Reviews (11)

As Westerns go, impressive but too elegaic for most.
I like this film for its somber mood, striking photography and flavorful score by Jerry Goldsmith. It's not the kind of simple-minded Western that John Wayne did to death, and lacks the climatic punch that most of the genre try for, but instead is a demystifying of the folk-hero Wyatt Earp.

I'm a little disappointed with the DVD.A restoration of the film elements doesn't appear to have been attempted.The print is clean and has fine color, but the image is a little soft and "contrasty" and therefore looks very dated.A fresh film element from sources as close as possible to the original negatives would have helped.The sound also has way too much hiss.

At least what we have is in 16X9 anamorphic and includes the trailer, but a few extras would have been nice.

Great Continuation of The OK Corral Saga
John Sturges, who memorably filmed Gunfight at The OK Corral with Burt Lancaster and Kirk Douglas, returned to the subject by depicting the afternath of the famous shootout in Hour of The Gun. This time, James Garner takes over from Lancaster playing Wyatt Earp, while Jason Robards replaces Douglas as Doc Holliday.

Hour of The Gun follows as both of Earp's brother are ambushed after the OK Corral, and shows how a seemingly law-abiding, upright law official can be twisted into a vengeful killing machine. This theme was touched on in the first film, but takes center stage in this film. Robards watches as a man who he admires and respect for his convictions throws them all away to settle a blood feud. Garner's and Robards's performance are outstanding, with first-rate support by Robert Ryan as Ike Clanton, Steve Ihnat as Lattigo, one of the Clanton gang, and a young unknown Jon Voight as Curly Bill Brocious.

Contrary to a caption at the beginning of the film, Hour of The Gun is not a completely accurate retelling of the Earp/Holliday/Clanton saga, but it makes for one heck of a Western.

Good or Bad Garner and what about a DVD
Vivid follow up to director Sturges' GUNFIGHT AT THE OK CORRAL. One of Garner's best performances. Is Garner a good guy or a bad guy. You decide. Great Jerry Goldsmith score. One of his best. Why is there no DVD to this classic film?

Solid but not great Earp western
Until the release of Costner's Wyatt Earp and Russell's Tombstone, this was probably the most realistic and unglamorized retelling of the Earp/Clanton feud.The casting is solid with James Garner as a conflicted Earp, and Jason Robards fairly steals the film as Doc Holiday. It purports to tell the story "the way it happened", but there are a lot of inaccuracies that Earp historians can spot. The opening OK corral shootout was played as it was, quick and dirty.
There are major errors in the later story such as Earp killing Clanton in a final showdown (never happened), and the showdowns with various Clanton henchmen by in large did not happen the way it was portryed here. Doc is portrayed as being a northerner and much older than the young southerner which he was.
That said, Garner, Robards,Robert Ryan and a host of great western character actors and stars to be make this very watchable. The musical score is catchy and it is a western worth your time. The parting scene of Wyatt and Doc is very well done. Garner is very good as a driven Wyatt Earp.

Very good continuation of OK Corral Movie
I like this movie. I thought it was a very good continuation to the GUNFIGHT AT THE OK CORRAL. It has great performances and a good score by Jerry Goldsmith. A good "lost" Western. ... Read more

Amazon.com

They don't make detective thrillers like this anymore. Madigan isa gem from the '60s, anticipating the more popular French Connection and Dirty Harry with its gritty urban realism. However, this film has a wonderful poetry and sense of camaraderie, thanks to Abraham Polonsky's writing and Don Siegel's inspired direction. Richard Widmarkplays a hardbitten New York cop who must redeem himself after losing his gun to a psychotic thug (a plot somewhat reminiscent of Kurosawa's Stray Dog). Henry Fonda costars as a stern police commissioner overwhelmed by his day-to-day decisions. He can't stand Widmark's freewheeling attitude, but he's a hypocrite when it comes to his own private life. Moral decisions don't come easy in this contemplative film. Fine support is providedby Harry Guardino as Widmark's partner, Inger Stevens as Widmark's wife, James Whitmore as Fonda's slightly corrupt pal, and Steve Ihnat as Widmark's charismatic nemesis. --Bill Desowitz ... Read more

Reviews (10)

60's police drama...
New York City detectives Madigan (Richard Widmark) and Bonaro (Harry Guardino), mess up making a routine arrest, allowing a murderer (Steve Ihnat) to escape. This sets the stage for a look at the activities of the NYPD over a three-day period, while the two detectives try to recapture their man.

"Madigan" follows two loosely connected story lines, one the pursuit of the fugitive, and the second involves the activities of the Police Commissioner (PC), played by a prim Henry Fonda. This separation of focus, keeps the movie from reaching it's full potential, as the story elements related to the PC are banal and distract from the chase. There is almost no personal interaction between Madigan and the Commissoner to connect the two stories, and keep the movie's focus tight. While the detectives follow leads to the killer, the PC deals with corruption, accusations of misconduct, and his own moral hypocrisy.

