Libramedi
Intense, gripping, stylish and poignant
WillSushyMedia
This movie was so-so. It had it's moments, but wasn't the greatest.
Clarissa Mora
The tone of this movie is interesting -- the stakes are both dramatic and high, but it's balanced with a lot of fun, tongue and cheek dialogue.
tlooknbill
...AND a LOT OF QUESTIONS since the entire plot hangs on a police detective investigating in his own defense for the ensuing trial for shooting in self defense a man who turned out to be a doctor in a black trench coat carrying a black case suspiciously running away from the detective giving chase during a foggy night stake out only to be cornered and what appears to be the doctor pulling a gun on him.If you don't watch this opening scene carefully you'll miss whether you saw a gun or wallet pulled from the doctor's coat because the weapon could not be found in the investigation.You'll never figure out to the very baffling and surprising end what happened to the gun and question your own mind if there ever was one in addition to wondering why the doctor would run away from a cop. To me it made no sense which made me follow along paying close attention throughout the entire movie's involved connect the dots investigation amid rather still good looking and well acted cameo's of Walter Pidgeon, Lilian Gish, George Sanders and a sexy, gorgeous Eleanor Parker.I was so blown away by the level of specifics and detail in the plot that I had to look up the author of the book this movie was based on which IMO makes the "Columbo" series look like a Hardy Boys mystery. I thoroughly enjoyed this movie.
highwaytourist
This film was intended for TV, but released theatrically, and it's important to remember that. It's an OK detective thriller about a policeman (David Janssen) on a stakeout who shoots someone he thinks is a stalker in self defense, only to discover that the suspect was a respected doctor and that the gun he allegedly pulled can't be found. Accused of shooting unjustly, he conducts his own investigation to clear his name. The film is well-acted and sometimes interesting, but many scenes are not believable. If this had happened in real life, Jannsen's character would have never been given access to the people he questions, especially the victim's widow and loyal nurse, let alone obtained cooperation from them. Still, the story moves briskly enough and gives a view of Los Angeles at the time, which was going through a cultural transition to a greater degree than the rest of the country. If the plot and cast really interest you, give it a look and you'll be entertained enough.
telegonus
Warning Shot is a good, old-fashioned movie. David Janssen is the star, and acts in his usual style, like a cross between Alan Ladd and Jack Webb. The film is a murder mystery about a cop who claims to have killed a man in self-defense, only he can't find the gun he said the man was aiming at him. Buzz Kulik was a gifted director, and he handles this one well. Some people don't like this movie because it resembles a television show, as it does suggest in its visual style and art direction an episode of Mannix. This is too bad. It doesn't bother me at all, and the film is a hundred times better than Mannix ever was. Janssen was always at his best when hunted or woebegone. There was a quality to him,--I wouldn't call it sensitivity exactly--vulnerability, "hit-ability"; whatever it is, it's on full display here, and he does get badly beaten up at one point. The supporting cast is outstanding, with Ed Begley, Eleanor Parker, Keenan Wynn, Stefanie Powers and George Grizzard all first-rate. There's less for Walter Pidgeon and Steve Allen to do, though it's always nice to see them in anything. George Sanders has a small part as well, though he doesn't get a chance to shine, he seldom did in his later years.The movie was one of several attempts to revive the forties crime film, whether of the noir or detective variety, probably inspired by the burgeoning Bogart cult of the sixties. Frank Sinatra and Lee Marvin appeared in a few like this, and Warning Shot is Janssen's crack at it. This is my favorite of the group. It's lean and fast-paced, a bit episodic, but in a good way. There's a lot of exposition, and a few false leads, but it's never tedious. I like the downbeat, depression in the orange groves, west coast Chandleresque aspect of the film, with palm and stucco everywhere, and cars that seem the size of today's SUV's only they're just Fords and Plymouths. Warning Shot's a period piece, but an entertaining one.
back2wsoc
David Janssen, better known to television audiences as "The Fugitive", gives a highly charged performance in this 1967 thriller. While locating the killer of a California doctor, he crosses paths with a motley assortment of suspects: Lillian Gish (one of his patients), Eleanor Parker (his cold-hearted widow), and George Grizzard (as a swinging bachelor). Joan Collins is at her dazzling (and sexy) best as Janssen's ex-wife, Stefanie Powers is stunning as the doctor's devoted nurse, and Carroll O'Connor is properly staunch as a judge. With plenty of plot twists, you don't want to miss this one! Also, check out the psychedelic opening credits!
