The Documentary

Episode aired Jan 3, 1997
TV-14
44m

IMDb RATING

8.0/10

191

YOUR RATING

Richard Belzer in Homicide: Life on the Street (1993)

Homicide: Life On The Street: The Documentary

Play trailer1:50

1 Video

9 Photos

Crime Drama Mystery Thriller

On New Year's Eve, Brodie screens his documentary about the detectives that reveals embarrassing lies and hidden truths.On New Year's Eve, Brodie screens his documentary about the detectives that reveals embarrassing lies and hidden truths.On New Year's Eve, Brodie screens his documentary about the detectives that reveals embarrassing lies and hidden truths.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

8.0/10

191

YOUR RATING

3User reviews

See production info at IMDbPro

Trivia
The 'documentary' captures a foot chase that runs right through a film shoot headed by director Barry Levinson - executive producer, and occasional director and writer of 'Homicide Life on the Street'.

Goofs
Many of the shots in Brodie's "documentary" are of scenes where Brodie (and therefore his camera) were not present.

Quotes
J.H. Brodie: [In the section of the documentary entitled 'Random Thoughts'] The rights of the suspect. Give me your thoughts.
Det. Frank Pembleton: You are a citizen of a free nation. Having lived your life in a land of guaranteed civil liberties, you commit a crime of violence, whereupon you are jacked up, dragged down to Police Headquarters and deposited into a claustrophobic anteroom containing a table, two chairs and cold brick walls. Have a seat, please. And there you sit for a half hour or more before a homicide detective, a man who can in no way be mistaken for a friend, enters the room. He offers you a cigarette, not your brand, and begins an uninterrupted monologue which wanders back and forth, eventually coming to rest in a familiar place: you have the right to remain silent.

Connections
Featured in Homicide: Life on the Street: Forgive Us Our Trespasses (1999)

Soundtracks
Boom Boom Boom
Written by Rod Hodges
Performed by The Iguanas

User reviews3

Featured review

Not your ordinary "Flashback"episode

This episode breaks just a tiny bit to watch the compilation of film footage(some of which doesn't actually jibe with the continuity,as per what was pointed out on an IMDb on the "Goofs" pinpoint on this ep)accumulated by unofficial squad documentarian Brodie(MAx Perlich,superb here). Weaving a previously undocumented investigation with previous cases,squad down time and even some artistic "flourishes",the video elicits a variety of reactions from everyone watching and creates yet another very human story to this show's cannon.After this season,I feel like the show would pull even further away from these kind of eps,so this show has a sort of bittersweet quality to it upon re-watching it some time after the show's run.