Report to the Commissioner

Play trailer

Report to the Commissioner

PG

Released Feb 5, 1975

1h 52m

Crime

Drama

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

43%

Tomatometer

7 Reviews

63%

Popcornmeter

100+ Ratings

Patty Butler (Susan Blakely) is a New York City police detective working undercover to investigate a Times Square drug-trafficking ring run by a street-smart crook named Stick Henderson (Tony King). When a naive rookie cop, Bo Lockley (Michael Moriarty), begins to investigate Patty, the incident ends with Patty shot dead. After Patty's death, Bo's corrupt superiors attempt to cover up the incident, and Bo is forced into an uneasy alliance with Stick Henderson.

Pauline Kael

The New Yorker

James Mills' characters are so flimsy that we need to be caught up in the suspense, but as Milton Katelas has directed the film, we have plenty of time to notice how illogical each plot turn is.

Oct 6, 2023

Full Review

Roger Ebert

Chicago Sun-Times

As long as the characters are caught up in events, the movie works. When the message comes along, it's prefabricated.

Rated: 2.5/4

Oct 23, 2004

Full Review

Steve Warren

The Barb (Atlanta)

If you loved Serpico, you may like Report to the Commissioner.

May 8, 2023

Full Review

Nicholas Bell

IONCINEMA.com

A rough-edged police thriller from the glory days of American motion pictures, Report to the Commissioner is a cynical, world-weary examination of covers-ups and cruelty, its depiction of soulless law enforcement an inescapable sign of the times.

Rated: 3/5

Oct 27, 2020

Full Review

Jacoba Atlas

Los Angeles Free Press

As played, Report To The Commissioner has a tightness and bitter reality that should not be overlooked.

Dec 6, 2019

Full Review

Bernard Drew

Gannett News Service

It is as boring as it is bewildering, as turgid as it is trashy. The motivations are so fuzzy and indistinct that they barely exist. The dialogue is so cliche-ridden and preposterous that the results are often ludicrous.

Jul 9, 2019

Full Review

Read all reviews

acsdoug D

The story is good enough, but what i really appreciated was the feelings of nostalgia the film invoked. Everything about Report to the Commissioner screams the 1970s: from New York City at its nadir to the soundtrack to the hairstyles and costumes.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

05/27/24

Full Review

Steve D

Bleak but never interesting.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

08/10/23

Full Review

Z M

Turgid, boring, Times Square looks awful like the movie.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

11/16/22

Full Review

delysid d

this movie is one of my favorites

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/06/22

Full Review

Audience Member

Great movie a bit aged but ahead of it time

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/24/23

Full Review

Audience Member

The torn-from-the-headlines type story (along with being written by Oscar winning screenwriters Abby Mann and Ernest Tidyman) made me think this might be something along the lines of "Serpico" or "Prince of the City." However, this film dips into melodrama and looses realism at several points, which makes it more along the lines of "Across 110th Street," which isn't a bad thing but it's not exactly Oscar mateiral. The story involves Michael Moriarty as a rookie detective put on a tasked with finding a runway girl who's really an undercover cop who he's unknowlings just provding a cover for. When he proves too good of a detective and actually finds the girl, things go downhill from there, leading to cover-ups and beauacratic nightmares. The film get points for a terrific gritty feel and great use of the NYC locations. There's also a good score by the great Elmer Bernstein. And it never huts to have a cast of 70s cop film regulars, including Yaphet Kotto, Hector Elizondo, Bob Balaban, William Devane, Vic Tayback and Richard Gere in his first film.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/31/23

Full Review

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

POST RATING

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

Milton Katselas

Director

Michael Moriarty

Bo Lockley

Yaphet Kotto

Richard "Crunch" Blackstone

Susan Blakely

Patty Butler

Héctor Elizondo

Captain D'Angelo

Tony King

Thomas "Stick" Henderson

Brannigan

25%

40%

Brannigan

Watchlist

Shamus

29%

37%

Shamus

Watchlist

The Outfit

80%

74%

The Outfit

Watchlist

Badlands

97%

90%

Badlands

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Badlands

Electra Glide in Blue

69%

74%

Electra Glide in Blue

Watchlist

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

View more photos

Synopsis

Patty Butler (Susan Blakely) is a New York City police detective working undercover to investigate a Times Square drug-trafficking ring run by a street-smart crook named Stick Henderson (Tony King). When a naive rookie cop, Bo Lockley (Michael Moriarty), begins to investigate Patty, the incident ends with Patty shot dead. After Patty's death, Bo's corrupt superiors attempt to cover up the incident, and Bo is forced into an uneasy alliance with Stick Henderson.

Director: Milton Katselas
Producer: M.J. Frankovich
Screenwriter: Abby Mann, Ernest Tidyman
Rating: PG
Genre: Crime, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Feb 5, 1975, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Jun 29, 2016
Runtime: 1h 52m

Most Popular at Home Now