While this early Clint Eastwood cop drama has been overshadowed by the later Dirty Harry it is worth watching as it literally shows his transition from a cowboy to a cop.
In the opening scene he is pursuing a fugitive through the Arizona desert in a scene that could be from a Western if he'd been on a horse rather than in a Jeep. We soon learn that he isn't the sort of police officer who believe the rules apply to him when he stops off for an assignation with a married woman while leaving his prisoner handcuffed to the porch. His boss is less than impressed and promises to give Coogan every boring job that comes along.
In the next scene we see Coogan on a helicopter flying in to New York; he has been sent there to extradite Ringerman, a murderer, back to Arizona. Unfortunately for him he is told that he can't have his prisoner till he has been released from the prison hospital. Coogan isn't so keen to wait so bluffs his way into the hospital to avoid waiting. This wasn't a good idea as his prisoner's girlfriend arranges his escape which leads to Coogan ending up in hospital being threatened with arrest if he continues looking for Ringerman. Of course he ignores these instructions and continues to search for him in a fairly unconventional manner.
This film is quite fun, having much more humour than the later Dirty Harry films. He is constantly having to correct people who assume he is from Texas just because he wears a cowboy hat and boots. While there is a bit of violence it isn't too gory, some people might find the way he interrogates Ringerman's girlfriend by throwing her around the room then sleeping with her a bit chauvinistic for this day and age... although I suspect it was for many people back then, certainly the police psychologist he gets involved with doesn't approve of his more physical approach to law enforcement. That is the main thing some viewers might be offended by, there is little or possibly no swearing and the sex scenes are very tame, in fact the only nudity is a few topless "hippie chicks" in a night club.
Although this is obviously a Clint Eastwood film the rest of the cast aren't bad either, in particular Lee J. Cobb as a New York police lieutenant. We also get to see some parts of New York not used that much in films. I'd definitely recommend this to anybody who is a fan of Clint Eastwood or of '60s/'70s cop films.
In the opening scene he is pursuing a fugitive through the Arizona desert in a scene that could be from a Western if he'd been on a horse rather than in a Jeep. We soon learn that he isn't the sort of police officer who believe the rules apply to him when he stops off for an assignation with a married woman while leaving his prisoner handcuffed to the porch. His boss is less than impressed and promises to give Coogan every boring job that comes along.
In the next scene we see Coogan on a helicopter flying in to New York; he has been sent there to extradite Ringerman, a murderer, back to Arizona. Unfortunately for him he is told that he can't have his prisoner till he has been released from the prison hospital. Coogan isn't so keen to wait so bluffs his way into the hospital to avoid waiting. This wasn't a good idea as his prisoner's girlfriend arranges his escape which leads to Coogan ending up in hospital being threatened with arrest if he continues looking for Ringerman. Of course he ignores these instructions and continues to search for him in a fairly unconventional manner.
This film is quite fun, having much more humour than the later Dirty Harry films. He is constantly having to correct people who assume he is from Texas just because he wears a cowboy hat and boots. While there is a bit of violence it isn't too gory, some people might find the way he interrogates Ringerman's girlfriend by throwing her around the room then sleeping with her a bit chauvinistic for this day and age... although I suspect it was for many people back then, certainly the police psychologist he gets involved with doesn't approve of his more physical approach to law enforcement. That is the main thing some viewers might be offended by, there is little or possibly no swearing and the sex scenes are very tame, in fact the only nudity is a few topless "hippie chicks" in a night club.
Although this is obviously a Clint Eastwood film the rest of the cast aren't bad either, in particular Lee J. Cobb as a New York police lieutenant. We also get to see some parts of New York not used that much in films. I'd definitely recommend this to anybody who is a fan of Clint Eastwood or of '60s/'70s cop films.