Product Description

Richard Widmark and Henry Fonda star in this critically acclaimed detective drama that takes a hard-hitting look at the lives and loves of New York City's top cops. Directed in gripping documentary fashion by Don Siegel, Richard Widmark portrays the veteran Big Apple detective who is given only a few hours to track down a vicious killer. Henry Fonda is the humane yet relentlessly foreceful police commissioner who orders Widmark into the streets to solve the case, even though he knows it might be his last assignment.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #20811 in DVD
• Brand: Universal Studios
• Released on: 1999-03-16
• Rating: Unrated
• Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
• Formats: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD, Letterboxed, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English, French
• Subtitled in: English, Spanish
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 101 minutes

Amazon.com
They don't make detective thrillers like this anymore. Madigan is a gem from the '60s, anticipating the more popular French Connection and Dirty Harry with its gritty urban realism. However, this film has a wonderful poetry and sense of camaraderie, thanks to Abraham Polonsky's writing and Don Siegel's inspired direction. Richard Widmark plays a hardbitten New York cop who must redeem himself after losing his gun to a psychotic thug (a plot somewhat reminiscent of Kurosawa's Stray Dog). Henry Fonda costars as a stern police commissioner overwhelmed by his day-to-day decisions. He can't stand Widmark's freewheeling attitude, but he's a hypocrite when it comes to his own private life. Moral decisions don't come easy in this contemplative film. Fine support is provided by Harry Guardino as Widmark's partner, Inger Stevens as Widmark's wife, James Whitmore as Fonda's slightly corrupt pal, and Steve Ihnat as Widmark's charismatic nemesis. --Bill Desowitz

Customer Reviews

'Madigan' is enjoyable police drama
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.

GOLD STANDARD FOR ITS TIME
Richard Dougherty's THE COMMISSIONER, upon which MADIGAN, is based was one of the first works of fiction to accurately portray cops problems away from the station house. MADIGAN, one of the best films of 1968, is true to that part of the book and Don Siegel implants his own brand of genius on the rest. MADIGAN shows a not too distant era when there were blood-and-guts hat wearing detectives who worked their own angles to solve their cases. The portrayls by Widmark and Guardino are lasting and solid to the core. For it's time, MADIGAN was a gold standard in police procedurals. The NYC landscape bolstered by the Don Costa soundtrack is stunning.

Widmark shines as N.Y.C. detective
When focusing on the title character, a maverick New York City detective played by Richard Widmark, this 1968 Don Siegel directed drama is a riveting action film, a precursor of sorts to Siegel's even more riveting "Dirty Harry." Things slow down, however, when the spotlight is turned on various subplots (commissioner Henry Fonda's distrust of Madigan, and the detective's troubled relationship with wife Inger Stevens). Still, no one has ever played a copper with as much authority or short-tempered brilliance as Widmark, and the cinematography is top-notch. Filmed on location, this film captures the gritty streets of New York quite well. The film later inspired an excellent and undeservedly short-lived TV series (1972-73), also with Widmark, that rotated with two other shows on "The NBC Wednesday Mystery Movie."