The Super Cops (1974)

A lot of fun.

To all those who have watched it: I hope you enjoyed it as much as I do.

There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

It's easily one of the freshest, sharpest and most enjoyable films of this year.

A Street-Wise Production with Authentic NYC Locations Highlight this Cop/Comedy based on the True Story of the Two Policemen Nicknamed Batman and Robin and The Super Cops by the Media.It is a Fast Paced, almost Highlight Reel, and the Ghetto Backdrop is in Deep Contrast to the Bouncy, Lighthearted Way the Cartoonish Cops go about Their Business of Busting Drug Dealers and other Assorted Criminals.The Institutionalized Corruption and Apathy also play a big part in the Picture but The Film Never gets too Deep into that Sensitive Situation or for that Matter it Hardly Slows Down Enough for the Drug Busts and Implications of the Effects these Scum are having on the Population. It could be Faulted for Being just a bit too Smiley Considering the Devastating Subject Matter.Given that almost Unforgivable Whitewash, the Movie taken on its Own Terms of being an Entertaining and Superficial Take on the Whole Broad Strokes of the Inner Story both on the Streets and In the Precinct, it can be Forgiven as a Lightweight and Sometimes Succinct, Well Directed, Acted, and Written Piece of Faction that Results in a Popcorn Movie with that Seventies Grit and Realism that makes it Hold Up.

Two rookie cops join forces to try and make a difference fighting crime on the streets of New York. They quickly learn they must also fight the corruption and bureaucracy in their own police department.Entertaining and offbeat crime drama from Gordon Parks which served as his first follow-up feature after directing the two successful Shaft films with Richard Roundtree. Like that series, Super Cops is given a big lift by some great on-location shooting in New York City which really captures the gritty look and feel of 1970's street life.It also benefits from two likable performances from Ron Leibman and David Selby as the rookie duo "affectionately" nick-named Batman and Robin by the locals. The rest of the cast is a solid mix of familiar faces from the crime and blaxploitation films from that era. Standing out is Pat Hingle as a gruff inspector trying to bring down the boys and Sheila Fraser - fresh off her appearance in the Super Fly films - as a prostitute.The screenplay is based on the real life exploits of NY police officers David Greenburg and Robert Hantz (who both have cameos in the film) and frequently veers between comedy and drama - albeit somewhat unevenly. It is still held together by the engaging story and the smart direction of Parks.

Director Gordon Parks' excellent buddy-cop corruption comedy, with a cast of great genre and character actors - this seems most often compared to Serpico, Dirty Harry and The French Connection from what little I could find on it. But really, it bears more resemblance to The New Centurions and earlier blaxploitation classics in terms of comic tone, racial politics and groovy yet tough protagonists. Curiously, there is a brief but enjoyable gunfight and chase through a building under demolition, making me involuntarily compare scenes and buddy mechanics with Starrett's The Gravy Train of the same year.Funny that it concerns a couple of unconventional cops nicknamed Batman and Robin, given that the screenwriter worked on the '60s series. Also, the presence of bulldog-eyed genre fave Pat Hingle, who would go on to repeatedly play Commissioner Gordon.Frazier has great inter-racial sexual tension with the also funny Leibman, and her scream session suggests that she could have had a terrific career in horror. Maybe now that this is getting screened at the New Bev in L.A. by Edgar Wright, one hopes that we could eventually see it surface from MGM for an HD broadcast.

This film has slipped through the cracks of film history. It is by far much better than some other New York films of the same era such as: "The French Connection" or "The Taking of Pelham 1-2-3". There is a gritty reality to this film which also manages to effectively use humor to further the plot line. It's engaging from start to finish and hasn't tarnished with age as is the case with the above two examples.Ron Liebman turns in a bravura performance as "Batman" and it's a shame his career didn't take off as a result of this project.Gordon Parks directs and, coming as it does after "Shaft", it at first appears to be a strange choice. Yet it is the flip side of that earlier effort and approached with just as much in your face machismo.Unfortunately this film has not been made available on either DVD or VHS in the United States. United Artists really has a gem on their hands and it's a shame they're not doing anything with it.