Busting (1974)

Director:

Peter Hyams

Writer:

Peter Hyams (written by)

Release Date:

13 April 1974 (Norway)

Genre:

Crime | Drama

Tagline:

...only at a movie theatre!

Plot:

LA cops Gould and Blake get in over their heads when they don't heed orders from above and go after a big crime boss...

Plot Keywords:

Crime Boss | Police | Vice Squad | Gay Stereotype | Los Angeles California

Cast

Elliott Gould	...	Vice Detective Michael Keneely
Robert Blake	...	Vice Detective Patrick Farrel
Allen Garfield	...	Carl Rizzo
Antonio Fargas	...	Stephen
Michael Lerner	...	Marvin
Sid Haig	...	Rizzo's Bouncer
Ivor Francis	...	Judge Fred R. Simpson
William Sylvester	...	Mr. Weldman
Logan Ramsey	...	Dr. Berman
Richard X. Slattery	...	Desk Sergeant
Margo Winkler	...	Mrs. Rizzo
John Lawrence	...	Sergeant Kenefick
Frank Farmer	...	Rizzo's Connection
Cornelia Sharpe	...	Jackie Faraday
Erin O'Reilly	...	Doris

Runtime:

92 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:16 | UK:X | Australia:M | UK:18 (video rating) | New Zealand:R16 | Finland:K-16 | Norway:15 | Norway:18 (1974) | Sweden:15 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Farmers Market - 6333 W. 3rd Street, Fairfax, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Chartoff-Winkler Productions

Trivia:

In the courtroom scene of Jackie the hooker's preliminary hearing, the Judge's name on his desk nameplate is "Hon. Fred R. Simpson" . This is also the name of the film's First Assistant Director.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: Near the end of the movie, during the ambulance chase, there are already skid marks on the road surface at the school crossing. These appear to be from previous takes on the scene as they match the ambulance's path perfectly.

Quotes:

Vice Detective Michael Keneely: Wouldn't you think the man would've at least had the decency to stay for the sermon?
Vice Detective Patrick Farrel: The Lord's gonna smoke his ass!

Movie Connections:

References "Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C." (1964)

Mediocre cop film

This was Peter Hyams directorial debut and he does show some of the elements that would later make him a very good filmmaker. Elliott Gould and Robert Blake play two vice cops who are tired of they're job until they try and bust a hooker (Cornelia Sharpe) and are told that she has connections with a local mob boss (Allen Garfield) and because of that she won't be prosecuted. So then they decide to check him and his operations out. What I think hurts the film is that its so predictable and its just another cop film from the seventies. Nothing that special. Gould and Blake use the usual cop banter when they talk and then there is the obligatory scene with Gould in his rundown cheap apartment. Every cop film has this scene. Of course the Sgt in charge of them keeps telling them both he's heard complaints about them and you have to have at least one car chase. There is one impressive scene and its where they chase three bad guys out of a building and into a supermarket. Its done in one continuous shot and its accompanied by an effective piece of music. Its a very well done scene and very well choreographed. The same music is heard during the ambulance chase scene. Football player Carl Eller has a scene where he beats up Gould and how about Blake calling Garfield "Spanky"! Hyams would later direct better films than this and while this film does have some decent moments (Like Gould on the stand!) its still not up to par with a lot of the cop films of the seventies.