The film does boast a top-notch cast, including Inger Stevens, James Whitmore, Michael Dunn, Don Stroud, Susan Clark and Sheree North. Ihnat is particularly effective as the vicious killer on the run. Stevens is luscious as Madigan's attention starved wife. And Clark is the Commissioner's adulterous young mistress. "Love", Hollywood style is wonderfully realistic, matching the young with the old. Widmark (54) is paired with Stevens (34), and Fonda (63) with Clark (28).

"Madigan" is dated, and may not be well received by today's audience. What was gritty action back then, is tame by today's standards. But if you are into the late 60's, you will probably enjoy the many familiar faces found here. Brought to you by the same people who did the NBC Mystery Theater, and programs like Colombo, McCloud, McMillian, and Banacek.

'Madigan' is enjoyable police drama
As others have noted, "Madigan" is at its best in basic cops-and-robbers mode, when Detectives Dan Madigan (Richard Widmark) and Rocco Bennaro (Harry Guardino) are pursuing insanely dangerous gunman Barney Benesch (Steve Ihnat). Director Don Siegel knows what he's doing when it comes to movement and violence, and that's more than evident here.

A subplot involving the embattled police commissioner (Henry Fonda) and his struggle with possible graft on the part of his long-time friend and captain (James Whitmore) works reasonably well.

The commissioner's affair with a married woman (Susan Clark) isn't too much of a distraction, especially since Clark is nice to look at, as usual.

But the subplot that doesn't work is the unhappiness of Madigan's wife (Inger Stevens). Stevens does what she can to bring the woman to life, but the script defeats her, particularly in a scene following a police ball.

Production values are very high, as 1968 New York emerges vividly in the location shooting. Don Costa's score deserves to be released on CD - it's a very memorable and exciting one, especially the main title and the build-up to the climax.

The nitty gritty of police work.

Director: Don Siegel
Format: Color
Studio: Universal Studios
Video Release Date: January 5, 1999

Cast:

Richard Widmark ... Det. Daniel Madigan
Henry Fonda ... Commissioner Anthony X. Russell
Inger Stevens ... Julia Madigan
Harry Guardino ... Det. Rocco Bonaro
James Whitmore ... Chief Insp. Charles Kane
Susan Clark ... Tricia Bentley
Michael Dunn ... Midget Castiglione
Steve Ihnat ... Barney Benesch
Don Stroud ... Hughie
Sheree North ... Jonesy
Warren Stevens ... Capt. Ben Williams
Raymond St. Jacques ... Dr. Taylor
Bert Freed ... Chief of Detectives Lynch
Harry Bellaver ... Mickey Dunn
Frank Marth ... Lt. James Price
Lloyd Gough ... Earl Griffin
Virginia Gregg ... Esther Newman
Henry Beckman ... Philip Downes
Richard O'Brien ... Det. O'Brien
Woodrow Parfrey ... Marvin
Robert Granere ... Buster
Dallas Mitchell ... Tom Gavin
Lloyd Haynes ... Sam Woodley
Rita Lynn ... Rita Bonaro
Ray Montgomery ... Det. O'Mara
Gloria Calomee ... Policewoman Doris Hawkins
Seth Allen ... Subway dispatcher
Robert Ball ... Prisoner
Kay Turner ... Stella
Albert Henderson ... Lt. Strong
Toian Matchinga ... Rosita
Abel Fernández ... Det. Rodriguez
Paul Sorenson ... Benesh Look-Alike in Saloon
Robert Biheller ... Man
Ollie O'Toole ... Man
Al Dunlap ... Man
Pepe Hern ... Man
Scott Hale ... Ambulance driver
Sean Kennedy ... Man
Bob O'Connell ... Man
Conrad Bain ... Hotel clerk
Ed Crowley ... Man at precinct
Tom Rosqui ... Man
Diane Sayer ... Doreen
Mina Martínez ... Woman
Kathleen O'Malley ... Woman
Elizabeth Fleming ... Woman
Madeline Clive ... Woman
Philippa Bevans ... Mrs. Hewitt
Nina Varela ... Woman
Kate Harrington ... Woman
Al Ruban ... Kowalski
Lincoln Kilpatrick ... Patrolman Grimes
Ralph Smiley ... Captain
John McLiam ... Dunne
James Nolan ... Detective
Hal Taggart ... Dance Extra
William Bramley ... O'Brien
Ralph Brooks ... Dance Extra

Originally planned to be titled "The Commissioner," Fonda thought he had the title role, but it was re-titled Madigan, Widmark's part, which miffed Fonda who had an ego problem. However, he had played five movies with Widmark, whom he liked and respected, so he swallowed his ego. But it always bothered him that he had been relegated to the second string.

This is the story about policemen and their wives, friends, and colleagues. A good friend and coworker once told me that prison work involved weeks, months, and often years of boredom interspersed with moments of sheer terror. He was right. This movie, and most such films, show a succession of the "moments of sheer terror" pretty much to the exclusion of the boredom, because boredom does not make a good story, of course.

Still, the stress and pressure are relatively constant, and that is perhaps why the divorce rate among peace officers is so high. This story graphically depicts how the policemens' marriages suffer from the stress. In that respect, it accurately depicts, I think, one slice of reality. I base my opinion on twenty years spent working in prisons--a differenct occupation, but similar in many ways.

