of unique and rare film that succeeds in an attempt to transport the viewer to a certain time and place. Presenting a story that needs neither resolution nor explanation, Daniel Petrie and Heywood Gould invite viewers to indulge in the life of a Bronx neighborhood on the verge of spiraling further out of control. From dilapidated settings to gritty characters, the film paints a realistic picture and one cannot help but feel how much of an adventure it must have been to walk through the Bronx of the late 70s and early 80s. The filmmakers succeed in bringing that time and place to viewers everywhere and forever.
If for no other reason, watch this film to take in yet another of Paul Newman's organic performances. He demonstrates an incredible range as an actor in his portrayal of Murphy, a downtrodden and half-jaded divorcé police officer who remains apathetically at a loss for solutions to the community's (and its precinct's) problems. Enjoy this emotional pendulum of a film.
6/10
Fort Apache the Bronx is the sort of unique and rare film that succeeds in an attempt to transport the viewer to a certain time and place. Presenting a story that needs neither resolution nor explanation, Daniel Petrie and Heywood Gould invite viewers to indulge in the life of a Bronx neighborhood on the verge of spiraling further out of control. From dilapidated settings to gritty characters, the film paints a realistic picture and one cannot help but feel how much of an adventure it must have been to walk through the Bronx of the late 70s and early 80s. The filmmakers succeed in bringing that time and place to viewers everywhere and forever.
If for no other reason, watch this film to take in yet another of Paul Newman's organic performances. He demonstrates an incredible range as an actor in his portrayal of Murphy, a downtrodden and half-jaded divorcé police officer who remains apathetically at a loss for solutions to the community's (and its precinct's) problems. Enjoy this emotional pendulum of a film.
6/10