Busting

Plot summary

The film is episodic, depicting the two vice-squad detectives teaming on several different cases, with varying degrees of success. The focus changes to them trying to bust one man, an LA crime kingpin named Carl Rizzo (Allen Garfield), whom they believe to be responsible for much of the criminal activity they have been investigating.

The film is extremely cynical, strongly implying that crime does pay and that the biggest criminals in society are corrupt politicians and businessmen who will never be punished for their crimes. The film ends with an unusual soundtrack flashforward. While we see Keneely (Gould) attempting to arrest a powerful figure who will ultimately walk free, we also hear something which hasn't happened yet: Keneely quitting the police force and applying for a civilian job.

Busting is similar to the movie Freebie and the Bean, although the latter was more comedic and was actually delayed in release so the two films would not directly compete. Busting did not do as well at the box office as Freebie and the Bean, arguably due to its more cynical style and tone.

Cast

Production

Hyams was able to make the film off the back of the success of his TV movie, Goodnight, My Love. "I’d made a TV movie of the week that people had liked, and people started coming after me," he recalled. "The producers Robert Chartoff and Irwin Winkler came to me and said they wanted to do a film about vice cops. I said okay, and spent about six months researching it."

Hyams later said "like a journalist, I went around to New York, Boston, Chicago and Los Angeles and spoke with hookers, pimps, strippers and cops and DAs. Every episode in the film was true."

Reception

The film was not a popular success.