Warning Shot (1966) User Reviews

Goldsmith Score And Superb Cast Make For Strikingly Effective Crime Drama

[stp43 · 7/10 · 15 November 2002]

During a 1966 break from filming The Fugitive TV series, David Janssen joined with producer-director Seymour "Buzz" Kulik and screenwriter Mann Rubin to film Warning Shot. The film finds Janssen in familiar territory as a man wrongly accused and having literally no recourse but to defend himself, and his performance as LAPD Sgt. Tom Valens can be seen as another alter-ego of Richard Kimble. The presence of Fugitive alum such as Carroll O'Conner and Ed Begley Sr. adds to the familiarity for Fugitive fans.

Jerry Goldsmith composes a strikingly strong score for the film, from the mildly bombastic opening theme through its more mournful renditions throughout the movie.

Janssen's performance as Richard Kimble made The Fugitive a television clasic, and here he imbues Sgt. Tom Valens with identical sympathy. Valens, on a stakeout for a prowler, encounters a doctor, James Rustin, who pulls a gun on Valens and is shot. The gun flies out of Rustin's hand, and is lost.

Because the gun cannot be found, Valens is suspended, and faces even greater trouble because Dr. Rustin has earned a striking popularity with neighbors of his for his medical efforts, both in LA and in his frequent flights to Baja. When Valens digs into Rustin's past, he finds some discrepencies with the doctor's image, but it all blows up in Valens' face in the death of a model Rustin was having an affair with.

Nonetheless, despite persistent pleas from his friends to admit to guilt, Valens pushes his investigation of Dr. Rustin, and he hits paydirt when he finds a curious truth about one of Rustin's elderly neighbors (and her dog), and when someone tries to kill him and then Dr. Rustin's nurse is found dead, leading to a confrontation between Valens and his ex-partner.

Janssen shines in this film, but gets superb help from his supporting cast, including George Grizzard as a playboy pilot who is always missing out on the action - or so he says.

very watchable--a lot like an episode of Dragnet without Joe Friday

[planktonrules · 8/10 · 24 January 2006]

Despite making a few lousy films, such as DONDI and THE GREEN BERETS, I've always liked David Janssen. He was a pretty good actor and I like seeing movies featuring relatively unattractive people because they are much more like us, the average viewer, than the more glamorous stars.

WARNING SHOT is just one of the movies Janssen did that I really like. It's a seemingly ordinary story about a police shooting but it is so well-written and realistic that the film sucks you inside and keeps your attention. It has the look of a TV movie (with its production values) that is written for a thinking audience who doesn't just want to watch shoot outs and fights.

A shot in the Dark

[sol1218 · 8/10 · 21 December 2005]

***SPOILERS*** Practically unknown and forgotten little gem staring David Janssen as LA policeman Sgt. Tom Valens a cop who's been trying to get his nerve back since he came back on duty from an almost fatal gunshot wound.

Staking out the Seacape Apartment Complex one foggy evening for an on the loose serial murder Tom and his partner Sgt. Ed Mussco, Keenan Wynn,see this man sneaking along the complex swimming pool. Valens confronting the man and telling him to halt has him pulls a gun out of his jacket and is shot dead by the the undercover policeman.

Checking out his wallet the dead man turned out to be the respected Dr. James Ruston, Donald Curtis,a pillar of the community a philanthropist and champion of the poor and downtrodden in the L.A Mexican community and former Man of the Year of San Roserio to who's people he's considered to be a saint. Not finding Dr. Ruston's gun that Tom says he pulled on him has Sgt. Tom Valens suspended from the police force and set to be tried for manslaughter in Dr. Ruston's death.

The movie goes through a number of side stories about Dr. Ruston and the people who knew him including Mrs. Alice Willows, Lillian Gish, who Dr.Ruston was seeing the evening that he was shot and killed. Tom trying to get to the bottom of Dr. Ruston's strange actions that night comes across in number of contradicting facts about about Dr. Ruston that has to do mostly with his trips to Baja Mexico to help the poor there every Wendsday and then his seeing Mrs. Willows, making weekly night house calls to her, the next evening on a Thusrday?

