Review: The New Centurions
Blu-ray: The New Centurions (1972)
Roy Fehler (Stacy Keach) is a law student who joins the L.A.P.D. to help alleviate the financial strain on his family. Partnered with Kilvinski (George C. Scott), a tough but fair veteran who is close to retirement, Roy slowly comes to realise that not only is the police force more important than his studies, he is also putting it before his wife and daughter. When Kilvinski retires, Roy loses the one steady hand that has guided him thus far, and so begins a downward spiral from which he may never recover.
Based on the novel by Joseph Wambaugh and directed with the usual gritty aplomb of Richard Fleischer, The New Centurions is a cop movie that I put on a pedestal alongside Dirty Harry and Serpico. Not afraid to show the ugly side of Los Angeles, Fleischer takes you on a trip through dark and dank alleyways where the next hand on your shoulder could swiftly be followed by a knife to your guts. It isn’t all doom and gloom though, as we see how Roy quickly builds an affinity for Kilvinski as they travel together on the nightshift. Faced with a group of hookers walking the streets, Kilvinski refrains from arresting them and putting them through ‘the system’, which he knows will ultimately just cost the tax payers more money and result in the women being back on the streets the very next evening. Instead he applies his own application of the law which he feels is far more beneficiary to all involved. I’ll not explain what it is, but it makes for one of my favourite scenes in the movie…and introduced me to a new drink!
Keach plays the character of Roy Fehler perfectly, and his character arc runs the full gamut of experiences which are conveyed in a way that you can’t help but feel the emotional (and physical) punches whenever they are delivered. George C. Scott was coming off the back of his Academy Award for best actor in ‘Patton‘ (which he famously refused to accept) and his portrayal of a man on the verge of losing a job that has been his lifeblood for so long, draws you further into the story and makes you empathise more with the consequences that Fehler goes through upon Kilvinski’s retirement.
Jane Alexander does a terrific job as Fehler’s wife Dorothy. At first supportive in his new role as a police officer, the cracks slowly begin to appear as she realises that the L.A. streets are becoming more appealing to Roy than his family. Her desperation causes a wider rift to open between them, until it is so wide that there is only one form of action that she can take. Can they stay together? Will Roy survive the streets? Can Kilvinski come to terms with retirement? Watch The New Centurions and find out…then watch it again…and again, because it is a damn fine movie and one which demands repeat viewings.
Bloody, gritty, funny, shocking and engrossing, The New Centurions is not only a must buy for anyone that has an affinity for 1970’s cop movies, but for everyone who loves a well crafted story that you’ll enjoy just as much on the 1st viewing as you will on repeat viewings. This will definitely be a contender to be in my ‘Top 10 movies I watched in 2017’ list.
Yet another superb release from Powerhouse Films and their ‘Indicator’ series of releases.
INDICATOR LIMITED EDITION SPECIAL FEATURES:
• High Definition remaster
• Original mono audio
• Cop Stories: The Making of Richard Fleischer’s ‘The New Centurions’ (2016, 44 mins): new documentary featuring interviews with actor Stacy Keach, writer Joseph Wambaugh, technical advisor Richard E. Kalk and assistant cameraman Ronald Vidor
• Super 8 version (1973, 17 mins): original truncated home cinema presentation
• Original theatrical trailer
• New and improved English subtitles for the deaf and hard-of-hearing
• Limited edition exclusive 20-page booklet with a new essay by Nick Pinkerton, new piece Critical Response: From Page to Screen by Jeff Billington, and Production Notes
• UK Blu-ray premiere
• Limited Dual Format Edition of 3,000 copies
Review by Dave (host of 60 Minutes With) from a disc kindly supplied by Powerhouse Films.