Madigan (1968)

In New York City's Spanish Harlem, detectives Madigan and Bonaro are given 72 hours by their superior to capture a hoodlum wanted for homicide in Brooklyn.

Director:

Don Siegel (as Donald Siegel)

Writers:

Howard Rodman (screenplay) (as Henri Simoun), Abraham Polonsky (screenplay)

Stars:

Richard Widmark, Henry Fonda, Inger Stevens

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Richard Widmark	...	Det. Daniel Madigan
Henry Fonda	...	Commissioner Anthony X. Russell
Inger Stevens	...	Julia Madigan
Harry Guardino	...	Det. Rocco Bonaro
James Whitmore	...	Chief Inspector Charles Kane
Susan Clark	...	Tricia Bentley
Michael Dunn	...	Midget Castiglione
Steve Ihnat	...	Barney Benesch
Don Stroud	...	Hughie
Sheree North	...	Jonesy
Warren Stevens	...	Ben Williams
Raymond St. Jacques	...	Dr. Taylor
Bert Freed	...	Chief of Detectives Hap Lynch
Harry Bellaver	...	Mickey Dunn
Frank Marth	...	Lt. James Price

Storyline

Policemen Bonaro and Madigan lose their guns to fugitive Barney Benesch. As compensation, the two NYC detectives are given a weekend to bring Benesch to justice. While Bonaro and Madigan follow up on various leads, Police Commissioner Russell goes about his duties, including attending functions, meeting with aggrieved relatives, and counseling the spouses of fallen officers.

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Plot Keywords:

detective | police commissioner | new york city | fugitive | city | 

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Taglines:

...the savage story of a city stripped naked!

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

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Certificate:

TV-14

Did You Know?

Trivia

After the producers made a successful pilot with Richard Widmark, Brock's Last Case (1973), they had second thoughts about it and decided to substitute the Dan Madigan character. Widmark agreed if half of the episodes could be shot in Europe.

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Goofs

Both detectives draw their service revolvers in the back room of the bar before confronting Benesch. But when they enter the bar, the guns are back in their holsters and they unclip them again.

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Quotes

Commissioner Anthony X. Russell: [after Kane drops his shield on Russell's desk] What am I supposed to do with that?
Chief Insp. Charles Kane: Commissioner, I thought you'd never ask.

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Connections

Featured in Mask (1985)

User Reviews

A precursor to "Dirty Harry"

A decent exploration of the maverick detective theme that Siegal would examine more successfully in "Dirty Harry." Richard Widmark is terrific in the title role, and the cinematography, along with some of the dialogue, is top notch. The film runs into problems, however, with the subplot involving police commissioner Henry Fonda, as well as Madigan's difficulties on the homefront with wife Inger Stevens. Had the emphasis remained on the manhunt conducted by Madigan and his partner (Harry Guardino), it could have been a classic. Instead, too much time is devoted to talk, and as any Siegal enthusiast knows, action is what he did best. The later TV series, again starring Widmark, is superior.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

29 March 1968 (USA)

Also Known As:

Madigan: Lisbon Beat

Filming Locations:

107 East 98th Street, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

101 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1