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.

Both Susannah York and David Jansen are underrated screet performers. York had a bit more success on the big screen, while Jansen did better on TV with the Fugitive. This tight little mystery comes out of nowhere and takes you for a decent ride through the streets of San Francisco. And the secondary plot of the romance between Jansen and York works very well; although there were a 100 ways it could have gone wrong. The dress scenes are particularly good. A good, old-fashioned cop movie. Check it out.

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.

Good made-for-TV thriller involving the murder of a visiting priest Regis Cordic on the Golden Gate Bridge that everyone but his nurse Susannah York believes is a suicide. Nun York's resolve causes the San Francisco police to assign a defiant David Janssen to investigate. Janssen and York display wonderful chemistry working together to unravel the crime which eventually allows their characters to soften and let their hair down. There's a fair amount of overacting by Janssen and his boss Tim O'Conner but York is perfect in her role. The lack of run time doesn't allow any of the supporting cast to have their characters get developed. It's a good story though and there's great suspense as the movie builds to the climax. However, the saccharine ending was over the top and spoiled the realism of the rest of the movie. Nevertheless, it's still recommended especially for fans of Janssen and York.

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.