The Laughing Policeman main backdrop
The Laughing Policeman main poster

The Laughing Policeman

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6.2/10 • 61

1973-12-201h 52m

CrimeThrillerDrama

This movie is so real it makes every other movie in this town look like a movie.

When a gunman opens fire on a crowded city bus in San Francisco, Detective Dave Evans is killed, along with the man he'd been following in relation to a murder. Evans' partner, Sgt. Jake Martin, becomes obsessed with solving the case.

Directors
Stuart Rosenberg
Editors
Bob Wyman

Top Billed Cast

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  1. Walter Matthau

    Walter Matthau

    Sgt. Jake Martin SFPD

  2. Bruce Dern

    Bruce Dern

    Insp. Leo Larsen SFPD

  3. Louis Gossett Jr.

    Louis Gossett Jr.

    Insp. James Larrimore SFPD

  4. Albert Paulsen

    Albert Paulsen

    Henry Camerero

  5. Anthony Zerbe

    Anthony Zerbe

    Lt. Nat Steiner SFPD

  6. Val Avery

    Val Avery

    Insp. John Pappas SFPD

  7. Cathy Lee Crosby

    Cathy Lee Crosby

    Kay Butler

  8. Mario Gallo

    Mario Gallo

    Bobby Mow, Snitch

  9. Joanna Cassidy

    Joanna Cassidy

    Monica, Beth's Roomate

Reviews1

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talisencrw Avatar

talisencrw

Jan 18, 2016

8/10

From the early-70's zenith of crime and police-centered films, 'The Laughing Policeman' deserves credit, respect and recognition as a fine, gritty, accurate work that shows the way real officers interact and go through their work-days and solve crimes. Walter Matthau, mostly known for his astute comedic touch, is excellent, as is Bruce Dern, who's promoted to an uneasy partnership with Matthau, when the latter's partner, who was on vacation yet took an unsolved case home with him, is at the wrong place at the wrong time, part of a brutal mass murder on board a bus. The well-directed script shows how alienated a good policeman is from his family, how hated he is by most of the community, and the blind alleys and dead ends he has to go through in order to solve the case, and have it hold up in a court of law. It's 'Dirty Harry' or the 'French Connection' films done honestly, not as a fever dream of wish fulfillment from the policeman's perspective (though I must admit I love those too!)...

Media

  • The Laughing Policeman poster
  • The Laughing Policeman poster
  • The Laughing Policeman poster
  • The Laughing Policeman poster
  • The Laughing Policeman poster
  • The Laughing Policeman poster

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Status
Released
Original Language
English
Budget
$2,280,000.00
Revenue
$1,700,000.00
Keywords
san francisco, californiamass murdermurderkiller