Badge 373

Last updated
Badge 373
Badge 373 poster.jpg
theatrical poster
Directed by Howard W. Koch
Written by Pete Hamill
Produced byHoward W. Koch
Starring Robert Duvall
Verna Bloom
Henry Darrow
Eddie Egan
Cinematography Arthur J. Ornitz
Edited byJohn Woodcock
Music by J.J. Jackson
Production
company
Paramount Pictures
Distributed by Paramount Pictures
Release date
  • July 25, 1973 (1973-07-25)(New York City)
Running time
116 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Box office$1,100,000 (US/ Canada rentals) [1]

Badge 373 is a 1973 American neo noir crime thriller film inspired, as was The French Connection , by the life and career of Eddie Egan, here called "Eddie Ryan". The film, which has a screenplay by journalist Pete Hamill, was produced and directed by Howard W. Koch, and stars Robert Duvall as Ryan, with Verna Bloom, Henry Darrow and Eddie Egan himself as a police lieutenant.

Contents

The film was not successful, either at the box office or with the critics. [2]

Plot

Eddie Ryan (Robert Duvall), a tough, no-nonsense, abrasive and racist Irish NYPD cop, has to turn in his badge after scuffling with a Puerto Rican suspect who then falls to his death from a rooftop, but that doesn't stop him from heading out on a one-man crusade to find out who killed his partner of three years, Gigi Caputo (Louis Cosentino), all the while neglecting his new live-in girlfriend, Maureen (Verna Bloom). Ryan's search leads him to Puerto Rican drug kingpin Sweet Willie (Henry Darrow), and a shipment of guns for Puerto Rican independentistas .

Cast

Cast notes:

Production

Badge 373 was shot on location on the streets of New York City. At one point, in what film writer Jeff Stafford calls a deliberate attempt to recall the car-chase scene from The French Connection , which was also based on the exploits of Eddie Egan, Robert Duvall as police detective Eddie Ryan attempts to chase down suspects in their car by hijacking a city bus, [2] the 14th Street crosstown. [4] The chase does not follow actual Manhattan geography, and passes locations including the West 125th viaduct and a meatpacking plant, [5] and a branch of the record store King Karol at 460 West 42nd Street. [6] Locations for other scenes include the Manhattan Bridge, with the World Trade Center's Twin Towers in the background, and the FDR Drive, with the United Nations headquarters visible. [7]

On August 10, 1973, Paramount Pictures rejected a demand by the Puerto Rican Action Coalition to withdraw the film for what the coalition called the movie's racism. [8]

Crew

Controversy

Puerto Ricans picketed the film claiming it was discriminatory against that group. [9]

Critical response

The critical reaction to Badge 373 was generally negative. In The New York Times , Roger Greenspun pointed out the biases of the film: "All of the evil is perpetrated by Puerto Ricans, either innocent but violent revolutionaries who run around shouting 'Puerto Rico Libre!' or the uninnocent but equally violent nonrevolutionaries who manipulate them. Against such forces, Eddie the hard-nosed cop has only the instincts of his personal bigotry to guide him. And invariably the instincts of his personal bigotry turn out to be right. ... [U]nless you care to hate Puerto Ricans (or Irish cops) I don't see how the movie can have anything for you". [4] Variety called it "a ploddingly paced police meller with racist and fascist undertones ... Producer Howard W. Koch, doubling as director, demonstrates no visual style or energy and even allows the several obligatory chase sequences to dribble into tedium." [10]

Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times was positive, giving the film three stars out of four and calling it "a tough movie with some interesting things to say about cops-and-robbers morality." [11] Gene Siskel of the Chicago Tribune gave the film half of one star out of four, writing that it played "like a Mad magazine parody" of The French Connection, "only the filmmakers aren't kidding." [12] Kevin Thomas of the Los Angeles Times wrote, "In short, Hamill has turned out a hack script. The result is a potboiler movie that, if anything, patronizes rather than illuminates its working-class hero despite the authenticity with which Duvall, always a fine actor, invests him." [13] Gary Arnold of The Washington Post called it "a dull, shoddy spinoff" of The French Connection, adding that "Duvall's cop is a little cruder than Hackman's, and he also seems less capable. The lack of any originality in the characterization is a little embarrassing: 'Badge 373' seems to think it's different because Duvall insults Puerto Ricans, whereas Hackman insulted Negroes." [14] John Gillett of The Monthly Film Bulletin compared Badge 373 unfavorably to Dirty Harry in that "unlike Siegel, Koch fails to put his hero's activities in any kind of perspective; and even though the violence is kept in check, its ambiguities leave a somewhat repellent taste. All in all, another deeply divided and scarcely reassuring addition to the movies' composite portrait of the American police force." [15]

See also

Related Research Articles

<i>The French Connection</i> (film) 1971 American film by William Friedkin

The French Connection is a 1971 American neo-noir action thriller film directed by William Friedkin and starring Gene Hackman, Roy Scheider, and Fernando Rey. The screenplay, by Ernest Tidyman, is based on Robin Moore's 1969 nonfiction book. It tells the story of fictional New York Police Department detectives Jimmy "Popeye" Doyle and Buddy "Cloudy" Russo, whose real-life counterparts were narcotics detectives Eddie Egan and Sonny Grosso, in pursuit of wealthy French heroin smuggler Alain Charnier.

