Law and Disorder

This movie is basically a slice-of-life drama about working class people trying to maintain some order when, as Hamlet said, "the time is out of joint". It's plotless and episodic, and the tone changes from broadly comic early on to utterly nightmarish by the end. It has tons of authentic New-York-in-the-'70's atmosphere (it would play well on a bill with TAKING OF PELHAM 123 or SERPICO), and was, of course, actually shot there. The racial tensions, the collapse of the system, the oddballs, the hopelessness -- they're all there. And the performances are quite good -- neither O'Connor nor Borgnine has ever been better.

If you know what to expect, you will probably enjoy it very much. There are a few negative reviews from people who were obviously expecting a straight comedy... that's not what this movie is.

Given the talent of the two stars of this film (who incidentally happen to be among my favorite actors), I was surprised at how much I really disliked this movie. I will admit that the cinematogrophy was great, really capturing the New York City of the mid-seventies. However, the lack of plot really disappointed me. The film goes nowhere fast, it was all that I could do to keep awake until the end. My brother picked up the DVD at K-Mart for $2.95, but it wasn't even worth that low price. If you must insist on seeing this piece of garbage, however, I recommend the DVD purchase (at the aforementioned low price), as it would be easier to fling like a Frisbee than the VHS version!

-Den Corleone

I thought this was a decent film; not a classic, but entertaining enough. The basic premise for me is that sometimes you get in over your head trying to be something that you are not. Guess you'd call this a dark comedy. Excellent acting, gritty scenes of New York life when it wasn't so pleasant, and a shockingly brutal ending makes this worth a look.

Basically this was a film about a couple of blue collar NYC guys that are fed up with their city. They are great friends and organize an auxiliary police force. Getting caught up in this venture, they take this way too seriously and like to believe they are real cops. Gradually , they become out of control. This film had some of the funniest moments but out of nowhere, reality would hit. I liked the film and felt it was a very creative effort. Some wonderful scenes featuring Karen Black , in what may have been her best performance, as an over the top hairdresser. You also had an actor named J. Frank Lucas as a flasher who was funny. Perhaps the best character in the film was Gary Springer billed as the F.U. Kid. I am not making this up folks. It is right here on IMDb. The couple scenes Mr. Springer participated, were worth the price of admission, back in the day. In summation, I would say this is a dramady , with more emphasis on comedy than drama. Be prepared for some harsh moments and appreciate the great comic moments, of which there are many.

Having not seen this film for over 20 years, and remembering how great it was as a kid seeing it on cable, I was very happy (and surprised!) to see it released on DVD and picked it up immediately. I discovered it was a lot funnier when I was a kid, although making up for that was watching two great stars like Carroll and Ernest, as well as all the NYC locations, as I've always been a fan of NYC films, my hometown.

One interesting thing is, this being a motion picture, Carroll O'Connor is upstaged in every scene by movie star Ernest Borgnine. And not that Carroll is bad, not at all, he's actually decent, and the two actors make a good pair with some good chemistry (a re-pairing in a future film would have been great even!). But on the silver screen Carroll doesn't have the immense presence he has on the tube as Archie Bunker, and Ernest is clearly the "leader" here.

The two head an auxiliary police force to battle the crime in their neighborhood. It's obvious a pre-Rudy Giuliani New York City, NYC being quite legendary in the 70's for it's high crime and smut. NYC isn't cast in the best light, but then again, in 1974 it just wasn't in the best light yet. (Thanks Rudy for all you've done!) Like "Cooley High," it's a bit odd to see such a downbeat ending in a comedy, but it's still a good viewing.

If you like NYC films, and want to see two old pros do their thing and take the young'uns to school, "Law and Disorder" is a good DVD buy, before it goes out of print.