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Report to the Commissioner

Play trailer Poster for 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.

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Report to the Commissioner

Critics Reviews

View All (7) Critics Reviews
Pauline Kael 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

Audience Reviews

View All (8) audience 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
Report to the Commissioner

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Report to the Commissioner

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Movie Info

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
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