Madigan
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Movie Reviews of Madigan
Movie Review: Madigan is classic cheese again
Summary: 4 Stars
Madigan rocks! I don't know why Widescreen Review rated this beautiful DVD so low on their 5 scale, since they're usually pretty accurate. But I'd give it at least a 3.5 or 4 for image and a 3.5 or 4 for sound. (I give it an overall 4 instead of 5 on Amazon.com only because of the lack of an audio commentary. I would have loved to hear Mr. Widmark's take on the film.) Well, what can one say about Madigan, a fine collection of classic kitch de jour from the good old Universal Studio tour of vintage cheese?
You can't beat a lovely limberger lineup like Hank (The Swarm) Fonda, Richard (Kiss Of Death) Widmark, Harry (Houseboat) Guardino, Inger (Farmer's Daughter) Stevens, James (Them) Whitmore, Michael (Wild, Wild West) Dunn, Susan (Babe) Clark, Warren (Twilight Zone-Star Trek) Stevens, Steve (sleazeball) Ihnat, Don (the pimp) Stroud, and Sheree (party girl) North.
It rarely gets any better than this, and that includes the music's hard-driving, juiced up horns and sprinting violins sounding off every few minutes.
And since Madigan isn't director Don Siegel's (1912-1991) only cheese cult masterpiece, I'll close with a list of his main fromage fan favorites:
The Big Steal (1949)
Riot In Cell Block 11 (1954)
Invasion Of The Body Snatchers (1956)
Crime In The Streets (1956)
Baby Face Nelson (1957)
Madigan (1968)
Dirty Harry (1971)
Charley Varrick (1973)
The Shootist (1976)
In short, Siegel was regal.
Movie Review: Cops Are People Too!
Summary: 4 Stars
MADIGAN(1968)---Richard Widmark, Henry Fonda, Harry Guardino, Inger Stevens, James Whitmore, Susan Clark, Michael Dunn, Don Stroud
A gritty New York City "cop/crime" drama, directed by Don Siegel. Widmark plays the title role---a detective who puts his job before everything else, including his wife, played by Inger Stevens. Madigan is a tough veteran who doesn't always "play by the book". His equally tough partner is played by Harry Guardino. During a routine arrest of a suspect wanted for questioning, Widmark and Guardino "drop the ball"; the suspect escapes and subsequently murders several people, including two cops. This does not please "strictly by the book" Police Commissioner Fonda, who gives Widmark and Guardino 72 hours to find their man. Along the way, Fonda must deal with evidence that his closest friend and subordinate, Chief Inspector James Whitmore, may be "in bed" with a mobster and he is forced to re-evaluate his rigid code of conduct because of his affair with a married woman(Fonda's character is a widower). As I said, this is a gritty, complex film, with no easy conclusions or "pat answers". Widmark, Fonda, and Whitmore all turn in their usual first-rate performances, as does all of the cast of this fine film.
Movie Review: 'Madigan' is enjoyable police drama
Summary: 4 Stars
As others have noted, "Madigan" is at its best in basic cops-and-robbers mode, when Detectives Dan Madigan (Richard Widmark) and Rocco Bennaro (Harry Guardino) are pursuing insanely dangerous gunman Barney Benesch (Steve Ihnat). Director Don Siegel knows what he's doing when it comes to movement and violence, and that's more than evident here. A subplot involving the embattled police commissioner (Henry Fonda) and his struggle with possible graft on the part of his long-time friend and captain (James Whitmore) works reasonably well.
The commissioner's affair with a married woman (Susan Clark) isn't too much of a distraction, especially since Clark is nice to look at, as usual.
But the subplot that doesn't work is the unhappiness of Madigan's wife (Inger Stevens). Stevens does what she can to bring the woman to life, but the script defeats her, particularly in a scene following a police ball.
Production values are very high, as 1968 New York emerges vividly in the location shooting. Don Costa's score deserves to be released on CD - it's a very memorable and exciting one, especially the main title and the build-up to the climax.
Movie Review: Siegel's pre Dirty Harry
Summary: 4 Stars
Before he directed "Dirty Harry", the late Don Siegel made this gritty New York City thriller about a maverick cop(the late Richard Widmark) who along with his partner (Harry Guardino) loses their guns to a psychopathetic killer. In contrast to "Harry", "Madigan" focuses on the lives of the various people in the Police Department, the Commissioner (Henry Fonda), Madigan's troubled marriage, a corrupt veteran cop (James Whitmore), and of course the pursuit of the killer interwined with the various subplots. It plays almost like a police soap opera but a fine cast of pros (Widmark, Fonda, Whitmore) bring it to life. According to sources, Fonda was particularly displeased that the movie focused more on the maverick cop than his character, nevertheless the film proved to be a hit commercially and critically and even spawned a TV series also starring Widmark. As he has recently passed, this film marks one of the late actor's best roles (the others being "Night and the City", "The Bedford Incident" and "Kiss of Death"). Don Costa contributed a nifty score and the film is never boring. Recommended for Widmark fans and lovers of cop flicks!!Movie Review: Worth it for the overused jazz score alone!
Summary: 3 Stars
This 1968 film about NY Detectives hunting down a cop killer is not bad, but it also has weaknesses. Don Siegel, who succeeded with a much more superior cop film, Dirty Harry (1971), directed "Madigan", so titled after the lead character, Det. Daniel Madigan (Widmark). Madigan is a "hard-boiled" cop so obsessed with his job that he doesn't have any time for his bored & pretty blonde wife who sits around the house all day and watches TV waiting for him to come home and take her out. Henry Fonda is Anthony X. Russell, the Police Commissioner who "likes the book" (goes by it), but has a young mistress that he cheats on his wife with. The story is somewhat about Madigan and his partner Rocco Bonaro's (Don Siegel regular, Harry Guardino) letting a murderer go and then having to hunt him down in a few days time. The action scenes almost take a back seat to the troubled love lives of the both Madigan and Commissioner Russell. There is also a separate corruption plot concerning Russell's longtime friend & fellow cop, Chief Inspector Charles Kane (James Whitmore). One of the problems of "Madigan" is that too much time is spent on the wives and girlfriends of the two leads. It also doesn't help that there are no real likeable characters in the movie. Madigan is a drunk and is "in love" with his wife (who needs a job or a hobby) but he seems to love catching murderers more so he can't find time for her. Actually, he's not that good at his job either...lets put it this way...he's no Harry Callahan. His partner, Rocco, sits at his kitchen table (in his only scene at home) while his wife runs around making his dinner for him (this is definitely the late 60s) The Chief Inspector is corrupt, but the Commissioner, who sleeps around, decides to let it go. One thing I did enjoy was the overuse of music at improper times. When Madigan approaches this guy who's sitting in a bar the music sounds like he's about to walk in and start shooting but nothing happens...its the wrong guy! "Madigan" does have its strong suits: stylish direction by Siegel and authentic & gritty NY cinematography. There's also some cheezy dialogue and performances if you're into that...and I am. All this still doesn't make "Madigan" a must see, but it's interesting for fans of the genre and director Don Siegel (pre Dirty Harry). A better cop film in my opinion is "The Detective" (1968) starring Frank Sinatra, Jack Klugman, and Robert Duvall. Its got all the gritty locations, but the story and performances are far superior. Good luck finding it though because its currently out of print on all formats. Concerning the DVD of "Madigan", if you like the movie, go for it. Its presented in Widescreen Letterbox, has a trailer, and is very reasonably priced depending on where you go. Its one of those films that are becoming increasingly hard to find so if you like it...buy it soon.