Thanks for the memories!

The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

The acting is good, and the firecracker script has some excellent ideas.

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

Directed by Peter Hyams, Busting apparently inspired the television show Starsky & Hutch. It was released at a similar time as Freebie and the Bean which was commercially more successful but Busting is more tighter, coherent and cynical picture that still retains elements of its comedy.Keneely (Elliott Gould) tall, laconic and chews gum all the time and Farrel (Robert Blake) shorter and tougher are two LA vice cops who spend most of their time arresting hookers and people in gay bars rather than than the big crime lords who they feel are being protected by their superior officers and cynical lawyers.They decide to go all out to catch the local crime lord Rizzo (Allen Garfield) which annoys their superiors who prefer they go after the small fry.The film has a comedic and anarchic tone but beneath the cynicism it also has a heart of two cops trying to do the right thing and not happy with just fitting up hookers and their clients.There are thrills as well with well staged shootout sequences in a market and later in a hospital. The film is a softer and sarcastic edged version of The French Connection featuring elements of a buddy cop duo and a message that crime does pay.

Talk about a movie that has aged well, despite being over four decades old. There is so much going on, and Elliot Gould and Robert Blake play off each other so well, I didn't even notice, or for that fact care, that they drive 70s "land yachts", and dress "mod". "Busting" is greatly enhanced by our two rogue vice cops constant sarcasm and wise cracking, mostly at "Allen Garfield's expense. I would have to say that Gould's performance here easily equals his terrific acting in "The Silent Partner". The film is full of interesting characters, with Michael Lerner as a porno shop owner the standout. As buddy cop movies go, "Busting" is one of the best. - MERK

"Busting" is a decent cop comedy / drama that stars Elliott Gould and Robert Blake as vice detectives Michael Keneely and Patrick Farrel. They're just two of many cinematic cops that pattern their style after "Dirty" Harry Callahan: they make their own rules, and often drive their superiors right up the wall. They're extremely determined to bust Carl Rizzo (Allen Garfield), a very well connected crime kingpin who proves hard to take down.This fairly stylish and amusing movie marked the theatrical writing / directing debut for Peter Hyams, a former CBS newsman. Hyams went on to create entertainments such as "Capricorn One", "Outland", and "2010: The Year We Make Contact". Here he fashions a reasonably gritty movie that works mostly because Gould and Blake are an interesting pair. They're believable as these rather unorthodox partners. "Busting" also benefits from Garfields' solid performance, because Rizzo is a smooth and confident type, convinced that he's untouchable; he goes so far as to give the detectives permission to come after him. There's also the occasional bit of titillation for viewers, and some grisly violence. The major action set pieces - a foot chase that leads through a supermarket, a final vehicular pursuit - are capably done, thanks to stunt gaffer Hal Needham. Some viewers, however, may be put off by the brief section of the movie that focuses on homosexual stereotypes.Fortunately, there is some character defining dialogue at select points that prevent Gould and Blake from ever becoming total cartoon characters. Gould has an amusing character quirk in that Keneely is almost always seen chewing bubble gum.Fun enough for cop movie fans, with a cast of familiar faces that includes Antonio Fargas, Michael Lerner, Sid Haig, William Sylvester, Logan Ramsey, Richard X. Slattery, and Cornelia Sharpe. Actress Margo Winkler, wife of co-producer Irwin Winkler, plays Rizzos' wife.Six out of 10.

Gee… doesn't the 70s have some cracking crime thrillers… some of these even fall in the cracks, which this one undeservedly does and in which case I would put it down as one of the best the decade had to offer. Writer / director Peter Hyams' debut feature "Busting" is an excellently pitched comedy thriller with outstanding performances by Elliott Gould and Robert Blake as two Los Angeles vice squad officers Michael Keneely and Patrick Farrel who rage a war against a well-respected crime kingpin Carl Rizzo (Allen Garfield), but also find themselves fighting corruption inside the force for their constant harassing of Rizzo. There they decide if it means doing things outside the book, well they'll do it to get their man.The surefooted plot might seem dated and rather routine (frustrated cops battling criminals and the law, in which they feel like they are fighting a lost cause), but the innovative script is constantly witty / stinging in its observations (that especially goes for its downbeat, but ironic conclusion) and the chemistry between Gould and Blake simply ignites. The narrative seems to be strung together by sporadic plot threads, but there's a certain awkwardness to its cynical approach that just makes it so odd. The interchanges between the two cops and also with Garfield are bitingly dry, but enjoyably so. While there's a playful tongue-in-cheek style, it can be exhaustingly aggressive (you know the brutality featuring red paint) and edgy. Hyams skilfully stages the lean action with gritty, but frenetic authenticity as the bombastic score kicks in. Watch how the camera-work always instinctively moves around, like it has a mind of its own by following the action with numerous tracking shots. Just look at the relentlessly thrilling market store shootout / chase. Earl Rath does a hypnotic job behind the camera. Hyams keeps it snappy and makes great use of the grungy urban setting and seedy strips that really do bring the film to life. The cast are fantastic in their roles. Garfield reeks of confidence and the support features the likes of William Sylvester, Logan Ramsey, Michael Learner, Antonio Fargas, Corbelia Sharpe and the dominating Sid Haig as Rizzo's bouncer."Gotta stay alive man. Gotta stay alive."