Report to the Commissioner

Last updated
Report to the Commissioner
Report to the Commissioner.jpg
Theatrical release poster by Tom Jung
Directed by Milton Katselas
Screenplay by Abby Mann
Ernest Tidyman
Based onReport to the Commissioner
by James Mills
Produced by M.J. Frankovich
Starring Michael Moriarty
Yaphet Kotto
Susan Blakely
Héctor Elizondo
Tony King
Cinematography Mario Tosi
Edited by David Blewitt
Music by Elmer Bernstein
Production
company
Frankovich Productions
Distributed by United Artists
Release date
  • February 5, 1975 (1975-02-05)
Running time
112 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Report to the Commissioner is a 1975 American crime drama film based on James Mills' 1972 novel. It involves a rookie cop (Michael Moriarty) in the New York City Police Department who is assigned a special missing person case, which in fact is meant to be a wild-goose chase to back up an undercover female police officer's role as the girlfriend of a drug dealer.

Contents

The film was directed by Milton Katselas and features a musical score by Elmer Bernstein. The script is by two Oscar-winning screenwriters, Abby Mann ( Judgment at Nuremberg ) and Ernest Tidyman ( The French Connection ). It marked Richard Gere's film debut.

Plot

Beauregard "Bo" Lockley (Michael Moriarty), long-haired and thoughtful, is a new type of undercover detective in the New York City Police Department. He is assigned to find a missing young woman (Susan Blakely), but he is not told she is actually an undercover officer whose latest assignment is to get close to a heroin dealer, Thomas 'Stick' Henderson (Tony King), upon whom the department has long been wanting to stop.

Lockley finds her living with the dealer in the Times Square, Manhattan, area of New York City. Frustrated by his presence, as it jeopardizes her assignment, she arranges to meet with Lockley the following morning. However, when she misses the appointment, he goes to where she and Henderson are living, and in the confused shoot-out that follows, Lockley accidentally shoots her dead.

Lockley chases Henderson through the streets and into the Saks Fifth Avenue department store, and the two end up trapped in an elevator between floors, holding guns on each other. The two men bond during the fruitless negotiations that follow. They eventually agree to try to exit the elevator car through the trapdoor in its ceiling. However, the entire area is surrounded by heavily armed police, who shoot Henderson, killing him.

Lockley's and the policewoman's superior officers, determined to save their careers, scramble to come up with a story that would be minimally embarrassing to the department. They claim that Lockley, the woman and the dealer were involved in a lovers’ triangle and that Lockley shot her out of jealousy.

Cast

See also

Related Research Articles

<i>American Gigolo</i> 1980 crime drama film by Paul Schrader

American Gigolo is a 1980 American neo-noir crime drama film written and directed by Paul Schrader, and starring Richard Gere and Lauren Hutton. It tells the story of a high-priced escort in Los Angeles (Gere) who becomes romantically involved with a prominent politician's wife (Hutton), while simultaneously becoming the prime suspect in a murder case.

<i>Another Stakeout</i> 1993 buddy cop action comedy film written by Jim Kouf and directed by John Badham

Another Stakeout is a 1993 American buddy cop action comedy film directed by John Badham and starring Richard Dreyfuss, Emilio Estevez, and Rosie O'Donnell. It is a sequel to the 1987 film, Stakeout. Unlike its predecessor, the film was neither a critical nor a commercial success.

Michael Moriarty is an American-Canadian actor. He received an Emmy Award and Golden Globe Award for his role as a Nazi SS officer in the 1978 miniseries Holocaust and a Tony Award in 1974 for his performance in the play Find Your Way Home. He played Executive Assistant District Attorney Benjamin Stone for the first four seasons (1990–1994) of the television show Law & Order. Moriarty is also known for his roles in films such as Bang the Drum Slowly, Who'll Stop the Rain, Q: The Winged Serpent, The Stuff, Pale Rider, Troll, Courage Under Fire, and Shiloh.

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

Prince of the City is a 1981 American neo-noir epic 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 of the same title, by former NYPD Deputy Commissioner Robert Daley.

<i>Narc</i> (film) 2002 American crime thriller film directed by Joe Carnahan

Narc is a 2002 American neo-noir crime thriller film directed and written by Joe Carnahan and starring Jason Patric and Ray Liotta. The plot revolves around the efforts of two police detectives in search of the murderer of an undercover police officer. As they investigate, they engage in unethical behavior and uncover dark secrets that will challenge their fragile relationship.

<i>New York Undercover</i> Television series

New York Undercover is an American police drama that aired on the Fox television network from September 8, 1994, to February 11, 1999. The series starred Malik Yoba as Detective J.C. Williams and Michael DeLorenzo as Detective Eddie Torres, two undercover detectives in New York City's Fourth Precinct who were assigned to investigate various crimes and gang-related cases. The cast also included Patti D'Arbanville-Quinn as their superior, Lt. Virginia Cooper, and Lauren Vélez, who joined the cast in the second season as Nina Moreno, fellow detective and love interest to Torres. New York Undercover was co-created and produced by Dick Wolf, and its storyline takes place in the same fictional universe as Wolf's NBC series Law & Order, its spin-offs, the Chicago and FBI series, and Homicide: Life on the Street.

