Freebie and the Bean (1974)

User Rating:

6.2/10   

Director:

Richard Rush

Writers:

Robert Kaufman (writer)
Floyd Mutrux (story)

Release Date:

25 December 1974 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Comedy | Crime | Drama

Tagline:

Above all... It's a love story.

Plot:

Freebie and Bean, two San Francisco police detectives, have one goal in life: to bring down Red Meyers...

Plot Keywords:

Police | Stadium | Transvestite | Car Chase | San Francisco California

Awards:

Nominated for Golden Globe. Another 1 win

Cast

Alan Arkin	...	Bean
James Caan	...	Freebie
Loretta Swit	...	Meyers' Wife
Jack Kruschen	...	Red Meyers
Mike Kellin	...	Lt. Rosen
Paul Koslo	...	Whitey
Linda Marsh	...	Freebie's Girl
John Garwood	...	Chauffeur
Alex Rocco	...	D.A.
Valerie Harper	...	Consuelo
Christopher Morley	...	Transvestite
Bruce Mackey	...	Floorwalker
Monty Stickles	...	Texas Brawler
Charles Bail	...	Cadillac Salesman
Eddy Donno	...	Bag Man

Runtime:

113 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Australia:R | Iceland:12 | Netherlands:18 (original rating) | Finland:K-16 | Norway:16 | Sweden:(Banned) (1974) | Sweden:15 | UK:18 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Alco Plaza, San Francisco, California, USA

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Goofs:

Continuity: When Freebie and the Bean lose the head-on collision battle with the van, their crumbling Ford then makes a right turn down a wrong way street, and collapses on the right-hand side of the street. In the next shot, the car is way on the left and even next to another car which wasn't there previously.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Taking of Christina (1976)

Soundtrack:

When You Need Someone

A very clever buddy-buddy cop movie that focuses on the interaction between two individuals more than it does the actual story line.

A fairly atypical off the wall love-hate relationship between two cops as they try to bring down a tongue-in-cheek bad guy. The story centres around the wacky verbal and non-verbal relationship between Alan Arkin and James Caan more than it does the fairly week plot. This is the whole point of the movie - the story line is in fact incidental! The scene where Freebie steals Bean's gun is a classic example of this, as is the button ripping scene earlier in the film. To add to the drama Bean thinks his wife is having an affair and Freebie offers advice...terrific stuff. Perhaps those of you who gave it a poor review should find the time to watch it again - a little more closely - and savour the unique banter between these two excellent actors.