An LA police officer is murdered in the onion fields outside of Bakersfield. However, legal loopholes could keep his kidnappers from receiving justice, and his partner is haunted by overwhel... Read allAn LA police officer is murdered in the onion fields outside of Bakersfield. However, legal loopholes could keep his kidnappers from receiving justice, and his partner is haunted by overwhelming survivor's guilt.An LA police officer is murdered in the onion fields outside of Bakersfield. However, legal loopholes could keep his kidnappers from receiving justice, and his partner is haunted by overwhelming survivor's guilt.
- Awards
- 1 win & 3 nominations
- Helen Hettinger
- (as Diane Hull)
- Greg's Woman
- (as 'Beege Barkett')
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaFranklyn Seales' screaming during the murder was unscripted.
- GoofsWhen Karl Hettinger is talking into the patrol car microphone, the microphone is turned around and he is actually talking into the back of it.
- Quotes
Det. Sgt. Pierce R. Brooks: Has your conscience ever bothered you? Like feeling - guilty?
Jimmy Smith: Mr. Brooks... I believe... I think that is something that rich white guys dreamed up to keep guys like me down. I honestly don't believe there is such a thing... such a feeling. Guilty? That's just something the Man says in court when your luck runs out.
This gripping first half, however, gives way to a more pedestrian-- though well-meaning-- second half that could use faster pacing and narrower focus. For example, what's the point of showing us Hettinger placing plants in his pick-up and then driving off. The scene consumes about 30 seconds of pointless screen time since we already know that gardening is returning him to mental health. At the same time, the screenplay pursues a number of diverse threads that tend to divide audience interest instead of concentrating it.
The film is ex-cop Wambaugh's personal project, and it's clear he uses the case to illustrate certain aspects of the criminal justice system. Not surprisingly, the appeals process comes in for special scorn. Shrewd cop-killer Powell is able to manipulate both court proceedings and the appeals process in seemingly endless fashion for his own advantage. Wambaugh is also in sympathy with the unlucky Hettinger who's been scapegoated for his partner's death. That scene where the beat cop exposes the unreality of a departmental rule is a little gem and also, I suspect, Wambaugh speaking through the actor.
Anyway, that first half amounts to a minor masterpiece of criminal derangement brought to life by Woods' unforgettable performance.
- dougdoepke
- Jul 18, 2010
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Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- Mord im Zwiebelfeld
- Filming locations
- Carlos Avenue & N. Gower Street, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA(actual site of the officers' abduction)
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $2,000,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $9,890,597
- Gross worldwide
- $9,890,597