The New Centurions

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william d I saw this movie for the first time about fifty years ago. I didn't like it a whole lot back then, and my opinion didn't change the second time around. Rated 2.5/5 Stars •  Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review matthew d A gritty beat patrol of a film. Richard Fleischer's police drama The New Centurions (1972) is a bleak look at the day to day effect of a police route has on an officer of the law. Fleischer tackles all manner of intense subject matter like police training, corruption, profiling, alcoholism, brutality, racism, sexism, homophobia, boredom, violence, and misery. Fleischer takes Joseph Wambaugh and Stirling Silliphant's biting script and brings it to life with a dark realism. The New Centurions is fascinating, but it falls apart during the romance bits as Stacy Keach makes for a riveting new recruit not realizing he is turning into a jaded and biased cop. However, Keach is not made for romance drama as he sounds pretty flat during the more emotional bits. Jane Alexander plays so well with Keach in very gripping emotional honesty from her. Fleischer's direction is really interesting as he captures the dark alleys and bloody streets of L.A. with a realistic grit. The New Centurions is much like The French Connection or Fleischer's own The Boston Strangler, but not quite as magical as those films. The problem is that a few scenes go on for too long. There's like a 5 minute sequence about arresting prostitutes. There are engaging sequences like the police chasing down gang members running from a fight or a pair of cops interrogating immigrants about their rent. The latter of which is the best scene about good police work as they talk to the renters, who identify they have paid their rent and are actually overpaying for their terrible apartment, then George C. Scott's cop goes ballistic on the landlord who called the cops for no reason. George C. Scott is phenomenal as a hard edge officer who has been on the beat for 20 years. His self proclaimed rules for police etiquette are entertaining and revealing as to how corruption and illegal activity enters the police routine. Scott's sad anecdote over the phone to Keach is amazing acting as Scott provides a lot of subtle character moments. Scott Wilson is fantastic as a good cop trying to do the right thing. His encounter with a "robber" in the dark is haunting. Erik Estrada is interesting as a hothead cop in over his head. Quincy Jones' score is really cool funk music that doesn't always capture the appropriate tone for each scene. His music mostly cues in during the car chases, but these moments feel dour and somber in tone, until the upbeat Jones music chimes in oddly. Quincy should have gone with some more mature and serious music instead to fit the ultra serious tone and atmosphere of The New Centurions. Overall, this is a really great movie that could have been closer to Bullitt or The French Connection, but it feels closer to lighter Training Day. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review lanfranco c It is an hard job to be a Cop ! Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review Audience Member Os Novos Centuriões (1972) #MovieReview 3,5 â­?ï¸? O filme apresenta novos recrutas com policiais mais velhos e experientes e a rotina das ruas de Los Angeles, assim como os dramas familiares. George C. Scott muito bem e trilha de Quincy Jones. Muito bom! Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/25/23 Full Review ashley h The New Centurions is a disappointing film. It is about an idealistic rookie cop who joins the LAPD to make ends meet while finishing law school. George C. Scott and Stacy Keach give terrible performances. The screenplay is badly written. Richard Fleischer did a horrible job directing this movie. I was not impressing with this motion picture. Rated 1/5 Stars •  Rated 1 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review deke p saw it in theater in '72. Barely remember it. Was a pretty big movie, way back then. Back then i wdn't have believed i wd ever be saying: can't believe this is a young Stacey Keach. G.C. Scott always great. And LAPD ! Still, as i recall, the story was kind of a downer, and i'm not eager to see it again. Rated 2/5 Stars •  Rated 2 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review Read all reviews

The New Centurions

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