Mrs Willows seems to have a advanced case of Alzheimer's and can't help Tom in his trying to find the reasons for Dr. Ruston's visits to her besides her diabetic condition, which didn't need his immediate attention. There's also the fact that Dr. Ruston was the person who got the old and senile Mrs. Willows the apartment at the Seacape Complex; was the man that much of a saint or were there far more cynical reasons behind his actions?

With his incitement imminent Sgt. Valens needs to find evidence to prove his innocence, by first finding Dr.Ruston's missing gun, before he's locked up behind bars. It dawns on Sgt. Valens that there's a connection to Dr. Ruston's trips to Baja that lead to his strange actions of him getting shot and killed but what exactly is it? There's also the fact that Dr. Ruston almost broke and bankrupt three years ago is now independently wealthy with no evidence of him having falling into any large inheritance so just where did Dr, Ruston's money come from? his many philanthropic ventures to and from Baja Mexico?

Things get even worse for Sgt, Valens when after seeing Dr. Ruston's secretary Liz Thayler, Stepanie Powers, she's later found murdered and he's the prime, and only, suspect in her death. There's also an attempt to murder Valens at his home by spiking his bottle of butter milk, medication for is ulcers because of him getting shot,and then turning on the gas range while he was out cold.

With Sgt. Valens and Mrs Willows next door neighbor, and his friend and licensed pilot, Walt Cody, George Grizzaed, planing to fly down to Baja to uncover Dr. Ruston's secret activities Valens suddenly changes his mind after Liz's murder realizing that the evidence to clear himself is not in Baja Mexico but right here in L.A County.

That night with an all out city and state police search for him, in both Dr. Ruston & Liz Thayers deaths, Sgt. Tom Valens goes to the spooky and deserted L.A's "Eternal Rest" Pet Cemetery to dig up the evidence that not only will clear his name, form pending manslaughter and murder charges, but his consciences as well.

Either or . . .

[inspectors71 · 30 March 2006]

You can take Buzz Kulik's Warning Shot one of two ways. It's either a crackling good cop show, filled with procedure and great pacing, and David Janssen at his most heroically pathetic (and empathetic) as an LAPD detective facing a manslaughter charge or the movie is an over-clichéd snapshot of forced topicality in the Mirandized late '60's. It's really your call.

I'd like to think of Warning Shot as both, the way The Detective and Madigan mixed the vulnerable with the vulgar. After about the fourth time Janssen's character, Tom Valens, gets abused or beaten or gassed by the well-to-do slimeballs he's sworn to defend, you might start to notice how he'd probably be better off copping a plea for shooting a philanthropist doctor. Instead he swears grimly that he's going to defend his own honor to the bitter end (and repeatedly almost gets his way).

Warning Shot is packed with cameos, people who were legends when I was a kid, and now, forty years after its release, most of the performers are unrecognizable, which makes the story more accessible and less of an exercise in "Hey, look--it's . . . "

What makes the movie work is that David Janssen, looking ten years older than 35, is so very real as a man of good character with no excess intelligence, just grim determination.

A key figure in the story refers to Valens as "Sgt. Gumshoe" or something like that. It fits. Janssen's Valens is ordinary and vulnerable to the hyperventilating police-haters all around him. He can't do much more than reel and lurch from one disaster to the next, while awaiting his guaranteed-to-be-convicted trial. At one point, he gets the stuffing kicked out of him and doesn't even lay a finger on his attackers.

His ex-wife (played by the reptillian Joan Collins) tries to screw him while busting the very organs she's depending on for their quickie. The District Attorney (the equally scaley Sam Wannamaker) announces to Valens that he likes to crush solid and stolid cops whenever possible. By the end, Janssen has no one to turn to for even the most rudimentary support, not even a union rep (a very young and lovely Stephanie Powers, the dead doctor's nurse, can do no more than cluck over his sincerity and give him a ride home).

