HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

''Cops and Robbers'' is a 1973
crime comedy film Crime films, in the broadest sense, is a film genre inspired by and analogous to the crime fiction literary genre. Films of this genre generally involve various aspects of crime and its detection. Stylistically, the genre may overlap and combine ...
directed by Aram Avakian with an original screenplay by
Donald E. Westlake Donald Edwin Westlake (July 12, 1933 – December 31, 2008) was an American writer, with more than a hundred novels and non-fiction books to his credit. He specialized in crime fiction, especially comic capers, with an occasional foray into ...
which Westlake subsequently expanded into a novel. The film stars Cliff Gorman as Tom and Joseph Bologna as Joe.


Plot

“Cops and Robbers” stars Cliff Gorman and Joseph Bologna as two New York City cops who turn to crime to fund an early retirement for each. They are neighbors and they are living an OK suburban life with homes, a swimming pool and families in a high-density community and they commute to work together. Both are working-class and looking for more money for a better lifestyle. Well, one cop, Joseph Bologna as “Joe,” robs a liquor store while in uniform and literally walks away into the night. After that, he tells his friend and neighbor “Tom,” played by Cliff Gorman, and both ultimately realize that pulling off a big heist would get them out of a dangerous job and, since they are NYPD officers, it gives them a big advantage in whatever crime they choose to accomplish. So, what do they do? They go to the mob! Gorman goes to a mobster’s house and asks what he would pay $2 million for them to steal. The gangster does some verbal jousting and finally tells Gorman about bearer bonds and that he would need to steal $10 million worth of them to earn the $2 million. It’s how they accomplish the heist and get the payoff that offers the clever details that make the movie. Here are some of “Cops and Robbers’” neat twists: • First, after Gorman, who is in disguise, meets with the mobster, some of the gang try to follow him to find out his true identity. As they follow him up an escalator from the subway, a uniformed cop (Bologna) holds up the line after Gorman has passed. Of course, the gangsters don’t realize at that moment that the two are together. By the time they get to the street, Gorman has disappeared, as has Bologna. • After deciding to rob a Wall Street brokerage during a tickertape parade for astronauts just back from space (the film is set in the early 1970s), they steal the bearer bonds, but then rip them up and throw them out a window as part of the parade celebration of a cascade of paper coming out of skyscraper windows. This idea is the key component to the whole robbery. They didn’t have to worry about anyone finding the stolen bonds: The bonds no longer exist and the crime is reported by all the media that $12 million was stolen. It’s the irony of the total reported, because the brokerage house executive robbed by the duo snagged $2 million for himself with no one the wiser, but the two crooked cops. • For transportation, the duo uses patrol units … “borrowed” and then returned unnoticed from a police garage. Of course, both have uniforms (although Gorman is a plain-clothes detective) and fit both to their advantage, especially at the end when they make the pickup of the $2 million in Central Park in an area where only bicycles were allowed … but so were police cars. In the end, they survive the mob’s trap in the park and get away with the $2 million, while the mobster is killed because he fouled up and lost the money to the two cops.


Cast

* Cliff Gorman as Tom * Joseph Bologna as Joe * Delphi Lawrence as Rich Lady * Charlene Dallas as Secretary * John P. Ryan as Pasquale "Patsy" Aniello * Dolph Sweet as George *
Joe Spinell Joe Spinell (born Joseph Spagnuolo; October 28, 1936 – January 13, 1989) was an American character actor who appeared in films in the 1970s and 1980s, as well as various stage productions on and off Broadway. He played supporting roles in ''Th ...
as Marty *
Shepperd Strudwick Shepperd Strudwick (September 22, 1907 – January 15, 1983) was an American actor of film, television, and stage. He was also billed as John Shepperd for some of his films and for his acting on stage in New York. Early years Strudwick was ...
as Mr. Eastpoole * James Ferguson as Liquor Store Clerk *
Frances Foster Frances Helen Foster (née Brown; June 11, 1924 – June 17, 1997) was an American film, television and stage actress. In addition to being an actress, Brown was also an award–winning stage director. Life and career Foster was born France ...
as Bleeding Lady * Gayle Gorman as Mary *
Walt Gorney Walter J. Gorney (April 12, 1912 – March 5, 2004) was an Austrian-American actor. He was best known for his role as "Crazy" Ralph in the 1980s slasher films '' Friday the 13th'' (1980) and '' Friday the 13th Part 2'' (1981). He returned to t ...
as Wino * George Harris II as Harry * Ellen Holly as Ms. Wells *
Randy Jurgensen Randy Jurgensen (born December 7, 1933) is a former American NYPD detective, best known as the lead investigator into the murder of patrolman Phil Cardillo as well as his contribution as a consultant on various film and TV projects. Early li ...
as Randy * Albert Henderson as Cop


Additional information

This film was also released under the following titles: * Entimotatoi kleftes - Greece (transliterated ISO-LATIN-1 title) * Flics et voyous - France * Polícias e Ladrões - Portugal * Rosvot ja jeparit - Finland * Se ci provi... io ci sto! - Italy * Snutar som robbar - Sweden * Treffpunkt Central Park - West Germany * Unos policías muy ladrones - Spain


Reception

Roger Greenspun wrote a favorable review of the film for the ''New York Times''.


Soundtrack

The score was composed and conducted by
Michel Legrand Michel Jean Legrand (; 24 February 1932 – 26 January 2019) was a French musical composer, arranger, conductor, and jazz pianist. Legrand was a prolific composer, having written over 200 film and television scores, in addition to many so ...
. The soundtrack was released exclusively on compact disc in August 2009. Track List: * Main Title (Cops and Robbers) * The Sellers * Uptown * The Buyer * Suburbia * Downtown * Wall Street * Papa Joe, The Padrone * The Caper * The Lush Life * The Chase * The Sleep Song * The Chase (alternate version)


See also

* List of American films of 1973


References


External links

* *
Cops and Robbers (IMCDb)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cops And Robbers (1973 Film) 1973 films 1970s crime comedy films 1970s heist films American crime comedy films American heist films Films set in New York City Fictional portrayals of the New York City Police Department Films about the New York City Police Department Films based on American novels Films based on works by Donald E. Westlake Films scored by Michel Legrand Films directed by Aram Avakian United Artists films 1973 comedy films Films produced by Elliott Kastner 1970s English-language films 1970s American films