T.J. Hooker (1982) (TV)

Director:

Cliff Bole

Writer:

Rick Husky (writer)

Release Date:

13 March 1982 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Drama | Thriller | Crime

Plot Keywords:

TV Series Pilot | Police | Period In Title | Sergeant | Character Name In Title

Cast

William Shatner	...	Sgt. Thomas J. 'T.J.' Hooker
Richard Lawson	...	McNeil
Adrian Zmed	...	Officer Romano
Brian Patrick Clarke	...	Canfield
John Gladstein	...	Granger
Kelly Harmon
Jo McDonnell
Deborah Shelton	...	Lacy Canfield (as Debbie Shelton)
David Hedison	...	Saxon
Michael Horton	...	Parker English
Richard Herd	...	Captain Sheridan
Steve Hanks	...	Country
Lee Bryant	...	Fran Hooker
Lynne Moody	...	Susan
Timothy Scott	...	Whit

Runtime:

74 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Company:

Columbia Pictures Television

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Scarface (1983)

Poor TVM – Hooker is set up like a hero for all the right wingers

While being investigated for unlawful killing of a criminal, Sergeant Hooker is delivering on-the-job training for a team of recruits. Whilst weeding out the unsuitable candidates he teaches them his own brand of policing - the old school method that protects the innocent but takes justice on the guilty. Meanwhile a pair of drunken, small time thieves are robbing and murdering people on the city streets.

The pilot for the TV series this, it is easy to see why it got picked up - the main character is interesting, with enough back story and issues to justify a series. However the overriding philosophy is forced down our throats a bit too much. It obvious that the writers are very right-wing and are fed up with the liberal handling of criminals by the courts while police are killed on the streets with little protection from the court. Hooker regularly is given speeches about the unfairness of the system or how criminals get away with it etc, while all the criminals are shown as a) crazy or b) losers who kill old people and women for as little as $15. Really this is a message film - although the message is a little heavy handed.

Some points are made about the bad side of Hooker, but these are minor and are mostly brushed over by other characters - one black woman compares Hooker to the cops who used to beat up blacks in the 60's only to be told by another black cop that `Hooker talks a lot of sense'. I'm not a liberal and believe that the courts are too easy on criminals generally, allowing too many off on technicalities whilst holding the cops to the letter of the law, but I was really put off by Hooker's unpleasantly strict version of justice.

Shatner is OK but he can't help but act everything seriously, delivering his moralising lectures with his usual dramatic facial expressions - it's not his fault because his character is so very hard to like. Hooker sets up his cadets in traumatising situations just to show them they will fail and when he is described as `insane' by a colleague for murdering a thief he merely replies `sanity is over-rated' and they both laugh! He may be a hero for the rightwing out there but anyone less strict will be put off. The rest of the cast are OK but look very eighties (check out Zmed's Italian Stallion!) Really the cadets are only there to be won over by Hooker's philosophy in the way the film hopes we will be.

Overall this is OK - not great but not terrible. I score it 4 out of 10 because it has some entertaining moments but really it is 90 minutes or so of Shatner shouting his message at us.