A hugely enjoyable crime thriller (& based on real people) from 1974 directed by Gordon Parks (Shaft/Superfly). Hitting the right kind of rapport from the start, a pair of cops, played by the late, great Rob Liebman & David Selby, come up through the police academy together & eventually end being partners on the force in Bed Stuy, Brooklyn. Hoping to make a difference, they hate the fact they have to pay their dues by getting traffic duty or walking the beat. Almost before they get their badges, they hit the streets busting drug dealers (usually wearing sneakers) & the like while incurring the ire of their fellow detectives who are either indifferent or corrupt. Using unorthodox techniques (in one sequence they hide in an empty appliance box left in a hallway to make a bust), they continue to gain notoriety (the kids on the street call them Batman & Robin) but since they're not 'on the pad' (the 70's was rife w/police corruption in New York), they seem to be fighting their own department (Internal Affairs tries to frame them for taking a bribe) as well as the scum of the neighborhood. Liebman (who was tapped to be Oscar nominated for his performance in Sidney Lumet's Night Falls on Manhattan in 1996) is fantastic in the lead, forever mercurial yet passionate when it comes to his job while ably aided by Selby (who came from the original Dark Shadows soap opera of the 60's) who's quiet demeanor & unflagging loyalty make this pair (we see the real cops in archive footage in the film's opening) one to root for. Special mention should go to screenwriter Lorenzo Semple Jr. (who was the showrunner for TV's Batman) for tackling a real life dynamic duo. Also starring Commissioner Gordon from the Batman films, Pat Hingle, playing shockingly a police commander.
Review of The Super Cops
