Last of the Good Guys

While it might be classified as light drama by today's standards, this is no ordinary movie. A most intriguing story of four rookie cops who defy authority and help out the family of a deceased cop just short of his pension, (Larry Hagman) and even the Sergeant who stands in their way. (Robert Cult) It might appear low budget and a little dated, but the values have not aged. It is probably something which is rare for a group of policeman, but you never know. There are still a few good cops out there, and this is their story. Don't expect a swish soundtrack (It's even worse than 'The Six Million Dollar Man') or dazzling special effects, and you will walk away from a viewing of The Last of the good guys feeling a little better about yourself and your so called enemies. You can find a friend in the most unexpected places...even an old 1970's 'B' grade movie!

Let me say that I really wanted to like this film, as I'm a fan of those films from the late 70's/early 80's, but it just didn't connect with me. There was certainly many familiar faces, including Robert Culp(best of the bunch), Dennis Dugan(can be annoying), Larry Hagman, Jonathan Harris, Ernie Hudson, and James Hong. Something that puzzles me is why there are several "uncredited" actors listed for this film on this site, especially when they all play important roles. They were listed in the opening of the actual film, and were "credited", so perhaps this error can be fixed. Back to the film, a big problem I had was the direction, as I couldn't tell if it wanted to be a drama or a silly comedy. The premise revolves around Hagman's character(Sgt. O'Malley)dying only days before he is to retire, and so he's unable to set his family up with a pension; that is, until his fellow officers do these crazy schemes in order to have the dead man avoid roll call each morning, so he won't lose his pension. This could've probably been an hour long show or just a special sitcom, but I'm not sure it warranted a full movie. This still wasn't a bad film, as it had a nice ending, and Culp was very good.