Exoticalot
People are voting emotionally.
LouHomey
From my favorite movies..
Kailansorac
Clever, believable, and super fun to watch. It totally has replay value.
Neive Bellamy
Excellent and certainly provocative... If nothing else, the film is a real conversation starter.
quickwatson
"John Frank Williams, 899!"My memories of Police Story (I was 14 when it debuted in 1973) had convinced me that it was groundbreaking, realistic and documentary-like in its execution.Having just bought the DVD, I can state assuredly that it *was* groundbreaking. However, one must keep in mind that it didn't take much to shatter the ubiquitous, cliché-ridden terrain of prime time TV dramas from the 50 to the 70s!As far as realism goes, I'll have to take it on faith that Wambaugh's involvement assured that Police Story's plots hewed more closely to actual police-work. There's more internal politics at play than, say, a straight-laced show like Dragnet or Adam 12... but nothing particularly controversial to my eyes.The plots and dialogue (replete with hilarious, antiquated 70s jargon!) are still very much "on the nose," lacking in the kind of subtextual elements regularly enjoyed by Hill Street Blues, NYPD Blue, The Shield and The Wire. But I never expected it to live up to those shows; they were made possible by Police Story. I was just surprised that the non-procedural, family/home elements were more FAR melodramatic than I remembered.I'm not putting the show down by any means! I'd love to see more seasons released. (If for nothing else, it's a fascinating time capsule for 70s TV actors & production technique.) Recommended!
mapsend
The first season of Police Story is FINALLY out on DVD! You can order it at amazon.com or at shoutfactory.com. More than likely, the DVD will also be sold at some of the major retail outlets, but I don't know that for sure. Anyway, I ordered my DVD from amazon.com and I should be receiving it today or tomorrow. The first season DVD includes the pilot episode, titled, "Slow Boy", along with a Joseph Wambaugh interview segment. I can't wait for the second season to come out! In fact, I would be willing to buy all of the seasons now if Shout Factory were to release them all at once, which is unlikely, but hope springs eternal.:-)
shhazam2
If you read any Wambaugh novels, both fiction and nonfiction, you can really appreciate the skill, care and intelligence put into this rather short lived TV series.The stories had a feel of reality that probably reflected Wambaugh's experience; but, also shows his knack for capturing the real nature of police work. And to put celebrities in the leading roles of law enforcement had to be one the best, funniest, more sophisticated inside jokes that ever got on the little screen.If you ever have a chance to see any of these shows on the re-run channels, take a few minutes to enjoy them. You will be entertained and satisfied, really!
Brian Washington
This is one of the great lost treasures in television history. This was one of the few shows of that era that dealt with day to day lives of the average policeman and didn't portray them as super heroes. Much of this had to do with the fact that the man who was responsible for much of the stories was acclaimed novelist Joseph Wambaugh (himself a former Los Angeles police officer). Unfortunately, after this show debuted, it was overshadowed by the likes of "Starsky and Hutch", "The Rookies" and "S.W.A.T". These shows, and others, gave you a very inaccurate portrayal of police life, whereas this one showed police officers as ordinary human beings with the same faults and failings as ordinary people. Too bad this show is not shown in reruns anymore, but luckily we now have shows like "NYPD Blue", "Boomtown" and, of course, the "Law and Order" franchise to carry on the legacy of this lost classic.
