In the Line of Duty: The F.B.I. Murders (1988)

I wanted to but couldn't!

Don't listen to the Hype. It's awful

The movie's only flaw is also a virtue: It's jammed with characters, stories, warmth and laughs.

It is an exhilarating, distressing, funny and profound film, with one of the more memorable film scores in years,

I own this DVD. I have watched this movie countless times over the years. I can remember watching this film as it aired 'live' for the first time on TV. I immediately knew it would be a favorite of mine for years to come. Upon researching the actors in the film, I noticed an actor had not been mentioned. At least- I believe it to be this actor. I was wondering if anyone would confirm this. Towards the end of the film, when Gross's character and his girlfriend Vickie are in the restaurant, and Gross's character mentions it may be his last 'hit', his character grabs Vickie's arm. On the other side are patrons of the restaurant- one of whom I believe is Kevin Sorbo. Am I correct? There are no credits for him.

This true story of a armed team of robber/murders hunted by law enforcement which resulted in the most deadly shootout in FBI history and the most studied armed incident after the Kennedy assassination was well told and intense .Michael Lee Platt and William Matix seemed to have split personalities that the chemistry of the two of them together ignited into explosions of violence and murder .Both ex-military , high combat proficency and they practiced their marksmanship regularly , making for a particularly dangerous duo .Platt in particular was amazing I wouldn't want to go up against him , he seemed to be a born assassin . Add to that their kamikaze attitude and their attempted capture was ripe for disaster .The FBI only adds to this with bad decisions on site , before and during , however their motives were as lofty as they come .They were trying to protect the public . One wishes they were able to make better choices because they were good men (Grogan and Dove )but the film is intense and worth seeing , all the more so because most of it is true .

Liberally based on true events surrounding a mid-80's F.B.I.investigation and notorious apprehension attempt of a pair ofmurderous, military-styled bank-robbers, IN THE LINE OF DUTY:THE F.B.I. MURDERS (1988) is well-scripted, beautifully acted,and superbly directed. The pacing and tension build up perfectlyas the two story-lines –– one involving the F.B.I. team diligentlyworking its way through the case, the other showing the harshcriminal viewpoint –– mesh together with ever-tightening switch- ups until the dramatic and bloody climax. Nothing feels forced orout of place, and nothing seems missing. Just solid story-tellingand top-notch drama from beginning to end.It's largely the casting which plays such a huge role in determiningthe quality of this picture, in my opinion. With screen veteransRonny Cox, as senior agent Ben "The Grinch" Grogan, and DavidSoul, as the sadistically deadly robber Michael Lee Platt, you haveboth sides of a very truthful and convincing acting teamrepresented. Add to that Bruce Greenwood, as the rookie agent,his ex-"Knot's Landing" compatriot Doug Sheehan, as anotherhard-driven and concerned field-agent, and a plethora of otherlesser-known but equally skilled actors and you have a solid cast. But the most notable and electrifying performance turned in is inthe surprisingly cold and delivered performance by Michael Gross,as fellow killer William Russell Matix. Here Gross completelysheds the compassionate, intelligent and endearing charactertraits so well-portrayed with his much-loved character StevenKeaton on the TV series "Family Ties", and gives a completelyinner-defined and chilling turn as a contradictory bible-thumping/womanizing, murderer and bank-robbing degenerate. Shockingand terribly engaging all in one. The film pulls few punches withregards to violence throughout –– the final "take-down" scene issurely one of the most graphic and bloody ever shot formainstream audiences, even by today's standards I'd wager ––but it never comes across as exploitive. The story is always themain focus of the film and for THAT reason it succeeds; it's simplya good, engaging story that needed to be told. I first saw this made-for-TV movie on it's original network televisionairing and was extremely impressed. Now, 15 years later, I stillhold it in high regard (with only the cars and the synth-drivensoundtrack music really adding any dating to the picture at all). Unfortunately, IN THE LINE OF DUTY: THE F.B.I. MURDERS, haslong since been out-of-print on VHS, and rarely turns up on TV. Forthose lucky enough to come across it I whole-heartedlyrecommend it.7/10. A made-for-TV movie that succeeds in being more!

The In The Line of Duty series stands out as excellent - I was fortunate enough to watch a police training tape that re-enacted the infamous shootout upon which this movie is based. The movie itself is well acted and directed. The shootout at the end is pretty amazing - in fact, it shows a real double-standard on the part of network television - they'll cut a theatrical film to death, but if it's made for TV, they'll spice it up as much as they want. You won't believe your eyes as Michael Gross (Family Ties) and half of Starsky and Hutch (David Soul), play vicious robbers, who are finally caught up with by FBI agents, and engage them in a bloody shootout. Gross and Soul take hit after hit before going down, and taking two agents with them. (This isn't theatrics, by the way. Those two men were adrenalized, and determined to get away. They really did take a lot of hits) The tactical mistakes made by the agents that day have reshaped police training forever.