Mark Turner In 1971 while working as a police officer Joseph Wambaugh had his first novel published, THE NEW CENTURIONS, to popular and critical praise. His depiction of the average cop on the beat presented a different view than most readers had experienced in the past. Coming from someone living the life it added the authenticity to his books as well. This first novel was so popular it didn't take long for Hollywood to grab up the rights and from that this movie was released a year later.The film follows three police academy grads in 1960 beginning with their first assignment and following them for several years, focusing mainly on Roy Fehler (Stacy Keach). Roy is partnered with long timer Andy Kilvinski (George C. Scott), a cop who knows the streets better than most and handles them in his own fashion. He provides insight to Roy via "Kilvinski's laws", his interpretations of the law that makes things run smooth and rarely upsets the balance of what happens on the street.An example of this is displayed the first night the pair are assigned the paddy wagon to pick up street walkers. Rather than arrest them, book them and then find them on the street again with nothing affected but the time it took to do paperwork, Kilvinski instead buys them a bottle of whiskey, puts them in the wagon and drives them around most of the night. The end result keeps them off the street and requires less bureaucratic bologna. As the film moves forward we witness a chance in Roy as he goes from an officer who took the job in order to pay for college and become a lawyer to an officer who loves the work he does. This come at a cost since it disrupts his marriage to Dorothy (Jane Alexander) who feels he's sold out the plans they had. While patrolling one night Kilvinski goes in to observe a potential robbery taking place leaving Roy to watch and wait for backup. Seeing a couple in a car, he approaches to tell them to move on only to be shot point blank with a shotgun. The couple were part of the robbery.Unaffected by the shooting Roy heals and gets back on the job. As the year mark for the rookies hits he's back on the beat as Kilvinski hits his 25 year mark and mandatory retirement. The two part ways with the intent to get together again but time passes and the odds of that happening decrease until a shocking event happens in Kilvinski's life. Roy is promoted to the vice squad and about the same time Dorothy chooses to leave him taking their daughter Becky with her. Affected by everything taking place around him Roy turns to alcohol both on and off the job. Where it will lead is anyone's guess until the end of the film.There are several things that make this movie work better than most of the genre. The first is the depiction of police as presented by Wambaugh. These are human being with faults just like the rest of us. They are still heroes, men willing to put their lives on the line to protect and serve society. But doing so as a career takes its toll on each of them in different ways. The movie also has that gritty streetwise look to it found in numerous films from the seventies. It's not a glossed over movie set that we get to see here but the mean streets of LA that are on view. The station house isn't the pristine complex so many TV series now use but the beat down grimly painted station that actually exist. The acting here offers solid performances all around. Keach shines as Roy, a man whose life choices change and who is affected by those changes. Scott remains a force to be reckoned with as the most influential character on screen. What happens to him here is sure to stun those not prepared. Rounding out the two other rookies are Scott Wilson as Gus, the wide eyed innocent who learns how difficult things will be early on and Erik Estrada as Serge, completely wasted here in what amounts to a bit part. This genre of film that was so popular in the seventies is a joy to go back and watch now. With movies like THE FRENCH CONNECTION and more coming out on blu-ray they have the chance to be discovered all over again. This one is a great representation of those films. If you're a fan of Wambaugh then this edition of the film will be a welcome one as Twilight Time is offering the film in the cleanest picture ever. They're also offering more extras than usual here including an isolated music track, an audio commentary track with Wilson and film historian Nick Redman, an audio commentary track with film historians Lee Pfeiffer and Paul Scrabo and the original theatrical trailer. And, as with all Twilight Time releases, this version is limited to just 3,000 copies so if you're interested buy yours today.

SnoopyStyle Roy Fehler (Stacy Keach), Gus Plebesly (Scott Wilson), and Sergio Duran (Erik Estrada) are rookie police patrolmen. Roy hopes to become a lawyer and his police work inevitably causes friction with his wife Dorothy (Jane Alexander). He's paired with experienced cop Andy Kilvinski (George C. Scott) who expounds his Kilvinski's Law on the tough streets of LA. Gus is by-the-book with 3 kids. He's paired with Whitey (Clifton James) and accidentally kills an unarmed man.This is episodic in nature and is more TV than cinema. It fits a lot better as an ongoing TV show. It has a fun early moment of a fake impromptu divorce of a battling drunken couple. It's sardonic and crass. George C. Scott is operating at the top of his game. His performance fills his scenes. This would work better as a movie if it has a definitive central case or villain or incident. This is the opposite of slick. I can certainly see many later TV cop shows using this movie as a template.