Nobody can help this poor shlub except himself.

Which brings me back to why Warning Shot is a mixture of reality and topical paranoia. Often, in crisis, people have to revert back to their core values to save themselves. Either they don't have anyone to help them or they don't trust anyone and decide to go it alone. Janssen's Tom Valens does just that.

Yet, at one point, he's told that his career is through no matter what happens. You can see the pain of this reality on Janssen's face as he surveys the damage he's done at the end of Warning Shot. He tosses his piece on the hood of a police car (no gun love here--it's just an ugly tool he wants out of his hand) and looks almost ready to cry from frustration and exhaustion. Like Frank Sinatra's Joe Leland and Richard Widmark's Dan Madigan, Tom Valens needs to get as far away from police work as possible.

Investigation for Vindication

[bkoganbing · 6/10 · 12 December 2012]

Warning Shot features a grimly determined David Janssen trying to find out why a respected doctor pulled a gun on him and he was forced to fire and kill him. Janssen is a cop and he's got District Attorney Sam Wanamaker just itching to put him away.

Janssen and partner Keenan Wynn were on stakeout looking for a serial rapist and they were both anxious enough on that assignment. Now suspended Janssen has to rely on his own instincts in pursuing his own\ investigation for vindication.

Besides those already mentioned Warning Shot has a galaxy of film names of many generations going all the way back to Lillian Gish down to Joan Collins playing Janssen's estranged wife. As the film progresses these folks move in and out with some memorable and some perfunctory cameos.

Janssen who carries the film handles the burden well. I have to say that Warning Shot does not carry all that much suspense in that the real villain of the piece is obvious from when we first meet the character. Still it belongs on a list of fine made for television films

Janssen in (probably) the best screen role of his career

[AlsExGal · 7/10 · 5 August 2017]

David Janssen stars in what might be described as a "mid-'60s sun-baked L.A. neo-noir meets Dragnet-esque police procedural". This was probably Janssen's best big screen role of his career, although the film did still overall have the production values and feel of a made-for-TV movie. I thought director Budd Kulik did well with his blocking and the pace of the film.

Janssen, in his usual low-key but effective manner of acting, plays LAPD Sgt. Tom Valens who is accused of the wrongful shooting of a respected Beverly Hills doctor during a late night stakeout. Later, unable to locate the gun he claims the doctor had pulled on him, Valens is first relieved of duty and then must face a grand jury hearing after which the prosecutor played by Sam Wannamaker expresses his delight in "putting bad cops in their place". With all the evidence pointing to Valens' guilt and with few if anyone believing his story, he sets out for himself in search of evidence to prove his innocence. (sound familiar, fans of his most memorable television role?)

A number of well known and respected actors and actress of the time would make what could basically be called long cameos throughout much of the movie, as it does seem a bit episodic in some parts. Among those familiar faces would be Ed Begley as Valens' LAPD superior, Lilian Gish as a sweet but forgetful elderly lady, Stefanie Powers as a sympathetic nurse, George Sanders as an investment banker, Eleanor Parker as the decedent's less-than-grieving widow, Joan Collins as Valens' soon-to-be ex-wife, Steve Allen as a blowhard television commentator, Carroll O' Connor as the grand jury judge and George Grizzard as a playboy airline pilot.

The ending is a bit weak in regard to a somewhat illogical aspect to it, but overall it is worthwhile.

Warning! Warning Shot is only fair

[kikiloveslegwarmers · 7/10 · 4 February 2006]

What can I say. Just bought the DVD for the all-star cast. Out-dated story of a LA police detective who shoots a Beverly Hills doctor who he claims pulled a gun on him, but no one can find the gun. The rest of the movie shows the detective trying to prove he is not guilty, and that the well-respected doctor was really a bad-guy after all.

Lots of well-known stars in the movie, but the standout is the Elenor Parker who looks very sexy and plays the part of a sexed-up, drunken widow to the tilt. Aside from that, and a few laughs regarding butter milk, this 1966 Who-Done-It is bested viewed on a rainy Saturday afternoon, the one which I'm having right now.

