"The Ripper" is an installment of "Police Story" that will no doubt offended many folks back in the day and will offend folks today...but for the opposite reasons. I still recommend you see it because it's well made and way ahead of its time. And, you have to start somewhere...
Detective Matt Hallett (Darren McGavin) is investigating a serial killer who is targeting homosexuals. They have cut their victims to pieces...and the viciousness of the killings set them apart. Hallett is ahead of his time in the way he views gays, and is very kind. His partner, however, is a real jerk and through the course of the film he utters a lot of nasty stuff about gays...whereas Hallett sees them as what they are...people as well as victims.
The important thing about this one is that the bigoted partner is shown to be exactly that. And, the show shows him again and again as a real jerk. So, while he says a lot of hateful things, the partner doesn't follow his thinking and he makes that clear. In fact, it's a very early positive portrayals of the gay community for American television...where, up until then, they were rarely mentioned at all.
Overall, like all the "Police Story" episodes, this one is very well made...well written and acted. Well worth seeing and a bit of a surprise when I watched it.
Detective Matt Hallett (Darren McGavin) is investigating a serial killer who is targeting homosexuals. They have cut their victims to pieces...and the viciousness of the killings set them apart. Hallett is ahead of his time in the way he views gays, and is very kind. His partner, however, is a real jerk and through the course of the film he utters a lot of nasty stuff about gays...whereas Hallett sees them as what they are...people as well as victims.
The important thing about this one is that the bigoted partner is shown to be exactly that. And, the show shows him again and again as a real jerk. So, while he says a lot of hateful things, the partner doesn't follow his thinking and he makes that clear. In fact, it's a very early positive portrayals of the gay community for American television...where, up until then, they were rarely mentioned at all.
Overall, like all the "Police Story" episodes, this one is very well made...well written and acted. Well worth seeing and a bit of a surprise when I watched it.