<i>Assassination Tango</i> 2002 American film

Assassination Tango is a 2002 American crime thriller film written, produced, directed by, and starring Robert Duvall. Other actors include Rubén Blades, Kathy Baker and Duvall's Argentine wife, Luciana Pedraza. Francis Ford Coppola was one of the executive producers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pete Hamill</span> American journalist (1935–2020)

William Peter Hamill was an American journalist, novelist, essayist and editor. During his career as a New York City journalist, he was described as "the author of columns that sought to capture the particular flavors of New York City's politics and sports and the particular pathos of its crime." Hamill was a columnist and editor for the New York Post and the New York Daily News.

<i>Beverly Hills Cop II</i> 1987 buddy cop film directed by Tony Scott

Beverly Hills Cop II is a 1987 American buddy cop action comedy film directed by Tony Scott, written by Larry Ferguson and Warren Skaaren, and starring Eddie Murphy. It is the sequel to the 1984 film Beverly Hills Cop and the second installment in the Beverly Hills Cop film series. Murphy returns as Detroit police detective Axel Foley, who reunites with Beverly Hills detectives Billy Rosewood and John Taggart to stop a criminal organization after Captain Andrew Bogomil is shot and seriously wounded.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Henry Darrow</span> American actor (1933–2021)

Henry Darrow was an American character actor of stage and film known for his role as Manolito "Mano" Montoya on the 1960s television series The High Chaparral. In film, Darrow played the corrupt and vengeful Trooper Hancock in The Hitcher. During the 1970s and 1980s, he was seen in numerous guest starring television roles. Darrow replaced Efrem Zimbalist Jr. as Zorro's father Don Alejandro de la Vega in the 1990s television series Zorro.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shelley Duvall</span> American actress and producer (1949–2024)

Shelley Alexis Duvall was an American actress and producer. Known for her collaborations with Robert Altman and for playing eccentric characters, she won a Cannes Film Festival Award and was nominated for a British Academy Film Award and two Emmy Awards. Four of her films are preserved in the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress.

<i>Prince of the City</i> 1981 film by Sidney Lumet

Prince of the City is a 1981 American epic neo-noir crime drama film directed by Sidney Lumet. It is based on the life of Robert Leuci, called ‘Daniel Ciello’ in the film, an officer of the New York Police Department who chooses, for idealistic reasons, to expose corruption in the force. The screenplay, written by Lumet and Jay Presson Allen, is based on a 1978 non-fiction book, by former NYPD Deputy Commissioner Robert Daley.

<i>Armored Car Robbery</i> 1950 film by Richard Fleischer

Armored Car Robbery is a 1950 American film noir starring Charles McGraw, Adele Jergens, and William Talman.

<i>Metro</i> (1997 film) 1997 film directed by Thomas Carter

Metro is a 1997 American action comedy drama film directed by Thomas Carter, written by Randy Feldman, and produced by Roger Birnbaum. It stars Eddie Murphy, Michael Rapaport, and Michael Wincott. The plot follows Scott Roper (Murphy), a hostage negotiator and inspector for the San Francisco Police Department who seeks revenge against a psychotic jewel thief, Michael Korda (Wincott), who murdered Roper's best friend. Metro was released on January 17, 1997 in the United States and grossed $74 million worldwide.

<i>The Friends of Eddie Coyle</i> 1973 film directed by Peter Yates

The Friends of Eddie Coyle is a 1973 American neo-noir crime film starring Robert Mitchum and Peter Boyle and directed by Peter Yates. The screenplay by Paul Monash was adapted from the 1970 novel The Friends of Eddie Coyle by George V. Higgins.

<i>Dragnet</i> (1987 film) 1987 comedy film directed by Tom Mankiewicz

Dragnet is a 1987 American buddy cop comedy film directed and co-written by Tom Mankiewicz in his directorial debut. Starring Dan Aykroyd and Tom Hanks, the film is based on the radio and television crime drama of the same name. The screenplay, both a parody of and homage to the long-running television series, was written by Aykroyd, Mankiewicz, and Alan Zweibel. The original music score is by Ira Newborn.