Good cast, mediocre script, OK movie

[highwaytourist · 6/10 · 2 July 2010]

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.

Depression In the Orange Groves

[telegonus · 9/10 · 23 December 2002]

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.

The Fugitive

[AaronCapenBanner · 6/10 · 28 September 2013]

David Janssen stars as L.A. police sergeant Tom Valens, who, along with his partner(played by Kennan Wynn) are staking out an apartment complex when Tom spots a suspicious figure lurking around. He sees that the figure has a gun, so shoots and kills him, only to discover that the victim is a respected doctor, and that his gun cannot be found. Tom is then suspended from the force and charged with manslaughter, and becomes determined to find the gun, prove that the doctor was no saint, in order to clear his name.

Both star David Janssen and director Buzz Kulik were veterans from the classic TV series "The Fugitive", and this film has a similar feel, though is not up to it in terms of quality. Mystery is OK, if nothing exceptional, with a good supporting cast. Bittersweet ending will make you wonder how Tom will be able to prove anything at all...

Worth Watching.. once!

[dan_in_denver · 4/10 · 28 August 2002]

Sure this film is cheesy, and I agree with the comments that this film has a "made for late night movies" appearance, but consider the year in which it was made! I think that Warning Shot is a good movie, but by no means a great one. It is a police procedural / murder mystery that was typical in cinematography, casting, and scripting to all the other movies in the genre shot at the time. David Jansen does a good job the cop in trouble accused of shooting down an innocent man during a stake out that goes wrong. Joan Collins does a good job supporting Jansen's character as his sultry ex-wife.

The movie is worth watching, and provides an insight (as so many classics do) of the differences in society from then to now. One memorable example of this is the role played by George Grizzard as a desirable bachelor. In the scene with Jansen in his apartment, Grizzard tells him that he is an airline co-pilot and has a flight that day, then proceeds to pour himself a scotch. Or the scene with the insurance broker who is boasting of his firms new state of the art computer that covers an entire wall in one office.

Over all, it's a good movie. See the film, but watch it with an open mind and just don't expect too much. That way you wont be disappointed!

" Then my only option is to prove Dr. Rustin was no saint "

[thinker1691 · 9/10 · 12 January 2009]

It seems the late, great actor, David Jansen always chased fame during his cinematic life. On television he was 'the fugitive' and due to its popularity, became not only a household name, but a fixture in American language. On screen, his movies are a thin veneer of what he really could have achieved. As one of his most ardent fans, I always believed he would one day peak. In this film called " Warning Shot " he came awful close to the mark. Within the story he plays Sgt. Tom Valens, a veteran L.A. police officer with a serious approach to his job. However five years prior, he tried to arrest a scared young punk who fired his gun hitting Valens in the gut, leaving him apprehensive about future suspects with guns. As a result, when Valens is assigned to a stakeout at an exclusive apartment complex, he confronts another frightened suspect and orders him to halt. The suspect instead runs suspiciously and when cornered draws what appears to be a pistol, prompting Valens to shoot first. It is later learned the man Valens' killed was not only a revered and social philanthropist, but a highly respected doctor, catering to the poor. Sadly, no gun can be found. Suspended from duty and placed on leave, Valens is advised to enlist a high profile attorney who like most others, advises his client to plead guilty and ask for leniency. Valens states he is a sore looser and opts instead to prove the good doctor was not so saintly as everyone seems to think he was. The film is highly underrated and with the star power has become a cult favorite. Ed Begley who plays Capt. Roy Klodin, Keenan Wynn who plays Sgt. Ed Musso, Carroll O'Connor, Steve Allen, George Sanders and Walter Pideon are among the most notable stars who have bit parts in the film. Together, along with the haunting theme by Jerry Goldsmith they are the reason why this film succeeds in becoming a David Jansen Classic. ****

Janssen Light...If There Is Such A Thing.

