Madigan (1968)

“[after Kane drops his shield on Russell’s desk] What am I supposed to do with that?” – Commissioner Anthony X. Russell

“Commissioner, I thought you’d never ask.” – Chief Insp. Charles Kane

Number of Times Seen – 1 (22 Apr 2020)

Brief Synopsis – Two police detectives are given 3 days t track down a murderer while both the lead detective and his former partner, the Police Commissioner both have problems with their personal lives.

My Take on it – This is yet another film that I came across by accident while seeking new films with Henry Fonda in them.

This i a great police procedural that works really well due to the fact that they show both the personal and professional lives of the two main characters; a gritty detective and his former partner who is now the Police Commissioner.

We get to see how each need to juggle things while trying to stop crime and catch a killer on the loose.

Fonda and Richard Widmark are both great here in these roles and they make us care so much bout their characters as things move along.

The choice to tell this story from a very gritty point of view works quite well in that it’s quite unapologetic in the way that it portrays both the men behind the badge and those they are trying to stop.

The plot and story line plays out really well and is able to show the kind of complex existence these kind of men live due to the various forms of tension and problems they come across on a daily basis.

Bottom Line – Nice police procedural that does a great job overlapping between various main characters and the issues that happen in both their personal and professional lives. Fonda and Widmark are great together in the two leads and help make us care about their characters and all that they need to do. The story is told from a grotty perspective that is unapologetic in the way that it portrays both the men behind the badge and the men they are trying to stop. The story plays out really well and allows us to see the complexity of this kind of work while also seeing the tension between the characters and their lives. Recommended!

MovieRob’s Favorite Trivia – Three cast members with key supporting roles (Michael Dunn, Inger Stevens, Steve Ihnat) all died within six years of the film’s release, before they were 40 years old. (From IMDB)

Rating – Globe Worthy (7/10)