George C. Scott and Stacy Keach both give wonderful performances in this film. Joseph Wambaugh was a member of the LAPD and has written many excellent books that really bring police work to life. Wambaugh's most famous book is probably The Onion Field, but this is also an excellent adaptation. What I like about this film is its no frills, no punches pulled approach to the world of police work. It is a thankless, demanding, depressing and dangerous job. Scott is wonderful as the veteran cop who has "seen it all" and is a mentor to young officer Keach. SPOILER ALERT SPOILER ALERT After Scott retires from the force, he realizes how empty and meaningless his life is, to this man police work was his whole life. The scene where he takes the gun out of the drawer and kills himself was shocking and chilling. I was also surprised that they killed Keach's character in the end as well. This isn't a "happy" film to watch but it is true to life which is a hell of a lot more then I can say for a lot of films. The New Centurions does for the street cop what Platoon did for the foot soldier in Vietnam. It is a worthy tribute to them and leaves you with sympathy and understanding for what they have to go through. George C. Scott never gave a performance that wasn't first rate and this is no exception. Maybe because it is so downbeat this film is rarely shown on tv and to my knowledge is not available on video but it is worth your while to catch it. By the way, Isabell Sanford (Louise on "The Jeffersons") has an amusing cameo as a hooker that Scott arrests.
Review of The New Centurions
