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Fort Apache, the Bronx

Play trailer Poster for Fort Apache, the Bronx R 1981 2h 5m Crime Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
80% Tomatometer 15 Reviews 66% Popcornmeter 5,000+ Ratings
Dealing with everyday police work in a notoriously difficult area of New York, a policeman struggles to preserve a sense of moral decency despite his colleagues more ruthless methods. When a boy dies in suspicious circumstances, the cop refuses to let it go unchallenged and faces the wrath of his fellow officers.

Critics Reviews

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Roger Ebert Chicago Sun-Times 10/23/2004
2/4
It's sort of insidious, the way a formula can take over and smother a good idea for a movie. Go to Full Review
Kenneth Turan New West/California 06/17/2022
Flaccid and undefined where it should be taut: Though much is made of its having been shot on location in the dread South Bronx itself, the picture plays like it was made on the Fox back lot. Go to Full Review
Alberto Abuín Espinof 08/28/2019
The film is sincerely direct, at times very raw, showing without compassion or bluntness a world full of misfortunes. [Full Review in Spanish] Go to Full Review
Dennis Schwartz Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews 07/25/2015
B
Too bad the pic had such an ugly and forgettable story. Go to Full Review
Chuck O'Leary FulvueDrive-in.com 10/09/2005
8/10
A realistic, colorful and always interesting study of a veteran police office (Newman) and his a rookie partner (Wahl) patrolling the rough streets of the South Bronx. Asner is memorable as their gung-ho new commander. Go to Full Review
Jeremy C. Fox Pajiba 09/17/2005
3/5
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Audience Reviews

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Eddie B Aug 14 A far more realistic portrayal of day to police life than anything else at that time. Exaggerated for sure but, still, a pretty good film with good acting. See more Apr 27 Saw in the theatre's and watching now in 2025. Meh. This wasn't all that great a movie even then. It's Shockingly Contrived. The story is haphazardly unrolled and it lacks cohesion. I love Newman and have other stuff of his in my collection but I'm gonna pass on this one. It was cool seeing it again but it'll be for the last time. See more thiago s @Thiagostone Mar 30 Filme legal, o roteiro é legalzinho, o filme dois policiais caçando bandidos pelos arredores do broxn, as cenas de ação foram boas, o elenco é bacaninha e poucos ajudam a melhorar o filme, os personagens são bacaninhas, e a história é bacana, a única coisa fraca do filme foi não ter um vilão que é focado, tipo a prostituta que matava alguns de seus clientes e depois morrer para alguns bandidos e não pelos policiais protagonistas, e depois os próprios bandidos que mataram a prostituta assassina, não foram os vilões principais do filme, e nem o maluco que os policiais estavam perseguindo que no final pegaram esse maluco, com tudo isso, esse filme parece um pouco com o dirty harry de 1971, e eu recomendo esse filme. See more Biker B Mar 17 There's never been a better movie that captures the NYPD in the South Bronx and the culture at the time! Great movie! See more 02/07/2024 Just how far is one police officer willing to go to do the right thing? In a certain part of New York City he's about to find out. The late Paul Newman plays officer Murphy. He still believes in the justice system working for everyone. His fellow officers prefer more ruthless methods. After a kid dies in the neighborhood he refuses to let it go and wants to bring a sense of moral decency. Although he might be on his own challenging their dismissal of the whole thing. He's also dating a nurse named Isabella who's willing to understand why he's been in the business for so long. Yet she's not all pristine as she makes it to be. She does her own thing living in this city since birth in order to escape. His precinct also gets a new police captain who wants to change a few things even i it means disrupting the natural order of the area. Murphy being in the business for so long now starts to see the dirty side. The movie shows a tougher part of a neighborhood when everything is turned upside down. Civil unrest and uprising from police action is expected. Plenty of real life parallels can be drawn from this; especially today with many wanting to reform the justice department and cut down on authoritative brutality/ abuse of power, public beatings, violent demonstrations, rioting etc. Goes to show there's still plenty of corruption in an established system despite the best of intentions to keep the peace. Even dirty cops being turned in barely makes a difference. Some think it's prolly better to stand aside than be a rat. The law is supposed to mean something. Newman is pitch perfect here as Murphy trying as hard as he can to stand by a dismantled precinct. But one can only put up with the backhandedness before things spiral. One of the late actor's best works. It's got that 1970s grittiness to match the grimy feel of the chaotic world too. See more derek c 07/14/2023 As a retired cop, this film gives a fantastic insight the day to day policing in the 80's 90's. Very realistic with great performances, of course Newman is the cream . Look up on YouTube as it gives locations for this film, really up there with the best cop films. Apparently influenced other shows. See more Read all reviews
Fort Apache, the Bronx

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Movie Info

Synopsis Dealing with everyday police work in a notoriously difficult area of New York, a policeman struggles to preserve a sense of moral decency despite his colleagues more ruthless methods. When a boy dies in suspicious circumstances, the cop refuses to let it go unchallenged and faces the wrath of his fellow officers.
Director
Daniel Petrie
Distributor
20th Century Fox
Rating
R
Genre
Crime, Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Feb 6, 1981, Original
Release Date (DVD)
Sep 9, 2011
Runtime
2h 5m