Daniel Madigan and Rosco Bonaro are detectives--partners--who, while making a bust allow the crook to get the drop on them, get their weapons, and get away. They are given 72 hours to catch him. It turns out that he has been upgraded from a suspect to a killer. The Police Commissioner, Anthony Russell (Henry Fonda) is most interested in the case and under pressure himself, maritally as well as professionally.

This film was, accidentally or on purpose, a good portrayal of some of the aspects of a policeman's life, although when the dangers are so telegraphed together for the sake of the story, it does have the effect of making it a caricature of reality, rather than the true depiction of reality it purports to be.

Nevertheless, I recommend the film.

Joseph (Joe) Pierre

author of Handguns and Freedom...their care and maintenance
and other books

GOLD STANDARD FOR ITS TIME
Richard Dougherty's THE COMMISSIONER, upon which MADIGAN, is based was one of the first works of fiction to accurately portray cops problems away from the station house. MADIGAN, one of the best films of 1968, is true to that part of the book and Don Siegel implants his own brand of genius on the rest. MADIGAN shows a not too distant era when there were blood-and-guts hat wearing detectives who worked their own angles to solve their cases. The portrayls by Widmark and Guardino are lasting and solid to the core. For it's time, MADIGAN was a gold standard in police procedurals. The NYC landscape bolstered by the Don Costa soundtrack is stunning.

Journeyman Cop Movie.
One can only wonder what might have been made of a pretty good story with a great cast and director if it had been made somewhere other than the Universal factory which churned out more garbage over the decades than practically any other studio.

Constrained by the loosening but not yet free film-making environment of 1968, Don Siegel keeps the film moving at a brisk pace while alternating his story from the efforts of two detectives (Richard Widmark & Harry Guardino) with 48 hrs to redeem themselves after losing the drop-on and their guns to a suspect, and the political and personal problems of the NY Police Commissioner (Henry Fonda). This view of the street cops who can and will bend the rules and the politics and stresses at the top of the beauracracy was fresh in 1968, but have been done to death since with the result that Madigan seems tame and dated now. While a little tougher in depiction for its time, and aided by location shooting and a tad more sexual explicitness, the movie is quaintly on that cusp between the sanitized early 60's and the explosion of explicit sex and violence in film that was yet to come. It bends the stereotypes but it doesn't break them.

Still and all, Don Siegel was a director that could move a story, and no film with Richard Widmark, Henry Fonda, James Whitmore and Inger Stevens is without interest or merit. I was still entertained and found the characters & story very watchable, but I could only wish for a different studio and a later time that would have allowed for a grittier and more honest film. Nonetheless, it was a solid effort and had something to say about the dilemmas and conflicts of loyalty and honesty and doing the right thing. A good film at 3-1/2 stars that with this cast & story, might have been much better. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Burt Reynolds plays detective Steve Carella in this 1972 adaptation of an Ed McBain novel, and Jack Weston does his cynical best as Carella's partner, Meyer Meyer. A reflection of its raucous era, Fuzz is as much influenced by the antiauthority high jinks of Robert Altman's M*A*S*H as it is by the unblinking violence of The Godfather or Bonnie and Clyde. The mixed result is a tough-minded crime drama-comedy with one extreme subplot (punks setting sleeping winos ablaze for kicks) and another, more fantastic one (a mad bomber called Deaf Man, played by Yul Brynner, is targeting politicians with his surprise packages). Raquel Welch is also on board as an undercover/under-the-covers policewoman, and Tom Skerritt is the beneficiary of her largesse. Fuzz suffered some brief notoriety when it was linked to some real-life torchings of innocent people. On a happier note, Fuzz affords a rare opportunity to see Reynolds in drag. --Tom Keogh ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Early FUZZ feature -a Sleeper setting pace for TV cop shows!
FUZZ is a forgotten classic.Reynolds is just one of the stars, not the only one in this fun movie. Sets the pace for the early TV cop shows to come. Welch is beautiful and all the cast are wonderful.Edited for TV, the original feature movie had Detectives Skerrit and Welch in a sleeping bag scene in a park as man and wife, as they wait for a crook to show up. She says,"wow, is that your gun?" Another scene when a telephone man is putting in a tap for a black detective and says to him."Yeah, you are a pretty good Ni....,unlike so many others I have known." That is a shocker , especially at the time of the release..the black detective follows the phone man off camera and and you hear a smack, and knockout blow.And Brynner as the main thug boss and Detective chief Jack Weston are both suprises. Fast moving with lots of things going on and one of my all time favorites that was originally slammed when originally released. If you haven't seen it, you are in for a treat!(--and be sure to keep your eye on the painters!)

A must see for fans of the "87th Precinct".
Ed McBain's long running series of mystery novels (from 1957 to this year!) about the quirky cops of an inner city precinct comes to glorious life in this movie.Quite funny in places, with suprising spurts of violence, a very well done movie!Note: When this movie aired on ABC back in the 70's, it recieved a lot of flack for inspiring a real-life violent incident in Boston, causing more nattering about the "violence on TV". ... Read more