Meurtres à San Francisco

David Janssen growls his way through this movie, playing an initially hard-assed cop who is ordered to investigate what seems like the obvious suicide of an internationally renowned priest. Susannah York plays a nun friend of the priest from South Africa who doesn't believe he'd commit suicide. Strangely, she always seems to appears in soft focus. The relationship between the two gradually becomes smoother and gentler, as he begins to believe that it may have been murder after all, and not suicide. There are some brief shots of Alcatraz, the Japanese Tea Garden, North Beach, Coit Tower and the Bridge itself appears briefly but the majority of the movie is set indoors. It's definitely a TV Movie story, but the decent performances make up for the lack of impetus in the investigation. The final scenes bring the action up to speed as the killer is confronted at night on a typically foggy Golden Gate Bridge. Janssen's fellow detective has to get past his fear of heights in order to save Susannah York from a drop of 200 feet or so. At the conclusion, the two protagonists say their farewells, and it's nice to see the affection they have for each other grow. Janssen appears to have mellowed in the last few days by getting to know someone decent, and not the usual cops and criminals he usually associates with. A surprisingly schmulzy ending aboard the plane could have been left out. Janssen's cat is named Dirty Harry after one of the city's better known hard-assed cops.

A mysterious creeper in a long robe and mask is tossing folks off the Golden Gate bridge. Det. Paul Silver (David Janssen) gets the case after a visiting priest from South Africa is the latest victim. Everyone wants to dismiss it as suicide, but Silver isn't so sure and is even more convinced by Sister Benecia (Susannah York), a nun who was traveling with the priest. She refuses to return home and instead stays with Silver as the two try to figure out if someone really is chucking folks into the Bay. This TV movie is quite a lot better than it seems to have any right to be. Director Walter Grauman is a longtime television vet and he gets great use out of San Francisco. Even better, there is a real rapport between the two leads and David J. Kinghorn's teleplay is actually quite touching at times when it comes to their budding relationship. Janssen was a TV movie staple at this point after various series (THE FUGITIVE, O'HARA U.S. TREASURY, HARRY O). Sadly, in just the few years since HARRY O ended in 1976, he definitely aged quite a bit. This originally aired in October 1979 and he passed away just four months later.

I truly love this movie! I remember clearly watching it on TV in 1979 when it came out.....I was completely absorbed in it and it seemed completely believable! It is really a love story of two kind people who find joy in each other's company, even though they are an improbable pair, a nun and a gruff "cop." David Janssen and Susannah York are very real, and their story is almost a fairy tale in its simplicity. Its charm is in the dialogue. I can watch this movie repeatedly. It led me to research David Janssen. I was sorry to read that he died in 1980. The cat named "Dirty Harry" probably related to David's friendship with Clint Eastwood. Highly recommended movie for romantics.

David Janssen overplays the grouchy bit, but it's still a wonderful and fitting sign off for one of TV's most memorable actors. (He died shortly after this film played. He was 48!)

He and the delightful Susannah York have great chemistry and this film is really all about them. Still perfectly watchable, even today.

When a priest falls to his death from San Fransisco's Golden gate bridge, it is ruled a suicide. But nun, and close friend, Susannah York doesn't believe it. Crusty police detective David Janssen gets assigned to her, to get her off the police department's back. He can't convince her of the suicide, so they start a routine investigation. He also starts to get suspicious, and as they are digging they uncover a potential serial killer, as well as feelings they each thought incapable of.

A made-for-TV thriller that wasn't given permission to shoot on the bridge itself. So cheap studio sets were used. But it doesn't really matter, David Janssen ('Richard Diamond, Private Detective', 'The Fugitive') and Susannah York ('They Shoot Horses, Don't They?') are great and have excellent chemistry. This was one of Janssen's last movies, he died soon after this movie was released, but he's great, he basically plays an older, more worldweary version of his iconic Richard Diamond character, only this time the one-liners are more cynical and blunter. And watch out for a cameo by Dirty Harry dressed up as a cat :)

Director Walter Grauman ('The Untouchables') and DoP Jack Swain ('Cannon') were TV veterans and it shows. There's nothing spectacular about the movie's directing or looks, but it's professional and effective, and because of having to use sets for the Golden Gate bridge, they turn it into a bit of an advantage by accentuating the claustrophobic, eerie qualities of a bridge covered in fog. The climax is brief but satisfactory, however the epilogue is overly sugary. All in all tho, I was pleasantly surprised. Recommended.