The Laughing Policeman

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Rick D Every once in a while, somebody does a police procedural that realistically portrays the difficulties the police face solving criminal cases. Hint: it takes a lot more than the Axel Foley method. The Laughing Policeman is an excellent movie in this mold. We start with a gun man opening fire on a bus load of passengers, including an off-duty cop and the guy he'd been tailing. When the police show up, they don't solve the case immediately with their data base of crazy suspects. They first have to figure out why the shooting happened. Was it just a psycho mass killer or was there more involved? It takes the lead detectives, played ably by the curmudgeonly Walter Mathau and the world-wise young Bruce Dern, a good part of the film just to figure out why the shooting happened. The movie has a lot of detours, interviews with suspects who either don't know anything or just spin stories to get the police off their back. I suspect much of the audience is so used to hyper-competent police that they didn't have patience for this movie. But I really enjoyed it. Though not up to the standard of The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3, it's another enjoyable 1970s police procedural with the great Walter Mathau. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 03/30/25 Full Review Sue C The low rating may be due to sexual issues or police brutality in "The Laughing Policeman" but regardless I, lifelong true crime aficionado, highly recommend this police procedural which I only just saw on TV in 2025 - so riveting I watched it twice. The surprising pairing of investigative pro Walter Matthau and rookie Bruce Dern as new partners investigating a mass shooting on a San Francisco bus in the opener sets the stage - opposites for most of the film, the two courageous and highly skilled officers mesh together seamlessly and wordlessly in the final sequence, a wild ride with a gunman on board another city bus. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 03/18/25 Full Review Brett G Damn stupid and boring - I want my two hours back!! Rated 1/5 Stars •  Rated 1 out of 5 stars 03/21/18 Full Review Audience Member A super opening and closing scene and Walter Matthau and Bruce Dern are the balls. The latter is extremely sleazy. It unfolds a little too easy but overall a solid 70's cop flick. Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/20/23 Full Review Audience Member From the early-70's zenith of crime and police-centered films, 'The Laughing Policeman' deserves credit, respect and recognition as a fine, gritty, accurate work that shows the way real officers interact and go through their work-days and solve crimes. Walter Matthau, mostly known for his astute comedic touch, is excellent, as is Bruce Dern, who's promoted to an uneasy partnership with Matthau, when the latter's partner, who was on vacation yet took an unsolved case home with him, is at the wrong place at the wrong time, part of a brutal mass murder on board a bus. The well-directed script shows how alienated a good policeman is from his family, how hated he is by most of the community, and the blind alleys and dead ends he has to go through in order to solve the case, and have it hold up in a court of law. It's 'Dirty Harry' or the 'French Connection' films done honestly, not as a fever dream of wish fulfillment from the policeman's perspective (though I must admit I love those too!)... Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/24/23 Full Review Audience Member Sometimes nothing beats a good, gritty crime thriller! Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/25/23 Full Review Read all reviews

The Laughing Policeman

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