Only moments after this film began, I knew this was NOT your typical 1960s film! The film begins with a naked dead man being examined by detectives. Apparently he'd been murdered--and viciously so. I'd talk about that further, but IMDb has limits on the sort of words you are allowed to use in reviews--really. I read from one of the other reviews that this film was X-rated. While by today's standards it might only be rated PG-13, it still is pretty intense stuff. Additionally, the recurring theme of homosexuality make this a very interesting film-- its candor is shocking for 1968 but I appreciated it.
The detective investigating the crime is played by Frank Sinatra. Sinatra is odd in that although he's a very good cop he's also stuck with a liberal conscience--and his conscience troubles him throughout the film. What also bothers him is that although he's extremely effective on his job, other cops seem willing to do almost anything to rack up the same arrest and conviction statistics as Sinatra--and he soon gets sick of this. His disgust, however, is a lot to get a lot worse--when a case involving corruption in his department and in the city drops into his lap.
I really liked this film. Much of it was because although it was very adult, it never really seemed gratuitous. It also brought up a lot of wonderful moral questions about being a cop--and clearly was the influence for such later films as "McQ", "Dirty Harry" and "Serpico" (though this last one is based on a real case). Well worth seeing-- and an excellent performance by Sinatra. In fact, it's all so good that I am shocked that its overall IMDb score is less than 7. This film is anything but ordinary.
By the way, this film is very blunt and crude on occasions when it talks about homosexuals--and is sure to offend some. However, despite this, it's a very progressive film for its time and actually is quite sympathetic in how it deals with the subject....sympathetic and sad.
The detective investigating the crime is played by Frank Sinatra. Sinatra is odd in that although he's a very good cop he's also stuck with a liberal conscience--and his conscience troubles him throughout the film. What also bothers him is that although he's extremely effective on his job, other cops seem willing to do almost anything to rack up the same arrest and conviction statistics as Sinatra--and he soon gets sick of this. His disgust, however, is a lot to get a lot worse--when a case involving corruption in his department and in the city drops into his lap.
I really liked this film. Much of it was because although it was very adult, it never really seemed gratuitous. It also brought up a lot of wonderful moral questions about being a cop--and clearly was the influence for such later films as "McQ", "Dirty Harry" and "Serpico" (though this last one is based on a real case). Well worth seeing-- and an excellent performance by Sinatra. In fact, it's all so good that I am shocked that its overall IMDb score is less than 7. This film is anything but ordinary.
By the way, this film is very blunt and crude on occasions when it talks about homosexuals--and is sure to offend some. However, despite this, it's a very progressive film for its time and actually is quite sympathetic in how it deals with the subject....sympathetic and sad.