Busting
directed by Peter Hymans
directed by Peter Hymans
This was a 1974 neo-noir movie with all the seventies moral and visual murkiness that I enjoy so much. Although the film is set in sunny LA, it really feels as if it's occurring in such east coast environments such as New York's Times Square or Boston's Combat Zone. Both places have long since been gentrified but to a man of a certain age like myself those areas still invoke a certain grittiness, squalor, and over the top sleaze.
Older people tell me that is what they were like in the seventies. Los Angeles had its own "bad side of town" but it's difficult to overexaggerate how much Busting eschews the sunny expansive cinematic view of Los Angeles.
This movie shares some DNA with such series as Death Wish or Dirty Harry in that men hemmed in by what they see as society's unfair rules strike out against criminals. Busting is different because it doesn't laud the guys breaking the rules.
Busting has some black humor. This movie couldn't be described as a fascist apologia, a charge some leveled at the other movies. Los Angeles Vice Detectives Keneely (Elliot Gould) and Farrell (Robert Blake) have been at it for a while without making much difference. They're not completely cynical.
The cops do their job but they think they are attempting to drain the ocean with a small bucket. The cops are becoming ethically lax, especially Keneely. What can a vice cop do to verify that a woman is actually a prostitute? Is an offer enough? Does anyone have to get naked? Who can touch whom? Can sex be verification?
Some cops will "sample the wares" and use their status as police officers to avoid paying or extort further compliance. Keneely isn't quite there...not yet anyway. Keneely and Farrell get a tip on busting a good looking high paid call girl Jackie Farraday (Cornelia Sharpe) who has some well-off clients.
Jackie's call book, which has a who's who list of horny men, including some politicians and police brass, disappears from evidence. Jackie has an expensive lawyer linked to mob boss Rizzo (Allen Garfiield). Requests for additional search warrants get lost in the system or are simply denied.
Finally Keneely's harried sergeant Kenefick (John Lawrence), claiming to be responding to serious pressure from higher ups, opines that this particular case isn't important. Kenefick suggests that Keneely might have not followed proper police procedure or misunderstood Jackie's statements and should say so in court.
And by "suggests" Kenefick means "do this or else". Not yet ready for the unemployment line or loss of his pension Keneely swallows his pride and retracts his sworn statements in court. Jackie is free to go. But you can't keep a good man down. Keneely and Farrell may be unorthodox but are offended by questions about their integrity and professionalism.
The duo investigates Rizzo's influence in prostitution, sex shops, nightclubs, and narcotics, as well as his links to police, judges, and lawyers. The two cops surveil and harass Rizzo. Neither cop is worried about Miranda warnings or probable cause.
Kenefick isn't happy. He reassigns the duo to raid gay bars or eliminate male prostitution in bathrooms--work deliberately meant to be as and experienced by cops as insulting. Rizzo is initially amused by the cops' vendetta.. Rizzo jovially points out that at his level it's difficult to tie him to illegal activity. When the cops ignore this and raise the stakes, Rizzo drops his friendly facade and begins showing his malevolence.
The question is how far either side is willing to go to "win", knowing that whoever "loses" will be replaced in a heartbeat. There is violence, including but not limited to a evening shootout in a street market, beatings, and shootings. The chase scenes on foot are good.
It's worth repeating that Busting has a quintessential seventies look. Especially at night but even during the day the colors are oversaturated. Detail is muted. Obviously there is some female toplessness/nudity.
Michael Lerner shows up as a suspicious adult store owner. Sid Haig is a bodyguard for Rizzo. Antonio Fargas makes an appearance as a jealous gay man. If you have seen Gould in the movie M*A*S*H, his work as Trapper John there was similar to his work here. This might have been a more enjoyable film if the director had given Keneely and Farrell better grounding: wives, girlfriends, children, siblings, or shown why they are so hot to get Rizzo.