[AudioFileZ · 6/10 · 1 February 2021]

Here's a movie by Buzz Kulik before he made the greatest TV movie of all time, Brian's Song. But the draw here is David Jassen while he was still at the top of his fame. You either like him or you don't because if droll conflicted was gold he'd be Fort Knox. Seriously his TV series The Fugitive was one of the top ten of all time. Here he's in every bit as much trouble as Richard Kimball, but this time he's on the other side fighting to clear his name to remain a detective and not an inmate. That sounds interesting as him being on the other side made for some of the best TV ever.

Well, lightning rarely strikes twice with so many possible other places. But, that isn't to say this movie should be panned. It's got a potent well of talent in the assembled cast, yet it is let down by a too simple plot and quite pedestrian writing. It either feels like an attempt to cash-in on Janssen while he's hot...or, just the birthing of a director who would become the master of the "TV Movie of the Week" format. But Janssen plays it with a real feeling of a man who has been handed a series of raw deals and still just is. He is broken but he kind of thrives on being broken and it is interesting to watch. If you're a Janssen completist you have to see this and if you just somehow connect with his rather dour, yet supremely human demeanor and style then by all means enjoy.

A TV movie lost on the big screen

[moonspinner55 · 3/10 · 31 October 2005]

David Janssen, much like Richard Crenna or Robert Wagner, was an actor ideally suited for the small screen. His stern, quiet authority and low-key personality made him a great TV detective, but in theatrical films like "Warning Shot", his hard-boiled, ambling charm didn't really come through. This '60s crime thriller involves an L.A. stakeout which goes awry for police sergeant Janssen after he shoots a nervous doctor. Janssen swears the doc pulled a gun, yet all the evidence points to the contrary. From Whit Masterson's book "711--Officer Needs Help", this must have looked awfully bland in theaters, what with a cheesy production and a tame, late-night-TV supporting cast which includes Stefanie Powers, Carroll O'Connor, Keenan Wynn, and Joan Collins. Despite these names, there's not a trace of camp value to be savored, mostly because the filmmakers have not a shred of good, dark humor. *1/2 from ****

Good Detective Film.

[inspt71-1 · 6 June 2004]

Warning Shot is a good film with an excellent all star cast. The story has an interesting plot. A cop is falsley accused of murder and he goes around trying to find a way to get his job back and clear his name. David Janssen is the cop, Ed Begley is the boss who gets mad when things go wrong. The cast and a jazzy

score by Jerry Goldsmith makes this film worth watching. It may not be the best movie in the world nor the best mystery but it's worth watching. *** out of ****

A Fun and Well Paced Procedural Film

[akoaytao1234 · 7/10 · 31 August 2023]

Watched this way back but forgot about it. Warning Shot is about a framed cop who is under scrutiny after a mysterious gun from a shoot out suddenly went missing. As he tries to muscle his way into knowing the mystery behind the missing gun, he discover something much sinister.

I just wanna start by saying, that this is a very beautiful film. Something about a string of those 60s film that has this crisp coloration. Everything just pops unnaturally good in it. Though I think the biggest strength of the film is it knows what kind of tone and pace it plays on. The writing albeit not the most predictable is done to death BUT it is still pretty impressive how suave the film conclusion went. Acting wise, not really the acting showpiece BUT everyone is admirable. David Janssen was a believable tough guy.

Overall, a fun film. Not a must a must watch but noteworthy.

I love it when people rate a movie as dated.

[mollytinkers · 6/10 · 18 July 2021]

If a movie was made last year and released this year, it's dated. That's the nature of how time works. Of course, some films feel timeless and, if they're lucky, remain topical; but the truth is, all art becomes dated the minute it happens. And then it becomes historical.

In this case, it becomes subjectively hysterical. All the reviewers commenting that this reeks of 1960s television are spot on. I was awaiting Raymond Burr to make not only make a cameo but to offer Janssen legal representation as well.

The cast is a who's who of who's why and who's what. The plot is neat, if only because the actual source material had been written almost 20 years prior. I wholeheartedly bestow a stoic nod to scriptwriter Mann Rubin.

