Car 99

Cars, motorcycles, airplanes, and even a bicycle all show their mettle in this high tempo crime thriller! The piece plays out in some ways like a recruitment video for the department before police departments were recruiting via video at all. The depiction of police technology, training, and procedure was spot on for the time period, and I am fairly certain that much of the filming took place in actual, operational Michigan State Police facilities.

The plot is well put together for a movie of this length, and the director brings the audience along in such a way that creates suspense. There is quite a bit of humor in key places that lighten the mood, somewhat, and actually reflects quite well the way law enforcement generally react to difficult situations by making light of themselves. It doesn't have nearly the production value of modern thrillers, but the driving and the chases are top-notch. There's even a car that could have served as inspiration for James Bond's first car, before Fleming even wrote his first novel, I believe.

I serve as a volunteer chaplain in the department, currently, and was loaned a copy of the film by a local retiree. I don't know if it is ever broadcast like many other movies of that era, but if you get a chance, watch it. Something that stands out to me in the film is the unflappable character of each trooper depicted; something that lives on in the troopers who currently serve the State Police and the people of Michigan.