thinker1691 From the actual true lives of several New York police officers, comes the Inspiration for Heywood Gould and this movie called " Fort Apache, the Bronx. " Director Daniel Petrie tried to mirror the harsh living conditions which surround the actual police station which is located in the very heart of the Bronx. Here one eighteen year police veteran (Paul Newman) named Murphy guides his partner Officer Corellie (Ken Wahl) through the work-a-day routine of being a cop on the streets of the neighborhood. It's not an easy task, indeed is a murderous nightmare for them and their fellow policemen when they have to deal with every manner of street criminal from drug addicts, prostitutes, pimps, elusive thieves, murderers and inner corruption within the police force. Their job becomes more difficult when Connolly a by-the-book, no nonsense, Police Captain (Edward Asner) takes charge of the precinct. In addition, Murphy is witness to a murder when one of his own men is charged. Finally, there is the fact that a burned out, strung-out prostitute (Pam Grier) is sought for the cold blooded killing of two rookie policemen. The movie is harsh in it's abject portrayal of the dark, gritty, street life and that includes the troubled lives of the men in blue. This movie which gave rise to films like 'Hill street blues and the streets of New York is very graphic. If you're looking for a true life cop story, this is pretty close. Mild nudity but Recommended ****

dentrex It may have the look of a TV movie, as stated by contemporary reviewers, but here's a movie you can't miss. There are no small parts, it's been said, but small actors... Newman and Asner absolutely sparkle here, and the supporting cast follows suit. For those of you who don't know it, there is a healthy dose of late 70's/early 80's reality of what the South Bronx had become. Burning buildings, burnt out people on the edge of despair and madness, and underpaid/overworked police officers who were almost all on the same edge, trying to do their job. Corruption was rife and as Duggan says, "nobody's getting' rich up here". The film portrays, unforgivingly, this bleak landscape. Pam Grier is just priceless as the hooker, she just staggers through the role with panache. Ticotin is marvelous as the nurse, her scene at the end, stumbling down the street, is absolutely unforgettable and really disturbing. One of Newman's most singular performances, he really let his hair down for this role. Asner's curmudgeonly captain is very entertaining as well as powerful. All in all a great experience.

privateeye1952 This is no doubt a complete Hollywood fantasy. "A Big White Lie" This movie was made to portray people of color as savages, but the real savages were the racist, murderous cops who broke every law in the book. The 41st pct. On Simpson Street in the Bronx was a haven for prostitution, drug dealing, extortion, arson, and more. And these were the cops. There have been numerous lawsuits against this movie. If you wish to know the truth about the 41st police station (Fort Apache) then be on the lookout for this book "You only live twice" I assure you that you will be stunned! The book will be released early 2010 but you can view teaser here. Don't support racism, and makes you look racist. http://video.yahoo.com/watch/6667913/17319180 If you support racist movies what does that make you?

sddavis63 I think of this movie as something of a portrait. It paints a picture of life in the 41st Precinct of the NYPD, in the centre of a run down 40 block neighbourhood in the South Bronx, full of drug addicts and prostitutes and pimps and various and sundry other undesirable elements, mixed together with poverty and racial prejudice. In that sense it paints a pretty good picture, although I have to concede that I've never been in the South Bronx, and certainly not in 1981, when this movie was made, so I can't vouch for the accuracy of the portrait, but the movie has a gritty, hard edged realistic feel to it that certainly pulls the viewer in. Saying that this is a portrait, however, points also to the inherent weakness of the movie: it lacks a consistent narrative structure; there really isn't any particular "story" being told. To the extent that there's a plot holding this together it revolves around the killing of two rookie cops, and the desire of the police to track down the killer. That lacks suspense for the viewer, though, because we know from the beginning who the murderer is. It's not a secret. There are other "stories" - but again they have a "portrait" feel to them. There are stories of corrupt cops, the story of Murphy's girlfriend, the killing of the kid who got thrown off the top of the building, the story of Captain Connolly trying to establish some order as the 41st's new commander. The movie sometimes seemed jumpy; it lacked flow.What it did have were good performances from Paul Newman as Murphy and Edward Asner as Connolly, and memorable performances as well from Rachel Ticotin as Murphy's girlfriend Isabella, and Pam Grier as the cop killing prostitute. I remember seeing this movie many years ago when it first was released, and enjoying it very much, and then only recently coming across it again quite by accident (even though I had looked for it from time to time) in a bargain DVD bin at Wal-Mart! It must have done something right to hold my interest for so long, and the strong performances and realistic feel really more than make up for the lack of a consistent storyline. 7/10