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Busting

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    Ian Jane
    Administrator

  • Busting



    Released by: MGM Limited Edition Collection

    Released on: December 14, 2012.

    Director: Peter Hyams

    Cast: Elliott Gould, Robert Blake

    Year: 1974

    Purchase From Amazon


    The Movie:


    Peter Hyam's 1974 cop film Busting follows two officers of the L.A.P.D.'s vice squad - Mike Keneely (Elliot Gould) and Patrick Ferrel (Robert Blake) - and introduces us to them just as they're about to bust a gorgeous high class hooker named Jackie (Cornelia Sharpe). The bring her in but she's sprung on bail the next day, apparently the 'trick book' that the two cops brought in went missing and the case was kicked out of court. More likely, however, a local 'businessman' named Rizzo (Allen Garfield) pulled a few strings at headquarters and got her off without any hassle.


    Back on the beat, the guys decide to go investigate some seedy activity at a local gay bar where a flamboyant queen (Antonio Fargas) tries to cut in when Mike and Patrick start dancing under the guise of not blowing their cover. When Mike refuses, a fight breaks out and he gets bit on the leg. Eventually their commanding officer, Sergeant Kenefick (John Lawrence), assigns them to stake out a men's room in the park that's apparently a popular cruising joint - but they're not taking this whole Rizzo thing lightly. Knowing that he's up to know good they start nosing around and figure out, after making a bust at a porno shop offering backroom handjobs (courtesy of Erin O'Reilly!), that he's involved in narcotics distribution. When they start making trouble for Rizzo by causing a scene at the strip club he owns and by following him around town, things get violent. Kenefick decides to split up the two best cops the vice squad has, but these two aren't taking no for an answer and are going to bring Rizzo in no matter what it might cost them.


    Shot on location at and around some remarkably sleazy looking Los Angeles locations, Busting has got loads of cool seventies atmosphere and style, from the wardrobe to the cars to Gould's massive moustache to the score, this one just couldn't and wouldn't be made today. Showing no regard whatsoever for political correctness (gay men are referred to as 'fags' and 'fruits' more than once) the movie was very definitely a product of its time, but that never takes away from its entertainment value. Front and center in all of this are Gould and Blake, who make a pretty great pair here. Gould's Keneely is a hot head, prone to solving problems with his fists, shooting his mouth off and getting himself into trouble while Blake's Ferrel is the more reserved of the pair, letting his partner do his thing but always prepared to back him up when the time comes. The fact that they play fast and loose with the rule book doesn't seem to bother them, even if it comes back to bite them more than once. The two leading men suit their roles just fine, with Gould's knack for snappy dialogue helping quite a bit. The other main player here, John Garfield as Rizzo, is also good in his part and it's interesting to see him balance his characters sleazy business dealings with his faí§ade of legitimacy and family values (at one point our cop heroes follow him into church). Throw in an interesting cast of supporting players, including Antonio Fargas as a gay bar patron with a mean streak, Frank Farmer and Sid Haig as Rizzo's bodyguards and Erin O'Reilly (of The Baby!) and Cornelia Sharpe as hookers and you wind up with a pretty solid group of bit part players to back up the principals.


    The film is very effectively shot, using some ominous red lighting in the gay bar scene to foreshadow the violence to come and employing some great POV shots in the requisite car chase scene that takes place in the finale. The filmmakers go for a more natural lighting style here, grounding the film in reality and eschewing the rapid fire editing popular in a lot of modern action movies in favor of a more calculated and deliberate approach. It might not have had quite the amount of substance, influence or cultural impact of similar films like The French Connection of Dirty Harry and quite frankly it isn't as good as either one of those but it's a very entertaining and occasionally sleazy film that fans of seventies cop films should really enjoy.


    Video/Audio/Extras:


    Busting look pretty good on DVD by way of MGM's 1.85.1 anamorphic widescreen transfer. Grain is moderate throughout but it adds to the atmosphere of the film and isn't ever a problem. Only minor print damage shows up here and there in the form of the occasional speck, there's nothing serious to note in that regard. Skin tones look nice and natural, black levels are strong and there are no compression artifacts or edge enhancement problems to complain about.


    The English language Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono track sounds just fine, offering up clear dialogue without any noticeable background hiss or noise. The levels are well balanced, the score sounds good and if it's a bit limited in range, that stems back to the source. No problems here.


    Sadly, aside from the standard static menu and chapter stops that we get on these releases, the only extra is the film's trailer - but it's a good one!


    The Final Word:


    Fast paced and wickedly entertaining, Busting is everything a good seventies cop film should be: tense, violent, stylish, exciting and just a whole lot of fun to watch. MGM's MOD/DVD-R release hasn't got a lot of extra feature love going on but it looks and sounds pretty decent and the movie itself is a blast.
































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