FORT APACHE THE BRONX

US, 1981, 123 minutes, Colour.
Paul Newman, Edward Asner, Ken Wahl, Danny Aiello, Rachel Ticotin, Pam Grier, Kathleen Beller.
Directed by Daniel Petrie.

Fort Apache, The Bronx: Police films used to be serious minded documentary style Naked City expose-tributes. Then came French Connection strength and weaknesses and corruption and the ugly city. Then came Joseph Wambaugh and his pessimistic view of police work and its toll on the men and his black comedy style of making
his point. This straightforward story has it all. The Bronx precinct is cruel and ugly. Paul Newman and Ken Wahl do reasonable jobs as policemen. The police can't control everything and working by the book doesn't work. Paul Newman has a meaty role, a character with some complexity: loner, tired, humanely tough, forced to assess his work. Nothing really new but interesting. Director Daniel Petrie has a strange mixture of films to his credit (and perhaps discredit): The Bramble Bush and A Raisin In The Sun, Sybil, Buster and Billie, Lifeguard, The Betsy.

1. A satisfying police film? The tradition of the police films over the decades? Pros and cons of policemen, work? The Naked City tradition with the semidocumentary? The French Connection with its picture of strengths and weaknesses, corruption, the individual in the system? The '70s TV series? How well did this film fit into this tradition? Better the traditions?

2. The effectiveness of social comment via police films? A portrait of an area of the Bronx, the overcrowding, the racial component, the lack of employment, boredom, drug peddling, prostitution, madness? The film's capturing the atmosphere of the streets, the buildings, the smashing of buildings, the garbage tips? As symbols for life in the Bronx?

3. The insight into human nature through the police film? Paul Newman as star? The picture of the police, the tired and edgy ageing man, the non-hero, the loner, his alienation? His integrity and its being tested? Coming to crisis and judgment? A type of individual heroism American style?

4. The creation of the atmosphere of the streets, the precinct, the building and the people thronging there, the range of people in the streets and in the buildings, the daily events in this area of the Bronx, the highlighting of the problems? A flavour and tone? Realism - contrived, exaggerated, authentic? Colour photography, the musical score and its tone, the echoes of the city?

5. The title and the focus of the city and the west? The parallel with the American west: the frontier, law and order, the law of the gun, chaos and the need for order? The reputation of the precinct?

6. The violence of the opening: the panorama of the Bronx and Charlotte on drugs and the encounter with the policeman and the brutal shooting? Tracing through the theme of Charlotte and her being on drugs, her being bullied by the pimp, her murder of the man in the car, her being seen in the crowd of prostitutes arrested, slashing the drug runner, her being stabbed, rolled anonymously in the carpet and left in the garbage heap, seen at the end? Charlotte as symbol of the ugliness of the Bronx?

7. The introduction to the police: on duty, chatting, suddenly shot, the media coverage, the atmosphere of seeking cop? killers? Dugan and his long speech outlining the statistics, the problems of the Bronx? Connolly and his disregard of this? His running things seriously and by the book? The humour of his arrival and reception by the man at the desk? His pep talks to his men? The bribery to get them to make arrests and find leads? The many arrests and the chaos in the precinct? The protest and the tear gas? His inquiries about the roof killing? Confrontation of Murphy, getting the information, refusing to take his badge? His aims in running the precinct in 'the right way'? What aspects of the law did he represent? How just, effective?

8. Murphy and Corelli as a team? Audience expectations of police teams? Their talk, good humour, getting on well together? Sharing the supervision and driving? Chasing the thief and running? The saving of the transvestite on the building? The clowning to take the knife away from the madman? Their familiarity with the hospital, the streets, knowing the people?

9. Paul Newman's portrait of Murphy: age, the background of his life and work, divorce and children and the glimpse of the three daughters, a loner.. watching TV and drinking, the 18 years? The attraction towards Isabelle and the pass at her. her retort? The outing and the mutual telling of stories? Self-revelation and the night together? Sharing experience? The outing with Andy and Theresa? The discovery of her drug taking? Her explanation of this? His explanation of police work? His seeking her advice about informing on the murdering policeman? The pathos of her death and his grief, holding her? The various scenes of Murphy at work - delivering the baby, the plain clothes work, busting the people in the apartment building., rounding up the prostitutes? His reaction to the riot? Arresting the men on the roof throwing garbage at the police? Witnessing Morgan kill the young boy - after the humorous comments about their observing the riot? His disgust with Morgan? The inquiry by Connolly? Refusing to mix with Morgan leading to the fight? The final raid on the hospital and the shooting of the drug runners? His final choices and his opting to inform on Morgan? The hostility of the police? His handing in his badge? A chance to assess his life?

10. The ending and Murphy making a transition in his life? Connolly and his pleading with him? Andy and his arguing with him? The decision for the final chase of the thief? Murphy’s future and coping with what he had done?

11. The portrait of the younger policeman in Andy: age, his reading, trying to make impressions e.g. in dress, lecturing Murphy about emotions and feelings? His capacity for work and support of Murphy in the various episodes? Love for Theresa. spending the night with her ? with the comic repartee? The glimpse of him with his father and brother? Support of Murphy, witness of the murder. fear of exposure? Helping Murphy in his final decisions? His future in the police force?

12. Murphy and the uglier side of the police work? Brutal? Killing the boy? The cover-up? The brutality of the fight with Murphy? The sketch of the other policeman? The man at the desk? The man with the rollcall? The racial components of the police in the precinct, the explanations of the men sent there?

13. The various types in the Bronx: the transvestite on the roof, the 14-year old with the baby, the drug pedlars and their killing Charlotte and Isabelle? The people involved in the siege and protest?

14. The sketch of Isabelle and her work., way of life, regard for Murphy, drug taking, her not helping him about his decision to inform on Morgan, her death and her agonising last walk? Murphy holding her and wanting her alive?

15. A grim portrait of life in New York? A slice of life confronting the audience? What must be done? The reality of the social issues in contemporary cities all over the world?