Newman's Law (1974)

In 1970s Los Angeles, honest cop Vince Newman struggles to win the battle against crime and against corruption in his own department.

Director:

Richard T. Heffron (as Richard Heffron)

Writer:

Anthony Wilson

Stars:

George Peppard, Roger Robinson, Eugene Roche

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
George Peppard	...	Vince Newman
Roger Robinson	...	Garry
Eugene Roche	...	Reardon
Gordon Pinsent	...	Jack Eastman
Abe Vigoda	...	John Dellanzia
Louis Zorich	...	Frank Lo Falcone
Michael Lerner	...	Frank Acker
Victor Campos	...	Pete Jimenez
Mel Stewart	...	Quist
Jack Murdoch	...	Beutel
David Spielberg	...	Hinney
Teddy Wilson	...	Jaycee (as Theodore Wilson)
Pat Anderson	...	Sharon
Regis Cordic	...	Clement (as Regis J. Cordic)
Marlene Clark	...	Edie

Storyline

Police officer Newman has not gotten the reputation of a straight arrow by avoiding conflict when fighting for right. His honesty is put to a strong test when he and his partner discover an international drug ring involving some of the police department's highest ranking officers.

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Plot Keywords:

police | drugs | drug ring | gunfight | shootout | 

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Taglines:

Most cops play it by the book. Newman wrote his own!

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Genres:

Action | Crime | Thriller

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

21 August 1974 (USA)

Also Known As:

Testimonio mortal

Filming Locations:

Universal City, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

98 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Peppard had to shoot a large window for one scene but the glass broke and showered over him, cutting around his mouth, right eye, and left hand. He continued filming with the real wounds on his face instead of the artificial wounds normally applied by the makeup team for the other scenes.

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Connections

Features Double Indemnity (1944)

User Reviews

A Surprise Sprung From Television.

A nearly blind rental, the George Peppard vehicle "Newman's Law" impressed me more than I'd have imagined. It's a solid cop flick from the great days of cop flicks, and takes place in Los Angeles. Interestingly, the downbeat approach to it made me think San Francisco, yet without the trolleys and hills. This is a testament to the workmanship of the film- it's not about the glitz of LA, it's about the hard life of an 15+ year veteran detective on the job, still plugging away though getting old.

The most difficult part of the film is that there is a vibe of television drama to it that try as it might, it cannot shake free of. This is the first film directed by Richard T. Heffron, who also directed the well known Peppard show "Banacek". Something about the seriousness of the characters, even though a good effort was put forward to flesh out their personages, smacks of period cop show. Not to insinuate that period cop shows were particularly bad, just think that this film has a little bit more "Kojak" than it does "CHiPs".

The cast for this film was excellent. Peppard is not to be outdone, as Newman he's merely reserved and serious, a man of principles who will not tolerate graft or corruption. He is not a racist nor is he the ham-fisted violent cop so popular in film following "The French Connection." Roger Robinson, a black actor who is admittedly new to me, is excellent as his loyal partner Garry, who we see developed far beyond the basic black/white buddy-film aesthetic. Garry has a child and a wife(the stately Marlene Clark) and a life that is shown to contrast with that of Newman. Newman is the loner and Garry has it more together. Eugene Roche is a superior of the police, Abe Vigoda plays an accurate mafioso, Victor Campos is a great new recruit flatfoot, and actor/jazz saxophonist Mel Stewart is a crime boss. As you can see, many TV actors abound in this production.

It's got a good, darker-than-usual tone to it, similar to the excellent "Busting" of the same time period. Dimly-lit scenes and Peppard's excellent styles (he wears some very slick jackets in this) give "Newman's Law" some real power. One of the better, lesser-known cop flicks of the early 70s.