Freebie and the Bean (1974)

User Rating:

6.2/10   

Director:

Richard Rush

Writers:

Robert Kaufman (writer)
Floyd Mutrux (story)

Release Date:

25 December 1974 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Comedy | Crime | Drama

Tagline:

Above all... It's a love story.

Plot:

Freebie and Bean, two San Francisco police detectives, have one goal in life: to bring down Red Meyers...

Plot Keywords:

Police | Gridlock | Ford Automobile | Transvestite | Embarcadero Freeway San Francisco

Awards:

Nominated for Golden Globe. Another 1 win

Cast

Alan Arkin	...	Bean
James Caan	...	Freebie
Loretta Swit	...	Meyers' Wife
Jack Kruschen	...	Red Meyers
Mike Kellin	...	Lt. Rosen
Paul Koslo	...	Whitey
Linda Marsh	...	Freebie's Girl
John Garwood	...	Chauffeur
Alex Rocco	...	D.A.
Valerie Harper	...	Consuelo
Christopher Morley	...	Transvestite
Bruce Mackey	...	Floorwalker
Monty Stickles	...	Texas Brawler
Charles Bail	...	Cadillac Salesman
Eddy Donno	...	Bag Man

Runtime:

113 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Australia:R | Iceland:12 | Netherlands:18 (original rating) | Finland:K-16 | Norway:16 | Sweden:(Banned) (1974) | Sweden:15 | UK:18 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Alco Plaza, San Francisco, California, USA

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Goofs:

Continuity: When Freebie and the Bean lose the head-on collision battle with the van, their crumbling Ford then makes a right turn down a wrong way street, and collapses on the right-hand side of the street. In the next shot, the car is way on the left and even next to another car which wasn't there previously.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Don Adams' Screen Test: Tarzan/Public Enemy/Hurricane/Casablanca (Pilot)" (1975)

Soundtrack:

When You Need Someone

Katzenjammer Kops

This is a pretty funny movie from the 70's starring James Caan and Alan Arkin as two screwed up police detectives in San Francisco trying to bust a local numbers guy so they can get promotions. By today's standards it's very un-pc - lots of ethnic jokes - but it's still a good laugh.

James Caan and Alan Arkin are very good together. Caan ("Freebie") is the guy who's always trying to get something for nothing, and Arkin ("The Bean") is the straight man and butt of his jokes. It's a good combination as they play off each other very well.

Not much to say about the story. There are several chase scenes that are pretty humorous and lots of mayhem. Valerie Harper plays Arkin's cheating wife and she's pretty good. The rest of the cast is mostly unknowns.

Look for Peter Fonda (uncredited) in the barber shop scene after Freebie and the Bean get in a fight with the Cadillac salesman from Michigan. Richard Rush, who directed this film, also did several of Fonda's biker films from the 60's.