The 60's loosened up movies a lot. It became okay, for example, to show crooked cops and real poverty. Older Hollywood in its preoccupation with glamour and the Cold War naturally shied away from such inflammatory topics. But the cultural revolt of the Vietnam period insisted on "telling it like it is", and I take this movie to be one of its products.
Greenberg (Leibman) and Hantz (Selby) are a couple of rookie cop hotshots who rock the precinct boat with their zeal and unorthodox style. Too bad we never learn what in their backgrounds drives them. Instead, the movie follows them on their exploits without explaining much of anything. It's kind of like watching a collection of sports highlights without the developmental threads of a narrative.
Still, the movie never drags or bores, plus the gritty shots of ghetto life are worth the admission price alone. Then too, the screenplay sure doesn't glamorize either the typical cop or precinct life generally. The "feel" here is of the real thing, one of the film's genuine strengths.
Unlike most films, however, none of the movie's characters are particularly likable. In fact, I agree with the reviewer who found the quirky Greenberg annoying, while the subdued Hantz remains something of a cypher. Now, there's nothing inherently wrong with this, except by the end, the two appear just the same as they were at the beginning. In short, all the murder, mayhem and human misery have affected them not at all, one way or the other.
All in all, the movie's an okay entry in the post-Serpico sweepstakes. Yet, despite its down-and-dirty look at urban policing, the story never manages any needed depth, despite the richness of the material.
