Jan 26 2009
Strike Force (Review)
STRIKE FORCE (1975)
Starring Richard Gere (Chicago)
In the realm of made-for-TV movies, it’s rare that I’ll come across an action movie let alone an action with Richard Gere. But as I soon found out, this was actually a pilot for a TV series that never came to be. How could I tell? Just give the music a listen and tell me if that sounds like the soundtrack to a TV series or a movie.
So Strike Force is a special unit of mismatched cops trying to take down a heroin ring in New York City. The team is composed of Detective Joey Gentry, a street-smart narcotics officer, FBI Agent Jerome Ripley, strictly by-the-book straight man, and Trooper Walter Spenser (Richard Gere), the young and eager cop specializing in surveillance. Together, they use their skills and personalities to uncover the drug ring and work together as a team. For the most part, they have a decent relationship. Even the black member of the team, Jerome, is pretty cool and calm when he explains to Joey…
“We don’t all play basketball, honky.”
Their tactics are pretty standard cop show affair. Walk around town, talk to some locals, get some information, do some staking out, and uncover some drugs or make some arrests from time to time. There are the usual moments when one of them makes a fool of himself or cracks a few jokes. Of course, there is the moment towards the end where the clues come together and a rivalry that build with the characters in the middle. There are some well-shot foot chases which both end with the escaping individual running into a car. And the movie ends with a hilarious shootout at the city dump which ends with Joey shooting at a car and it EXPLODES! That’s always a good way to end a movie.
DVD Dump Counter:
-4 bad guys killed.
-3 stakeouts.
-1 drug bust.
-2 foot chases.
-1 shootout at the dump.
-1 exploding car via gunshot.
RATING: B-Movie
The story is very simple for a cop show, but there is some good acting and tight direction that saves this movie from becoming boring. Strike Force is worth watching, if nothing else, to see a young and dorky Richard Gere trying to be a cop. Oh, and it’s always fun to see a car explode for no logical reason.
