Flics et voyous

"Cops and Robbers" is an engagingly offbeat caper comedy, written by Donald E. Westlake, about two cops, Tom (Cliff Gorman) and Joe (Joe Bologna) who succumb to the temptation of corruption. They've come to believe that it isn't worth putting their lives on the line for the meager pay that they receive. They strike a deal with a mobster, Pasquale Aniello (the wonderful John P. Ryan) to serve as their fence while they go and steal $10 million in bearer bonds from a securities firm, using a parade as their cover.

Westlake infuses his script with a truly unpredictable sensibility and clever dialogue, brought to life by actors Gorman and Bologna whose bantering is believable. You can buy into the friendship of these two dissatisfied Average Joes. Director Aram Avakian keeps things moving along at a good clip, and he and his two talented leads milk each and every scene for its humorous potential. One can't help but wonder how our "heroes" are going to think their way out of the various situations in which they find themselves. One scene that will strike viewers as being rather original is when the car Tom and Joe are driving is surrounded by aggressive cyclists.

This also works as another irresistible time capsule of the city of NYC during the 1970s, a decade when it fared very well on the silver screen. The sights and sounds are a pleasure to take in, and the music by Michel Legrand and cinematography by David L. Quaid are prominent assets.

The supporting cast is a pleasure to watch, especially Ryan, Shepperd Strudwick as Mr. Eastpoole, and the beautiful Ellen Holly as Ms. Wells; there are noteworthy bits by the likes of Frances Foster, Martin Kove, Delphi Lawrence, Nino Ruggeri, Dolph Sweet, Richard Ward, and Joe Spinell in the role that officially "introduced" him.

The interesting finish to this movie juxtaposes happy and sad endings, and we can't help but feel some sympathy for one of the characters. This is clearly not a very well known film, which is unfortunate, but hopefully I and others can help it to gain some more fans. It's a funny, breezy, quirky little piece of work and doesn't overstay its welcome.

Seven out of 10.

Donold Westlake is a true American original. He wrote a number of great books on capers in the 70's including Bankjob and The Hot Rock. But his best screenplay is clearly Cops And Robbers which also benefits greatly from top notched performances and an effortless presentation of a tightly knit story. It is one of the few films from the period that has aged well and given the fact that it was never released during the VHS era (and rarely screened on television) it is a treat for those that missed it.

The DVD is nothing special (pan and scan without special features) but it captures the essence of the theatrical release and given the lack of close-ups it doesn't suffer a lot from being cropped. It captures the spirit of 70s morality without offending many. In summary, it remains a strangely uplifting "feel good" artifact of an era that generally feels more dated than the proceeding decade.

New York City cops Tom and Joe are in the mist of burn out. Why me syndrome eats at them in every way including getting in the wrong lane on the highway. They decide on a bold move to remove themselves from the relentless rat race by stealing and selling security bonds to the mob while remaining untraceable themselves.

Cops and Robbers is a very decent suspense comedy overachiever. Lack of star power works in its favor with Cliff Gorman and Joseph Bologna as the two rogue cops as non-descript everydays they ooze New York and are not required to perform acts of cool bravado to protect their careers. They are not master thieves, instead learning as they go along and it's this thin ice approach that gives the film it's well paced balance of humor and suspense.

Made during the Serpico era when the NYPD was swimming in corruption it's hard not to root for these dirty cops being squeezed on both sides. It may be a low rent sting but it does have the benefit of bluffing the audience deeper into the final moments than predictable outcomes reserved for superstars like Newman and Redford.

Cops and Robbers is an enjoyable, entertaining, and well-acted film. Directed by Aram Avakian, and starring Cliff Gorman and Joseph Bologna as two cops who decided to pull-off the "perfect crime".

Filmed in 1973, it's a trip down memory lane, capturing the grit and grime of New York City before it's "make-over" some twenty years later. Gorman and Bologna give their career best performances. Their interactions and conversations seem as real as can be. At no time what-so-ever, do you feel like these fine actors are acting.

The movie however is stolen by character actor John P. Ryan as mob-fence "Pastsy O'Neill". Ryan gives an academy award winning performance(he was never nominated), and you truly have sympathy for his character in the end.

A really fine work of film-making.

... which sounds like an odd combination of genres, but not really for the 1970s.

Joseph Bologna and Cliff Gorman star as two NYC cops who grow tired of seeing slimy characters grow rich while they can barely make ends meet for their families, so they decide to try a little heist for themselves. They don't want to pull any petty jobs..they want one great caper that will provide them new lives, but the problem is they don't really know what's involved or how to plan it, so they go (in disguise) to a mob boss who they know has skirted the law easily for years. He gives them the inside info on a Wall Street company, and the benefits of stealing bonds, which he will pay handsomely for. The day they choose? The day the Apollo 11 astronauts are given a ticker tape parade just downstairs from their target.

This is a crime/comedy..so needless to say, all does not go as planned, and their biggest worry isn't getting arrested for the actual crime, but for their problem delivering 'the goods' to the mob.

This was really a fun watch and much better than I anticipated. It is flat out a New York film and in no way is it 'Hollywood-ized'. It's true to the NYC of the early 70's..lots of corruption, chaotic arrests, the noise, the little messy shops on littered streets contrasted to the order and sterile space of the financial offices. The actors are NY too, and there is a natural feel to every performance from accents to body language. It's like a darkly funny crime caper set in a time capsule, and wonderfully watchable - not your usual cop movie.