I agree with those who think it worth one watch. If it's shown again on TCM, I will be doing housework--pausing the best parts when I take a break, ignoring the throwaway moments when I'm not. A solid 6 out of 10.

yesterday and today

[SnoopyStyle · 7/10 · 4 July 2021]

On a foggy night, LAPD Sgt. Tom Valens (David Janssen) is on a stakeout for a prowler-killer when he confronts a mystery man. The man runs for it and pulls something. Valens sees a gun and shots the man dead. The man turns out to be respected Dr. James Ruston and no gun is found. Capt. Roy Klodin (Ed Begley) questions his fitness after a previous incident. He gets suspended after an inquiry and charged with manslaughter by an eager D. A. He investigates to clear his name. Joanie Valens (Joan Collins) is his estranged wife.

This is ripped from the headlines and the headlines haven't changed much in over fifty years. The black protestor may as well be saying that in a BLM protest. The interesting aspect is that everything is slanted off towards Valens. He's the underdog and the victim. He doesn't have a lawyer. He has limited support from the thin blue line. He still goes to the standard police operating procedure by dirtying up the dead man. This movie touches on many present-day issues and it's interesting to hear so many echoes of today reverberating from a movie from so long ago. The story itself has a functional mystery. It's a bit slow in the middle and it insists on doing weird slow motion with its action. This is a compelling movie nevertheless.

Well made but it's just like outdated

[jordondave-28085 · 6/10 · 5 April 2023]

(1967) Warning Shot CRIME DRAMA

Sgt. Tom Valens (David Janson) while waiting around for a possible stakeout, he inadvertently shoots a suspect he was chasing, after he thought he saw him draw for a weapon. We find out later he is a beloved doctor amongst the community, resulting the Sgt to be in hot water. Which raises the question if the doctor was so innocent, why was he was running in the first place, and what was he attempting to grab from his jacket if it wasn't a gun, the Sgt had claimed he had seen he was drawing for.

In actual reality, and in this day in age, because of iphones and so forth, if it includes bystanders in general (majority of them are non white) are shot and killed by some racist/ trigger happy cops, via "Fruitville Station", "Selma" and "Detroit" to name a few... they are some times killed for a lot less which makes the entire experience to be somewhat outdated.

Sharply atmospheric tough-edged mystery

[herbqedi · 10/10 · 16 November 2002]

David Jansen gives a bravura performance as a police sergeant who gets tagged with a "Mad Dog" label after a stakeout turns into what appears to be a bad shoot. Ed Begley is terrific as the boss. Sam Wanamaker gives a convincingly cold-blooded performance. Steve Allen has fun as a blowhard newsman who selects Jansen as his target du jour. Lots of interesting twists, appropriately downbeat music, sharp-edged dialogue, and taut direction by Buzz Kulik make this one of my favorite mysteries of the 1960's, right up there with Harper and Wait Until Dark.

warning shot

[mossgrymk · 7/10 · 12 July 2021]

Call it "Harper" lite. Very Ross MacDonaldish look at mid 60s LA. Not quite as visually or dramatically effective as Jack Smight's earlier, better, Socal neo noir, though. More could have and should have been done with the gloriously tawdry Seascape Apartment complex and its very chlorinated, concretized pool, home to various kinds of City of Angels flotsam like corrupt airline co pilots, dead photographer's assistants, senile, comfortably doddering old ladies and aging dogs with heroin dolls in their mouths. Too many settings, by contrast, are of the uninspired, interior variety (i.e. Doctor's offices, lawyers offices, stockbroker's office, courtrooms, police station etc) as befits director Buzz Kulik's tv origins. Fortunately, Kulik also has the rapid, lets leave 'em hanging for the next commercial, sense of pacing that is a definite plus in this kind of crime drama pic. Also a plus are some fine performances from a wide assemblage of pros like Walter Pidgeon, George Grizzard, Eleanor Parker and Stefanie Powers, just to single out the four best, in my opinion. On the downside in the acting dept are the woefully talentless Joan Collins and certain old pros who seem to be coasting at this late stage of their careers, like George Sanders and Lilian Gish. As for David Janssen, as always his laconic, mumbling persona takes a bit of getting used to but once you're there he becomes quite effective in conveying incorruptible cynicism, a necessary neo as well as old school noir attitude. Give it a B minus. PS...Great 60s, jazzy score by Jerry Goldsmith is also a plus.

