Thursday, April 25, 2002

Busting (1974)

One thing people forget: When he wants to be, Elliot Gould can be a real good actor. This film, in which he plays a frustrated vice cop trying to nail a crooked businessman, represents some of his best work. The film itself feels a little too laid-back for its own good at times, but overall it's reasonably engaging and exciting. Pretty funny at times, too. (Best line, from Gould: "That's not family. That's a creep.") Notable also for being the directorial debut of Peter Hyams, who would later bestow upon us such dreadful crap as End of Days and The Relic. (Note also that he doesn't do the cinematography on this, as he does on every film he makes nowadays -- thus, we can actually SEE what the hell is going on.) Tough to find, but worth it.

Grade: B