<i>Showtime</i> (film) 2002 film by Tom Dey

Showtime is a 2002 American buddy cop action comedy film directed by Tom Dey. The film stars Robert De Niro and Eddie Murphy in the lead roles alongside Rene Russo, William Shatner, Pedro Damian and De Niro's real life daughter Drena De Niro. The film was released in the United States on March 15, 2002. The film received generally negative reviews, with critics lamenting its lackluster humour and poor attempt to satirize the buddy cop genre. It received two nominations at the 23rd Golden Raspberry Awards: Worst Actor, and Worst Screen Combo.

<i>Rush</i> (1991 film) 1991 film directed by Lili Fini Zanuck

Rush is a 1991 American crime drama film directed by Lili Fini Zanuck and based on a novel written by Kim Wozencraft. It stars Jennifer Jason Leigh and Jason Patric as two cops in the 1970s who go undercover on a case. They become drug addicts themselves and, under pressure from the chief of police, falsified evidence in some cases. The book and film are both based on a 1978-79 drug scandal involving the Tyler, Texas police department and Smith County, Texas Sheriff's Office. An FBI investigation led to the book's author and her partner pleading guilty to perjury, serving time in federal prison, and testifying in a federal civil rights case against Tyler, Texas police chief Willie Hardy, who was found not guilty by a jury of his peers in Smith County, Texas.

The Badge of Honor novel series is a series of novels written by W.E.B. Griffin about the Philadelphia Police Department. Although the books were originally set in the 1970s and early 1980s, and the characters have only aged a few years, Book VIII, Final Justice, moves the story to the post-9/11 era.

Naked Alibi is a 1954 American film noir crime film directed by Jerry Hopper and starring Sterling Hayden, Gloria Grahame and Gene Barry. It was released on October 1, 1954 by Universal-International. Portions of the film were shot in Tijuana.

<i>Brooklyn South</i> Television series

Brooklyn South is an American ensemble police drama television series that aired on CBS for one season from September 22, 1997, to April 27, 1998. It was aired during the 1997–98 television season. The series was co-created by Steven Bochco, Bill Clark, David Milch, and William M. Finkelstein.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Killing of Sean Bell</span> 2006 killing of an unarmed man in New York

Sean Bell, an unarmed African American, was shot and killed by undercover New York City Police Department (NYPD) officers in the borough of Queens on November 25, 2006. Bell and two of his friends were shot when both plainclothes and undercover NYPD officers fired a total of 50 rounds. Bell's friends, Trent Benefield and Joseph Guzman, were severely wounded. The incident sparked fierce criticism of the New York City Police Department from members of the public and drew comparisons to the 1999 killing of Amadou Diallo. Three of the five detectives involved in the shooting went to trial on charges of first- and second-degree manslaughter, first- and second-degree assault, and second-degree reckless endangerment; they were found not guilty.

<i>Blue Murder</i> (miniseries) Australian TV miniseries

Blue Murder is a two-part Australian television crime drama miniseries produced by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation in 1995, and is based on true events.

The Baltimore Police Department plays an integral part in The Wire.

<i>Brooklyns Finest</i> 2009 film by Antoine Fuqua

Brooklyn's Finest is a 2009 American crime drama film directed by Antoine Fuqua and written by Michael C. Martin. The film stars Richard Gere, Don Cheadle, Ethan Hawke, and Wesley Snipes. Brooklyn's Finest had its world premiere at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival on January 16, 2009 and was released theatrically in the United States on March 5, 2010.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New York City Police Department corruption and misconduct</span> Overview of misconduct and corruption in the NYPD

Throughout the history of the New York City Police Department, numerous instances of corruption, misconduct, and other allegations of such, have occurred. Over 12,000 cases have resulted in lawsuit settlements totaling over $400 million during a five-year period ending in 2014. In 2019, taxpayers funded $68,688,423 as the cost of misconduct lawsuits, a 76 percent increase over the previous year, including about $10 million paid out to two exonerated individuals who had been falsely convicted and imprisoned.

Her Fatal Ways is a 1990 Hong Kong crime-comedy film. It is directed and written by Alfred Cheung Kin Ting and stars Carol "Dodo" Cheng, Tony Leung Ka-Fai, Sunny Fang Kang, Michael Chow, Sheila Chan and the Director himself. The film won the 10th Hong Kong Film Award for the Best Actress.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arianna Hernandez</span> Fictional character from Days of Our Lives

Arianna Hernandez is a fictional character from the American NBC soap opera Days of Our Lives, played by Lindsay Hartley. Arianna made her first appearance on April 15, 2009. In July 2009, it was announced that original actress Felisha Terrell had been axed from the soap and would be replaced by Lindsay Hartley. Hartley made her first appearance on August 28, 2009. In July 2010, it was announced that Hartley would be departing Days of our Lives and Arianna made her final appearance on November 8, 2010.