BUSTING
Written and directed by Peter Hyams
Starring Robert Blake and Elliott Gould
Released in 1974
Written and directed by Peter Hyams
Starring Robert Blake and Elliott Gould
Released in 1974
Busting (1974) stars Elliott Gould and Robert Blake as two idealistic vice cops in Los Angeles who come up against some fairly rancid characters as they attempt to do their jobs to the best of their abilities, despite the corruption that surrounds them. This is significant because--despite the very unfortunate homophobia that occasionally spews from Gould's mouth--this movie brings out the reality that there are among us people who just want to do a good job and are often thwarted by the very people whose job it is supposed to be to allow a good job to happen by getting out of the way.
However different the off-screen associations are between the two actors, their friendship in this film is never questioned and those of us who are--as am I--suckers for a buddy movie will find this film very satisfying.
There's also a certain weary cynicism that creeps into the minds of these two which will be familiar to fans of mid-1970s cop movies. And the ending is worth the price of the tickets in and of itself.
I had watched an interview with Blake just a few days before seeing this movie. He looked good for all his troubles and was openly hostile to the pretentious fool who was asking him loaded questions. Blake has always been a beautiful loser to his fans and he still knows it. That got me to thinking that it might be fun to watch this period piece and I'm glad I did. It's great to see the two men bounce lines off one another like friendly handball enthusiasts. Their rebellion against the men at the top is calm and cocky, loose and strong. Busting is a weird film because we've come to see Blake and Gould as far too anti-establishment for their roles and that itself is part of the fun of watching this movie. Is it brain surgery? Nope. Is it worth your time? Absolutely. Is it better than Serpico? Yeppers.
However different the off-screen associations are between the two actors, their friendship in this film is never questioned and those of us who are--as am I--suckers for a buddy movie will find this film very satisfying.
There's also a certain weary cynicism that creeps into the minds of these two which will be familiar to fans of mid-1970s cop movies. And the ending is worth the price of the tickets in and of itself.
I had watched an interview with Blake just a few days before seeing this movie. He looked good for all his troubles and was openly hostile to the pretentious fool who was asking him loaded questions. Blake has always been a beautiful loser to his fans and he still knows it. That got me to thinking that it might be fun to watch this period piece and I'm glad I did. It's great to see the two men bounce lines off one another like friendly handball enthusiasts. Their rebellion against the men at the top is calm and cocky, loose and strong. Busting is a weird film because we've come to see Blake and Gould as far too anti-establishment for their roles and that itself is part of the fun of watching this movie. Is it brain surgery? Nope. Is it worth your time? Absolutely. Is it better than Serpico? Yeppers.
