New York City has changed a lot since 1981. But back in 1981, crime and urban decay were much worse in the city's burroughs....and how horrible this portion of the Bronx was isn't much of an exaggeration. It was pretty awful and it's hard imagining anyone living there. But New York, particularly the Bronx, didn't enjoy seeing the film depicting this area this badly and because of that, there's an unnecessary prologue on the movie...one that tried to appease some of the offended New Yorkers.
The story is set at a precinct in the South Bronx that apparently has the worst statistics in the city. Crimes go unpunished, there's general contempt for the police and in some cases, the cops are every bit as bad as the criminals. In this horrible environment, Murphy (Paul Newman) tries to do his job...and he's neither a 'bad cop' who exploits the people he's supposed to serve nor is a by the book sort and he's learned to overlook minor crimes. How all this comes to a head by the end of the film, you'll have to see for yourself.
So is the film any good? Yes. It's an enjoyable and well acted movie. But if you are looking for a story where everything works out perfectly and with a nice Hollywood ending, then you're bound to be disappointed. Worth seeing.
By the way, it's not mentioned among the goofs on IMDB, but the gun used in the opening scene appears to have been unloaded and has empty chambers. This is odd, as the person unloads all six chambers into the two victims!
The story is set at a precinct in the South Bronx that apparently has the worst statistics in the city. Crimes go unpunished, there's general contempt for the police and in some cases, the cops are every bit as bad as the criminals. In this horrible environment, Murphy (Paul Newman) tries to do his job...and he's neither a 'bad cop' who exploits the people he's supposed to serve nor is a by the book sort and he's learned to overlook minor crimes. How all this comes to a head by the end of the film, you'll have to see for yourself.
So is the film any good? Yes. It's an enjoyable and well acted movie. But if you are looking for a story where everything works out perfectly and with a nice Hollywood ending, then you're bound to be disappointed. Worth seeing.
By the way, it's not mentioned among the goofs on IMDB, but the gun used in the opening scene appears to have been unloaded and has empty chambers. This is odd, as the person unloads all six chambers into the two victims!