Report to the Commissioner (MGM MOD)
Directed by Milton Katselas
Studio: MGM/UA
Year: 1975
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 anamorphic
Running Time: 113 minutes
Rating: PG
Audio: Dolby Digital 2.0 mono English
Subtitles: none
MSRP: $ 19.98
Release Date: May 2011
Review Date: June 24, 2011
The Film
3/5
After the monumental success of The French Connection, gritty, hard-hitting police crime dramas became all the rage. Some became as successful and iconic in their own right as William Friedkin’s Oscar-winning film (Serpico is one such example); others for one reason or another fell by the wayside. Milton Katselas’ Report to the Commissioner is an example of one of the unlucky ones. It has major flaws in its construction to be sure, but it also has a couple of set pieces that rank right alongside The French Connection’s great chase scene as major cinematic experiences. Too bad that it just didn’t click with audiences of the time and even today proves that a memorable film has to be more than just a sum of its parts.
Rookie detective Bo Lockley (Michael Moriarty) shoots and kills a girl named Chicklet (Susan Blakely) who he was unaware was an undercover narcotics cop. In piecing together their individual stories, we find out about Lockley’s peace-loving persona and Patty Butler’s (Chicklet’s real name) driving ambition that led them both to that fateful encounter in the loft with her drug pushing boy friend Stick (Tony King). We also see how the breakdown in police procedures resulted in the tragedies which occur not only to Lockley and Butler but also to a number of other New York City detectives.
The film’s major flaw is one of construction. In fashioning most of the film as a flashback after the shooting of Patty Butler/Chicklet, screenwriters Abby Mann and Ernest Tidyman rob certain scenes of their essential tension. By knowing Lockley is alive and being interrogated (with him serving for part of the film as its narrator) early on, an edgy face-off late in the movie with Stick in an elevator, one of the film’s crowning suspense sequences, is greatly reduced in effect. We know he gets out of this impossible situation alive. Before that, director Milton Katselas has helmed two outstanding action set pieces. In one, a paraplegic Joey Egan (Bob Balaban) trails Chicklet and Stick through New York City nighttime streets on his coaster slab, a sequence that’s guaranteed to increase one’s blood pressure. Almost as good is Lockley’s pursuit of Stick over Times Square rooftops, down the marquee of the Winter Garden Theater, and onto the streets before ending up at Saks. Both of these scenes are greatly enhanced by Mario Tosi’s crackerjack cinematography which really exudes the gritty, grimy feel of 1970s New York. Director Katsela also keeps the camera in the faces of all of the characters so we see thoughts and emotions pouring across their faces like so much sweat.
In his day, Michael Moriarty was one of those actors always thought to be the next superstar but who never quite clicked with movie audiences. Despite a Tony and a couple of Emmys, his big screen career never quite materialized (his co-star Robert De Niro of Bang the Drum Slowly got all the reviews and the big movie career). In this movie, he’s handicapped by playing a character who with one fewer brain cell would be a cabbage. He excels at moments of confusion (he seems to spend much of the movie in a daze, another reason the film likely didn’t catch on) and does as well as he can with such a poorly written character. As his partner Yaphet Kotto steals the show in a performance that’s equal parts bluster and bluff. As Stick, Tony King has his showcase moment in the elevator confrontation, a scene he handles with expert craftsmanship. Susan Blakely is fresh-faced but not quite grounded enough or tough enough for the role of an undercover cop; one never thinks for a minute that she’s in control of the dangerous situation she’s in. As mid-level detectives partly responsible for the fiasco that ensues, Hector Elizondo, Michael McGuire, and Vic Tayback are all excellent. In smaller but undoubtedly notable roles, Richard Gere (in his screen debut) as a pimp and William Devane as a D.A. are both very effective.
Video Quality
4/5
The film’s theatrical aspect ratio of 1.85:1 is faithfully reproduced here and is presented with anamorphic enhancement. Clarity is excellent throughout, and while some flesh tones occasionally veer to the red side, they’re generally fine, and color saturation levels are good. Contrast has been nicely dialed in, and black levels are very good even if shadows occasionally crush some detail. There is minor aliasing in some subway grates and a wall panel with some tight line structures, but these are minor annoyances. The film has been divided into chapters every ten minutes so there are 12 chapters.
Audio Quality
3.5/5
The Dolby Digital 2.0 mono audio track is decoded properly by Dolby Prologic into the center channel. Despite some low level hiss throughout (which is only really noticeable in the quieter scenes), this audio track is very typical of its era. Dialogue is sometimes a bit garbled due to the rapid-fire talking of some of the actors, but it’s usually combined smoothly with the ambient sounds of the city and Elmer Bernstein’s brittle score. Fidelity is quite good with gunshots and sounds of the New York City streets carrying a good deal of weight for a mono track.
Special Features
1/5
The theatrical trailer is presented in anamorphic widescreen and runs for 2 ¼ minutes.
In Conclusion
3/5 (not an average)
Report to the Commissioner is an interesting if somewhat flawed crime drama of the turbulent 1970s. Its downbeat tone and generally unlikable characters may prevent it from being routinely popular, but it remains a good example of the mid-tier quality film that was being produced in the 1970s.
Matt Hough
Charlotte, NC
