L'assassin est-il coupable?

Warning Shot features a grimly determined David Janssen trying to find out why a respected doctor pulled a gun on him and he was forced to fire and kill him. Janssen is a cop and he's got District Attorney Sam Wanamaker just itching to put him away.

Janssen and partner Keenan Wynn were on stakeout looking for a serial rapist and they were both anxious enough on that assignment. Now suspended Janssen has to rely on his own instincts in pursuing his own\ investigation for vindication.

Besides those already mentioned Warning Shot has a galaxy of film names of many generations going all the way back to Lillian Gish down to Joan Collins playing Janssen's estranged wife. As the film progresses these folks move in and out with some memorable and some perfunctory cameos.

Janssen who carries the film handles the burden well. I have to say that Warning Shot does not carry all that much suspense in that the real villain of the piece is obvious from when we first meet the character. Still it belongs on a list of fine made for television films

During a 1966 break from filming The Fugitive TV series, David Janssen joined with producer-director Seymour "Buzz" Kulik and screenwriter Mann Rubin to film Warning Shot. The film finds Janssen in familiar territory as a man wrongly accused and having literally no recourse but to defend himself, and his performance as LAPD Sgt. Tom Valens can be seen as another alter-ego of Richard Kimble. The presence of Fugitive alum such as Carroll O'Conner and Ed Begley Sr. adds to the familiarity for Fugitive fans.

Jerry Goldsmith composes a strikingly strong score for the film, from the mildly bombastic opening theme through its more mournful renditions throughout the movie.

Janssen's performance as Richard Kimble made The Fugitive a television clasic, and here he imbues Sgt. Tom Valens with identical sympathy. Valens, on a stakeout for a prowler, encounters a doctor, James Rustin, who pulls a gun on Valens and is shot. The gun flies out of Rustin's hand, and is lost.

Because the gun cannot be found, Valens is suspended, and faces even greater trouble because Dr. Rustin has earned a striking popularity with neighbors of his for his medical efforts, both in LA and in his frequent flights to Baja. When Valens digs into Rustin's past, he finds some discrepencies with the doctor's image, but it all blows up in Valens' face in the death of a model Rustin was having an affair with.

Nonetheless, despite persistent pleas from his friends to admit to guilt, Valens pushes his investigation of Dr. Rustin, and he hits paydirt when he finds a curious truth about one of Rustin's elderly neighbors (and her dog), and when someone tries to kill him and then Dr. Rustin's nurse is found dead, leading to a confrontation between Valens and his ex-partner.

Janssen shines in this film, but gets superb help from his supporting cast, including George Grizzard as a playboy pilot who is always missing out on the action - or so he says.

Despite making a few lousy films, such as DONDI and THE GREEN BERETS, I've always liked David Janssen. He was a pretty good actor and I like seeing movies featuring relatively unattractive people because they are much more like us, the average viewer, than the more glamorous stars.

WARNING SHOT is just one of the movies Janssen did that I really like. It's a seemingly ordinary story about a police shooting but it is so well-written and realistic that the film sucks you inside and keeps your attention. It has the look of a TV movie (with its production values) that is written for a thinking audience who doesn't just want to watch shoot outs and fights.

David Janssen stars in what might be described as a "mid-'60s sun-baked L.A. neo-noir meets Dragnet-esque police procedural". This was probably Janssen's best big screen role of his career, although the film did still overall have the production values and feel of a made-for-TV movie. I thought director Budd Kulik did well with his blocking and the pace of the film.

Janssen, in his usual low-key but effective manner of acting, plays LAPD Sgt. Tom Valens who is accused of the wrongful shooting of a respected Beverly Hills doctor during a late night stakeout. Later, unable to locate the gun he claims the doctor had pulled on him, Valens is first relieved of duty and then must face a grand jury hearing after which the prosecutor played by Sam Wannamaker expresses his delight in "putting bad cops in their place". With all the evidence pointing to Valens' guilt and with few if anyone believing his story, he sets out for himself in search of evidence to prove his innocence. (sound familiar, fans of his most memorable television role?)

A number of well known and respected actors and actress of the time would make what could basically be called long cameos throughout much of the movie, as it does seem a bit episodic in some parts. Among those familiar faces would be Ed Begley as Valens' LAPD superior, Lilian Gish as a sweet but forgetful elderly lady, Stefanie Powers as a sympathetic nurse, George Sanders as an investment banker, Eleanor Parker as the decedent's less-than-grieving widow, Joan Collins as Valens' soon-to-be ex-wife, Steve Allen as a blowhard television commentator, Carroll O' Connor as the grand jury judge and George Grizzard as a playboy airline pilot.

The ending is a bit weak in regard to a somewhat illogical aspect to it, but overall it is worthwhile.

It seems the late, great actor, David Jansen always chased fame during his cinematic life. On television he was 'the fugitive' and due to its popularity, became not only a household name, but a fixture in American language. On screen, his movies are a thin veneer of what he really could have achieved. As one of his most ardent fans, I always believed he would one day peak. In this film called " Warning Shot " he came awful close to the mark. Within the story he plays Sgt. Tom Valens, a veteran L.A. police officer with a serious approach to his job. However five years prior, he tried to arrest a scared young punk who fired his gun hitting Valens in the gut, leaving him apprehensive about future suspects with guns. As a result, when Valens is assigned to a stakeout at an exclusive apartment complex, he confronts another frightened suspect and orders him to halt. The suspect instead runs suspiciously and when cornered draws what appears to be a pistol, prompting Valens to shoot first. It is later learned the man Valens' killed was not only a revered and social philanthropist, but a highly respected doctor, catering to the poor. Sadly, no gun can be found. Suspended from duty and placed on leave, Valens is advised to enlist a high profile attorney who like most others, advises his client to plead guilty and ask for leniency. Valens states he is a sore looser and opts instead to prove the good doctor was not so saintly as everyone seems to think he was. The film is highly underrated and with the star power has become a cult favorite. Ed Begley who plays Capt. Roy Klodin, Keenan Wynn who plays Sgt. Ed Musso, Carroll O'Connor, Steve Allen, George Sanders and Walter Pideon are among the most notable stars who have bit parts in the film. Together, along with the haunting theme by Jerry Goldsmith they are the reason why this film succeeds in becoming a David Jansen Classic. ****