Rating of
2.5/4
"Busting" by Yojimbo
Yojimbo - wrote on 04/09/12
A pair of disillusioned vice cops relentlessly pursue a criminal kingpin after being sidelined by a complacent and corrupt police department. This early 70s cop thriller from Peter Hyams has a nice "feel" to it; it has a suitably seedy atmosphere that's soaked in the suitable kitsch plus the Elliot Gould/Robert Blake partnership displays decent chemistry. There are a few funny lines and a couple of good action sequences but the main problem with the film is that the plot is a little too thin to be considered a gritty thriller and there isn't enough humour to carry off the buddy cop formula so it tends to fall between two stools. The result is a sort of "blaxploitation lite" that reminded me a lot of the superior Coogan's Bluff. Hyams virtually remade the film in the 80s as Running Scared which is much funnier, pacier and more entertaining. Not bad for a first attempt, but Running Scared should really be your first port of call.
