Cop Hater
Director: William Berke
Year: 1958
Rating: 6.0
This is based
on the first in Ed McBain's 87th Precinct series. It was written in 1956
followed by The Mugger and The Pusher that were also quickly turned into
films. Shot in black and white with no real style but an independent low
budget grit of lousy streets, cheap women and gin. It's hot. Real hot. Even
the dogs are perspiring. And no one had air conditioners back then. You just
sat in front of the fan and wished for autumn. People get irritable. Get
angry. Start killing people. A bad time of the year to be a cop out of the
87th precinct. Especially when an apparent madman starts killing them. The
first one gets it right after the credits roll - two shots to the back of
the head. Another one soon after, same way. It is hunting season on the 87th.
As best as I recall, it follows the book pretty closely.
Steve Carella and his partner Maguire head
up the case and the rousting begins, the snitches brought in, everyone who
had any beef with these cops going back to kindergarten are questioned and
cleared. But nothing. Some crazy with a gun and a chunk of hatred. Where
do you look for that in this urban jungle where no one knows anything about
their neighbors. Carella has Teddy (Ellen Parker) - his deaf and mute girlfriend
that he loves - to go home to. McGuire his disgruntled sexy wife (Shirley
Ballard) to admire. But it is too hot for sex. Too hot to be kind. Everything
is on edge like a boiling kettle. Drinks at Mama Lucy's help. Good drinks,
a cigarette and women to keep you company. Rooms above. A solid B film produced
by Barbizon and distributed by United Artists as was the next one, The Mugger.
A cast of unknows - a few to be much better known a few years later. Carella
is a near unrecognizable Robert Loggia with a full head of hair, McGuire
is Gerald O'Loughlin, Vincent Gardenia is stool pigeon Danny the Gimp, Lincoln
Kilpatrick is one of the cops and Jerry Orbach in his debut is the leader
of the gang.
