A team of lawyers lead by austere no-nonsense district attorney Joe Dubbs (well played by James Olson) try to get the goods on smooth mobster Dominic Leopold (a nicely suavely portrayal by Gilbert Roland). The lawyers need to get antsy informant Frank Romeo (a fine performance by Robert S. Castellano of "The Godfather" fame) to testify against Leopold in court. Director Buzz Kulik, working from a tight and engrossing script by E. Jack Neunan, relates the absorbing story at a steady pace and maintains a properly serious tone throughout. The excellent cast of familiar faces helps a lot: a pleasingly restrained William Shatner as crooked businessman Deaver G. Wallace, future "C.H.i.P.S." TV series regular Robert Pine as eager assistant D.A. Paul Hamilton, Jr., David Canary as friendly, dedicated lawyer Peter Gallagher, Murray Hamilton as Wallace's worrywart business partner Edmund Schilling, David Doyle (Bosley on "Charlie's Angels") as ramrod lawyer Luke Burgess, James Davidson as hot-tempered suspected drug runner Arthur Lloyd Trenier, Kathleen Lloyd as Trenier's concerned wife Louise, and Marlene Clark as Dubbs' doting secretary Rose. Castellano clearly cops the top thespic honors with his impressive turn as Romeo; he brings an appealing vulnerability to this scared little man who gets in way over his head. A scene with Romeo being chased in a back alley by a street cleaner rates as a definite exciting highlight. This film earns extra points for its realistic and unsentimental depiction of being a lawyer as a hard and thankless job. Moreover, there's a little welcome humor ("Don't call me sir") tossed in to keep things from becoming too heavy-going. Elmer Bernstein provides a lively and rousing score. The gritty urban street locations add authenticity to the plot. Well worth watching.
Review of Incident on a Dark Street
Incident on a Dark Street
(1973 TV Movie)
A solid and compelling 70's TV movie
11 August 2009
Warning: Spoilers