Fort Apache, The Bronx

The life and duties of a street cop have always been the toughest job around, and in the 70s and 80s it was worse with internal and external corruption running so rampant the ordinary citizens of society didn’t know where to turn. With a story based in toughest borough in the Bronx, where the police station is known as "Fort Apache," the audience is given a first hand view point of the situations that were far to common in this time period. Heading the cast in this story of corruption and redemption is Paul Newman and Ed Asner, with these two powerful actors the film is given an air of believability that is as strong as saying that this was a true story.
Reaching the end of his rope after two rookie cops are killed, Officer Murphy witnesses a fellow officer kill an unarmed man and must battle with himself and the department on what to do about it. Three members of the supporting cast give outstanding portrayals of their characters, they are Pam Grier as the Killer/Hooker, Danny Aiello as the murdering cop and Ken Wahl as Murphy’s young partner. The true grit and feelings of the characters are played out honestly, from every citizen on the street down to the last officer on the force. Shooting this story on location in the Bronx helps keep the story grounded in reality, and also helps the audience believe that given the opportunity the right decisions and actions will be taken.
Cop dramas are hard to find, it seems that the majority of films that are out there are either action or comedy nothing with a real bite of what life is really like for an officer. Realism like this isn’t found on the screen anymore, the viewing public wants more action than what really happens in a normal day. But stories like this give us a chance to see how hard it is to make even some of the simplest decisions at the most trying of times.