<i>The Pope of Greenwich Village</i> 1984 US crime dark comedy film by Stuart Rosenberg

The Pope of Greenwich Village is a 1984 American crime black comedy film directed by Stuart Rosenberg and starring Mickey Rourke, Eric Roberts, Daryl Hannah, Geraldine Page, Kenneth McMillan and Burt Young. Page was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her two-scene role. The film was adapted by screenwriter Vincent Patrick from his novel of the same name.

<i>The Positively True Adventures of the Alleged Texas Cheerleader-Murdering Mom</i> TV movie

The Positively True Adventures of the Alleged Texas Cheerleader-Murdering Mom is a 1993 biographical black comedy television film produced by and for HBO. It was directed by Michael Ritchie and starred Holly Hunter, Swoosie Kurtz and Beau Bridges.

<i>Code of Silence</i> (1985 film) 1985 film by Andrew Davis

Code of Silence is a 1985 American action thriller film directed by Andrew Davis and starring Chuck Norris, Henry Silva and Molly Hagan. Norris plays Eddie Cusack, a streetwise Chicago police sergeant who is caught up in a gang war between a vicious Colombian drug lord and the American mafia, while also dealing with corruption in his own department.

<i>Breathless</i> (1983 film) 1983 American drama film directed by Jim McBride

Breathless is a 1983 American neo-noir romantic thriller film directed by Jim McBride, written by McBride and L. M. Kit Carson, and starring Richard Gere and Valérie Kaprisky. It is a remake of the 1960 French film of the same name directed by Jean-Luc Godard and written by Godard and François Truffaut. The original film is about an American woman and a French criminal in Paris, while the remake is vice versa in Los Angeles.

<i>The Outfit</i> (1973 film) 1973 film by John Flynn

The Outfit is a 1973 American neo-noir crime film directed by John Flynn. It stars Robert Duvall, Karen Black, Joe Don Baker and Robert Ryan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eddie Egan</span> American police detective and actor (1930–1995)

Edward R. Egan was an American actor and former police detective. He was the subject of the nonfiction book The French Connection and its 1971 film adaptation.

<i>Unlawful Entry</i> (film) 1992 film

Unlawful Entry is a 1992 American psychological thriller film directed by Jonathan Kaplan, and starring Kurt Russell, Madeleine Stowe and Ray Liotta.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert Duvall filmography</span>

American actor, director, and producer Robert Duvall has had an extensive career in film and television since he first appeared in an episode of Armstrong Circle Theatre in 1959. His television work during the 1960s includes Route 66 (1961), Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1962), The Twilight Zone (1963), The Outer Limits (1964), The F.B.I. (1965–1969), and The Mod Squad (1969). He was then cast as General Dwight D. Eisenhower in the 1979 miniseries Ike. In 1989, he played Augustus "Gus" McCrae alongside Tommy Lee Jones in the epic Western adventure television miniseries Lonesome Dove. The role earned him a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Miniseries or Television Film. Three years later, he portrayed Georgian revolutionary and Soviet political leader Joseph Stalin in the television film Stalin (1992), which earned him another Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Television Film.

<i>Legal Tender</i> (film) 1991 American film

Legal Tender is a 1991 American erotic thriller film directed by Jag Mundhra and starring Tanya Roberts, Robert Davi, and Morton Downey Jr.

References

  1. "Big Rental Films of 1973", Variety, 9 January 1974 p 60
  2. 1 2 3 Stafford, Jeff "Badge 373" (TCM article)
  3. Business depicted was a botanica
  4. 1 2 Greenspun, Roger (July 26, 1973). "Screen: 'Badge 373,' With Eddie Egan:Ex-Detective Has Role, but Not of Himself The Cast". The New York Times .
  5. At approximately the 54-minute mark
  6. At approximately the 57-minute, 30-second mark. Address per King Karol advertisement in The Village Voice September 3, 1970, p.14
  7. At approximately the 72-minute mark
  8. Knox, Sanka (August 11, 1973). "Paramount Tells Puerto Ricans It Won't Withdraw 'Badge 373'". The New York Times .
  9. Briefs on the Arts: Puerto Ricans Picket on Film Ballet Theater Gains a Week Circle Troupe To Give 6 Plays Song Festival Delayed a Year Marginalia: New Of Film and Books New York Times 7 Aug 1973: 28.
  10. "Film Reviews: Badge 373". Variety . July 18, 1973. 14
  11. Ebert, Roger (July 26, 1973). "Badge 373". RogerEbert.com . Retrieved December 9, 2018.
  12. Siskel, Gene (July 26, 1973). "The Hireling". Chicago Tribune . Section 2, p. 5.
  13. Thomas, Kevin (August 2, 1973). "Eddie Egan Inspires Another Police Film". Los Angeles Times . Part IV, p. 11.
  14. Arnold, Gary (July 28, 1973). "Another Inside Joke by Egan". The Washington Post . D7.
  15. Gillett, John (September 1973). "Badge 373". The Monthly Film Bulletin . 40 (476): 188.