dated and overrated

[cluedo · 3/10 · 16 April 2000]

The film is very dated and highly overrated. Any film buff knows that continued reference to a supposedly non-essential theme (the dog) will have major relevance. The characters are TV stereotypes, and the entire production is no different from a below average TV movie.

Janssen is on the Case

[JLRMovieReviews · 8/10 · 17 November 2010]

I was going to say this felt more like something on TV, and here I find this movie was originally made for TV, but was released theatrically instead. David Janssen stars in this rather low-key but surprisingly well-made and effective movie about a murder investigation. It seems a kind doctor was making a house call at 11:00 at night. Odd, right? Why would he see Lillian Gish, who's a patient of his, at night, unless he had some other ulterior motive? That's up to David Janssen to find out, because he shot and killed the doctor, when the doctor pulled a gun on him. Only thing is, where'e the gun? And, why would an innocent doctor panic and run and pull out a gun? This features a slew of names, of movie stars and TV stars, which you can find listed here. But I will say, while Joan Collins may be eye candy for the men, she is rather lifeless here. And for that matter so is Stefanie Powers. The only highlight for the actresses here is the always dependable Lillian Gish and the always alluring and talented Eleanor Parker, as a far-from-grieving widow of the doctor. She really peps up the last half of the movie. David Janssen possesses his own way of acting with little to no emotion, but in a strange way he comes off very convincingly as a cop who's about to have his life turned upside down, because of his shooting an apparently innocent man with no gun. He must discredit the doctor and get to the truth. Will he? Maybe, but not before.....

misses by a mile

[rupie · 5/10 · 24 February 2000]

Maltin is completely off the wall in giving this one 3 1/2 stars. The incredible cast (Lillian Gish, for Pete's sake!!!) led me to watch it on AMC, but it turned out to be nothing more than an overblown made-for-tv movie. The plot is a completely conventional crime drama with no character development whatsoever; it just falls flat.

A gem

[MissClassicTV · 10/10 · 31 October 2015]

This is an absolute gem of a movie. David Janssen is charismatic and sympathetic in his role as a police sergeant desperately trying to clear himself of a manslaughter charge stemming from when he shoots a doctor in self defense. The doctor was making a house call at midnight at an upscale apartment building. Ed Begley as his superior and Keenan Wynn as his partner are both fine. But this is David Janssen's movie. He's not getting much help in solving this case. No one really believes his story so he has to investigate it all and figure it all out on his own. He interviews all these people - the little old lady in the apartment building, the playboy pilot living next door, the doctor's assistant, the doctor's widow, the doctor's stockbroker, and others - and we go along for the ride, including a plot twist or two.

The female supporting cast members seem to get only one or two scenes with him.

Lillian Gish plays the forgetful, eccentric old woman whom the doctor was seeing at the apartment. She's very good in a stereotypical role.

Stefanie Powers is the assistant/nurse who worked for the doctor. She has an easy, light touch; similar to David Janssen, she doesn't look like she's acting. She's very believable. I wish her character's part had been bigger.

Joan Collins plays David Janssen's soon-to-be ex-wife. Never one of my favorite actresses, she appears here like everywhere else I've ever seen her. She does a lot of posing and looks pretty but can't deliver a line.

Eleanor Parker, meanwhile, is something else. As the boozy widow of the dead doctor, her scene was a lot of fun to watch. That scene together with the one right after, when someone gets dumped into the pool, is worth the price of admission.

This is one of David Janssen's better roles. I highly recommend it.