Deadly Hero

Don Murray, in an intense, forceful performance, plays Ed Lacy, a well-regarded NYC law officer and 18 year veteran of the force. One night, he shoots and kills Rabbit (James Earl Jones), a flamboyant extortionist who terrorizes conductor / musician Sally (Diahn Williams) inside her apartment. The twist is that Sally soon develops doubts about her saviour; as her memory of that night returns, she believes that Rabbit was unarmed when he was gunned down. When she changes her story, an increasingly unhinged Lacy resorts to threatening and scaring her.

This is a good, gritty NYC cop drama, directed in efficient no-frills fashion by Ivan Nagy. It gets most of its juice from commanding central performances. While at first one might feel some sympathy towards Lacy, as they see a promising career go down the drain, he ultimately reveals a very dark side to his personality. The lovely Diahn Williams is appealing, while Jones gets to have some fun playing a decidedly offbeat antagonist. Several familiar faces in the cast include Lilia Skala, Treat Williams (playing Lacy's partner, in his film debut), Hank Garrett, Dick Anthony Williams, Conchata Ferrell, and Josh Mostel. Danny DeVito is listed in the end credits, but is hard to spot.

The film is admittedly violent, but the narrative (by Don Petersen, inspired by a real life story) is compelling, especially when it's told from Lacy's perspective. Location shooting and a vibrant music score by Brad Fiedel & Tom Mandel are definite assets (this was one of the earliest scores for Fiedel, who's best known for his "Terminator" theme).

This seems to be a largely forgotten film nowadays, but any movie lover who's fond of 70s cop / crime cinema will likely find it interesting if they seek it out.

Seven out of 10.

Or TERMINATOR, or ONE FOOT IN HELL, remember, starring Alan Ladd as an evil sheriff seeking revenge among the town people whom he said they were responsible of the death of his wife? All those movies include evil lead characters, heroes who are the bad ones, maybe not from the very beginning, but evil, heavies in the end. That's precisely what i love, what I crave for, because that's so unusual. The list of those topics is not so long but it exists. and what the f...the directing, only the scheme is important for me. Yes, I saw this film when I was a teen and still love it each time I watch it. One of best Murray's performances.

'Deadly Hero' is another hidden gem from the 70s that did not receive the buzz it deserved, and instead hides within the bowels of so-called rare video stores or 2nd-rate rental places. That is truly sad, as this movie has the following in its favor: it is extremely well-done, it showcases some awesome acting ability, it is mastered very well (doesn't even look 70s), it features James Earl Jones in a strange but almost brilliant performance, it proves that Don Murray deserved the Academy Award after all, it has a most interesting soundtrack, and is well-written by anyone's standards.

The movie is about a well-liked man's fall from grace after an unfortunate incident. It requires the viewer to either side with the hero or with the hero's critics. It is a very interesting character study that will leave the viewer quite satisfied. This is why I give it 10/10.

Deadly Hero is a wonderful Don Murray vehicle. After seeing this movie, one can only wonder why he did not receive more opportunities to display his tremendous acting ability. Diahn Williams also does a fine job with her role, which would be her first and last big screen role. And of course, I must mention James Earl Jones, who also delivers a fine performance. Great use of color within this film also is a plus. Lastly, the dated orchestra/dance scenes are hilarious and fun to watch. This movie is a great hidden gem-if you can still find it at a video store, do the right thing and rent this entertaining film.

A cop saves a woman from being kidnapped and raped and possibly murdered but she feels sorry for her poor black attacker and ruins crazy cop Lacey's career. I still couldn't wait for her to die. We need more cops like Lacey. Zero tolerance because it's a horrible scary world out there. Should we keep giving criminals a slap on the wrist? Hell no. This film could have been better it does get a little slow but it was a good watch. It's on youtube right now.