Busting

Play trailer

Busting

R,

1974,

1h 32m,

Crime/

Drama

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

17%

6 Reviews

Tomatometer

55%

100+ Ratings

Popcornmeter

17%

Tomatometer

6 Reviews

55%

Popcornmeter

100+ Ratings

Los Angeles vice cops Michael Keneely (Elliott Gould), tall and hunched, and Patrick Farrell (Robert Blake), short and resentful, tidy up the streets from the drug dealers, prostitutes and petty thugs without fuss -- or much real interest. Goaded by the brash conceit of mobster chief Carl Rizzo (Allen Garfield), the eclectic partners go after him, earning not only his wrath but that of their department superiors, who would rather that Keneely and Farrell stick to going after petty criminals.

Steve Warren

The Barb (Atlanta)

May 9, 2023

This movie is indefensible on cinematic grounds.

Go to Full Review

Gregory Mims

New Pittsburgh Courier

Dec 13, 2021

By itself, Busting exists as a tough little urban police drama with moralistic pretensions. However, in a longer view, from the field, the film is merely a combination of every city cop movie you've ever seen.

Go to Full Review

Eddie Harrison

film-authority.com

Sep 3, 2021

4/5

...in portraying life as a steaming cess-pit of prostitution, homophobia and general degradation, Busting lays the old, familiar story out in no short order...

Go to Full Review

Dick Lochte

Los Angeles Free Press

Dec 17, 2019

Moods are dissolved by off-hand joke punch lines.

Go to Full Review

Emanuel Levy

EmanuelLevy.Com

Jun 11, 2005

2/5

Steve Crum

Kansas City Kansan

Oct 23, 2004

1/5

Forgettable Blake/Gould hippie generation flick

Go to Full Review

Read all reviews

Luke S

Oct 27, 2018

Elliot Gould and Robert Blake are vice cops who find, after a series of their arrests are quashed by higher ups, that gangster Allen Garfield is behind most of the crime they encounter. They dedicate themselves to taking him down, even though nobody, including the police, seem to want him taken down. This flick has an extremely relaxed pace and amiable tone to it, and then kind of sneaks up on you as it gets increasingly intense. Gould and Blake feel like a really odd pairing on paper, but they play off each other really well. Sid Haig plays Garfield's main muscle guy, and Antonio Fargas and Michael Lerner also show up. This is the kind of film that seems underwhelming, but when it's done, you realize you really enjoyed it.

See more

Luke R

Jul 30, 2017

Solid buddy cop movie from 1974. Good chemistry between Blake and Gould. Gritty but not excessive in its depiction of vice with liberal doses of humor and an interesting story. Gould's laconic, world weary performance reminded me of his turn in the Long Goodbye.

See more

Read all reviews

Peter Hyams

Director

Elliott Gould

Vice Detective Michael Keneely

Robert Blake

Vice Detective Patrick Farrel

Allen Garfield

Carl Rizzo

John Lawrence

Sergeant Kenefick

Cornelia Sharpe

Jackie Faraday

Police Story 2013

25%

32%

Police Story 2013

Watchlist

Crawlspace

28%

Crawlspace

Watchlist

The Hard Corps

32%

The Hard Corps

Watchlist

An Ordinary Man

41%

37%

An Ordinary Man

Watchlist

TRAILER

for An Ordinary Man

The Incredible Two-Headed Transplant

26%

The Incredible Two-Headed Transplant

Watchlist

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

View more photos

Synopsis

Los Angeles vice cops Michael Keneely (Elliott Gould), tall and hunched, and Patrick Farrell (Robert Blake), short and resentful, tidy up the streets from the drug dealers, prostitutes and petty thugs without fuss -- or much real interest. Goaded by the brash conceit of mobster chief Carl Rizzo (Allen Garfield), the eclectic partners go after him, earning not only his wrath but that of their department superiors, who would rather that Keneely and Farrell stick to going after petty criminals.

Director: Peter Hyams
Producer: Irwin Winkler, Robert Chartoff
Screenwriter: Peter Hyams
Production Co: United Artists, Chartoff-Winkler Productions
Rating: R
Genre: Crime, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 30, 2016
Runtime: 1h 32m

Join The Newsletter

Join The Newsletter

Cookie Settings