This drama/comedy from Joseph Wambaugh, about cops in crisis, is all over the place. At its best, as in the scenes where detective Valnikov confesses his PTSD to his partner, Zimmerman, or relates his experiences with his cynical, dystopian ex partner, it resembles a good episode of the great 70s, TV series, "Police Story", which Wambaugh created. At its worst, as in the scenes with the bumbling captain and his assistant, it's like a not so good episode of "Barney Miller". And the stuff with Harry Dean Stanton as a sleazy vet pursued by loan sharks is another movie altogether so that this film has the general, awkward feel of two worlds, Bukowski, say, and Wambaugh, constantly bumping into each other. Maybe there was a way to combine these two very different parts into one seamless whole but, if so, it eluded director Harold Becker. You stick with it because Robert Foxworth, Paula Prentiss and Stanton are skilled actors and all do good work here, especially Prentiss whose ability to navigate both comedy and drama, often in the same scene, is admirable and reminds me that she had a dismayingly all too brief career, (basically quitting acting in her fifties). Also noteworthy is Owen Roizman's cinematography that brings early 80s LA, especially the parts bordering the Hollywood Freeway, alive for me. Give it a C plus.
PS...Both Foxworth and Prentiss attended Lamar High in Houston at roughly the same time. Ah, Google!