KissEnglishPasto .............................................................from Pasto,Colombia...Via: L.A. CA., CALI, COLOMBIA and ORLANDO, FLThis film, aside from its very special status mentioned above, is quite worthwhile and entertaining. It is an excellent George C. Scott vehicle, well-directed, well-scripted and well edited! Like other quality police dramas, it has several intertwined seamlessly integrated story lines, none of which is left unresolved, or most of which are left unresolved, when the end credits begin to roll…depending on your point of view! At times, on screen events resonant with such realism that it lends a dimension of docudrama to the overall production.CENTURIONS clearly transmits the boring nature of most of the daily, moment to moment activities that permeates police work, while, at the same time, emphasizing that this aspect of the job must be tempered by a heightened awareness intrinsic to survival owing to the ever-present possible reality of life-threatening scenarios on a one second event horizon! These "Men In Black" would, undoubtedly, prefer to live in a world where all their on-the- job decision options were delineated by a simple Black or White distinction. The reality of the New Centurions is that they clearly come in every imaginable shade of gray! Scott's cynical, scarred, veteran, Kilvinski, nearing retirement, has constructed a reality where his quasi-legal technique of locking up street- walkers in his paddy wagon and driving them around all night to keep the streets "clean and decent" is a necessary evil with which he feels, at least, reasonably comfortable! Keach's enthusiastic and idealistic rookie, Fehler, oozes frustration from every pore, as he perceives the lifeblood of his initial optimism being drained, drop by drop, by the cold, hard cement indifference of L.A.'s Mean Streets! Viewing, impotently, as both his marriage and his upbeat rookie positivism flounder in an ocean of problems, he finds consolation and support in the arms of a sensitive and empathetic nurse, played by Rosalind Cash.…Here is where I will reference the "Unheralded Epic First in Cinema History": I suppose that today, in 2015, in a perfect world, we are not supposed to notice or mention a good number of things because we must be "P.C.", right? But CENTURIONS wasn't made in 2015…It was released in 1972! To the best of my recollection, in the early 70's, whenever we saw a bi- racial on screen couple, which was really not all that frequently to begin with, their racial difference was always a focal point of the relationship. Usually because of the problems they encountered because of this difference from friends, from relatives or parents, from those in authority or simply from others in society! How briskly refreshing that in CENTURIONS they were just a police officer and a nurse who cared very dearly for one another… Absolutely no mention whatsoever of their racial difference! Isn't that exactly the way it should be? The way it is now…??? (Well, almost, anyway!).Hope to get some feedback from someone, anyone on this aspect of the movie… 9* Stars! ENJOY!/DISFRUTELA!

John T. Ryan THAT AUTHOR AND former L.A. Cop, Joseph Wambbaugh ascended to the heights of pop culture in the 1970s surely was neither a fluke nor should it have been a surprise. Due to the great period of unrest and defiance of all that is "establishment", the Police of America were called to the main stage, front & center, in the spotlight, etc.GARNERING ALL OF this ink, the next logical steps were to have someone tell the Cops' story and then to produce popular entertainments with Police as the subject. Furthermore, the guys in blue were the logical successors to all those six-gun toting dudes from all of the Westerns that glutted the TV tubes and the Matinée Playbills during the 1950s and '60s.BEGINNING HIS CAREER as an author while still an active Policeman on the Los Angeles P.D., THE NEW CENTURIONS was his first published novel; as well as the first to be adapted to the screen. The author gives his best effort in looking beyond the uniform and badge; penetrating into the very souls of the guys who do the job.IN CASTING THE parts of the "Rookie" and the "Old-Timer", we have Stacey Keach and George C. Scott. In every respect, the two are defined ion bold relief to one another. Officer Kilvinski (Mr. Scott) is pragmatic, instinctive and proactive. Likes so many street veterans, Kilvinski has his own rules and methods.BEING THE ANTITHOSIS of this approach, Officer Kehler (Stacey Keach) is educated, polished "by the book". His very image was that of the "modern" law enforcement official. Slim, trim and fit, his very figure is that of an illustration for a modern police training manual.BUT, THIS TOO comes to an end when his marriage dashes on the rocks. He next he resorts to hitting the bottle, Before we know it, he is a full blown alcoholic. By this time, he is at least a journeyman and well on his way to superseding Kilvinski as the grizzled veteran.AND SPEAKING OF Kilvinski, he has retired by this time. He does, however, still maintain contact with his former pupil. Lamenting the loneliness of his retirement and reminiscing about the old days in a phone call, Kilvinski turns his service revolver on himself.HOPING FOR SOME solutions to his own problems, Kehler meets an answer to a prayer; while he was being treated for on the job injuries in the local ER. It is here that he finds his new love in the Nurse, who treats him.NOW BEING SERIOUSLY involved, putting the booze behind him and seemingly straightening out his life, he is fatally shot in the last part of a midnight to morning tour of duty.AUTHOR WAMBAUGH AND the production team managed to squeeze all of the main problems of the police into one story; not living happily after ever.