Busting (1974)

User Rating:

5.7/10   

Director:

Peter Hyams

Writer:

Peter Hyams (written by)

Release Date:

13 April 1974 (Norway)

Genre:

Crime | Drama

Tagline:

...only at a movie theatre!

Plot:

LA cops Gould and Blake get in over their heads when they don't heed orders from above and go after a big crime boss...

Plot Keywords:

Police | Crime Boss | Call Girl | One Word Title | Drugs

Cast

Elliott Gould	...	Vice Detective Michael Keneely
Robert Blake	...	Vice Detective Patrick Farrel
Allen Garfield	...	Carl Rizzo
Antonio Fargas	...	Stephen
Michael Lerner	...	Marvin
Sid Haig	...	Rizzo's Bouncer
Ivor Francis	...	Judge Fred R. Simpson
William Sylvester	...	Mr. Weldman
Logan Ramsey	...	Dr. Berman
Richard X. Slattery	...	Desk Sergeant
Margo Winkler	...	Mrs. Rizzo
John Lawrence	...	Sergeant Kenefick
Frank Farmer	...	Rizzo's Connection
Cornelia Sharpe	...	Jackie Faraday
Erin O'Reilly	...	Doris

Runtime:

92 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:16 | UK:X | Australia:M | UK:18 (video rating) | New Zealand:R16 | Finland:K-16 | Norway:15 | Norway:18 (1974) | Sweden:15 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Farmers Market - 6333 W. 3rd Street, Fairfax, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Chartoff-Winkler Productions

Trivia:

In the courtroom scene of Jackie the hooker's preliminary hearing, the Judge's name on his desk nameplate is "Hon. Fred R. Simpson" . This is also the name of the film's First Assistant Director.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: Near the end of the movie, during the ambulance chase, there are already skid marks on the road surface at the school crossing. These appear to be from previous takes on the scene as they match the ambulance's path perfectly.

Quotes:

Vice Detective Michael Keneely: Wouldn't you think the man would've at least had the decency to stay for the sermon?
Vice Detective Patrick Farrel: The Lord's gonna smoke his ass!

Movie Connections:

References "Shazam!" (1974)

Trapper John & Baretta as urban vice cops (an underrated classic)

this is a cool movie. neglected to say the least. maybe nowadays in this politically correct universe it would be tagged HOMOPHOBIC, only because the movie uses terms that cops, especially vice, use on the streets. but that's like getting on MEAN STREETS for saying the N word about African Americans and then calling it a racist movie - it's the lingo, folks - no sugarcoating. but i dont know why this movie is so tuff to find on VHS and isnt even close to being on DVD. it's a cool movie with a lot of action, and personally i liked it better than FRENCH CONNECTION. it has a great foot chase scene where theyre running and shooting guns in an indoor market. and also a classic funny ten minutes where the two vice cops are sent to stake out a derelict restroom, looking for perverts or rather, waiting for them. Elliot Gould is great and is just like his Trapper John character, or Philip Marlowe from LONG GOODBYE; and Robert Blake is the exact replica of the character that'd make and break him - Baretta, with the unlit dangling cigarette and all. Blake is fitting as the second banana and is indeed second to Gould's lead character because... well... Gould was a bigger actor at the time, I guess. Alan Garfield is great and cheesy as the bad drug dealer and also, keep an eye out for Sig Haig (jackie brown) as his number one thug.