This is a post dedicated to The Fifth Golden Boy Blogathon: A William Holden Celebration! being held over at The Wonderful World of Cinema, The Flapper Dame and Love Letters to Old Hollywood.
Tnx Virginie, Emily and Michaela for letting me take part!
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“Don’t you cops ever believe anybody?” – Rudy Garcia
“We keep trying” – Bumper Morgan
Number of Times Seen – 1 (15 Apr 2022)
Brief Synopsis – A veteran beat cop tries to tie up some loose ends and find a murderer before he retires at the end of the week.
My Take on it – This is a movie that I knew nothing about before coming across it during my research in finding William Holden films that I’d never seen for this blogathon.
Holden is able to show how great and vulnerable an actor he can play which this role.
The character wears his heart out on his sleeve and does all he can in order to make the world a safer place for everyone.
Yes, like many others in his profession, he cuts corners, but they are all done in the name of good the whole way through.
The story moves along well and they keep the pacing quite thrilling because of the highs and lows in the diverse story that keep surprising.
The film has an amazing supporting cast with Lee Remick, Anne Archer, Vic Tayback, Eileen Brennen and Joe Santos all adding to the story.
The biggest surprise to me in the cast tho was Sam Elliott who plays a homicide detective who works together with Holden to try and solve a joint case.
This film won 4 Emmy’s and One Golden Globe.
Remick won Best Actress at the Globes and Holden won an Emmy for Best Actor in a limited series along with the film winning best Editing and two directing awards.
The grittiness of the film works well in keeping the tension level high the whole way through especially given the unpredictable way that things play out.
Recommended!
MovieRob’s Favorite Trivia – Originally a six hour movie. Later edited into two hour format. (From IMDB)
Rating – Globe Worthy (8/10)
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MovieRob 
I usually am not into 70s crime dramas as I just think they aged poorly (or perhaps I’ve seen too many modern day procedurals) but I enjoyed this when I watched it because Bill Holden basically carries it. He’s in almost every scene and he is the actor who commands the screen! My mom and I watched it in summer 2021, and the warner archive put out a great dvd/ blu ray release. I would certainly revisit it when I’m in the mood to watch! Thanks for reviewing!
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Tnx Emily! Yeah, as u can see, I enjoyed it too. It has a much different feel than many recent procedurals and is a great character study of a beat cop.
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This is a wonderful movie. I agree. William Holden is outstanding. His face registers every emotion from weary and cynical, to outraged and sympathetic. His actions are also stunning——-he inhabits Bumper Morgan perfectly, like a favorite jacket. Everything about this production is first-class.
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completely agree! Tnx for stopping by and commenting Jeanne!
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Thanks for this review of a lesser-known part of Holden’s career! I saw that not too long ago but somehow had forgotten Sam Elliot was in it (how silly of me). I kinda had mixt feelings about it but overall it remains an interesting product.
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understandable. It’s a bit too gritty for modern standards, but I loved the authentic feel and vibe of it.
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This is a wonderful movie. I agree. William Holden is outstanding. His face registers every emotion from weary and cynical, to outraged and sympathetic. His actions are also stunning——-he inhabits Bumper Morgan perfectly, like a favorite jacket. Everything about this production is first-class.
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We are in total agreement. A really good show!
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This was a popular choice for the blogathon, and I can see why–it looks like a good one!
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