Pretty good movie overall. First half was nothing special but it got better as it went along.

Fanciful, disturbing, and wildly original, it announces the arrival of a fresh, bold voice in American cinema.

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

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

while this makes for good entertainment, its far from being a actual, factual event,some of the forensic evidence didn't match up with the FBI agents statements as to what happened,,this is not unusual..given being in a shootout,the agents were not out manned ,8 agents to 2 felons, they were out gunned but that was the agents fault, they were in FBI headquarters waiting ,in the arms locker were mp5 9mm submachine guns, m16 machine guns, and heavy armoured vests,none of which they took with them, despite knowing that the 2 felons had a rifle and a shotgun,,but most disturbing is the fact that the mini-14 used by the robbers was NOT a machine gun, as shown by NBC,, plenty of time passed so NBC did know that fact, but put a machine gun in the criminals hands, which didn't happen,this was common back then , when NBC did these in line of fire TV movies,NBC took every opportunity to put any kind of anti-gun message on screen ,regardless of the truth..

Miami in the 80s. This better-than-average television movie first introduces us to the half dozen members of the FBI team that will figure prominently in the shoot out. They are all happy and adjusted. Their modern houses are as neat and clean as an operating theater. One of them, Bruce Greenwood, sings a happy song while getting dressed at six in the morning after a run on the beach. His comely wife smooches him but there's no time because he must be off to work, snapping a round into the chamber and holstering his Glock. They're all that way -- kidding one another about their weight, playing grabass. They go to church bake sales. I haven't been that happy at six in the morning since I discovered puberty. Maybe it's time to join the FBI.Gradually we meet the bad guys, who may give the most credible performances in the film. They have sloppy back yards, lie to their wives, and play dirty pool when they conduct business. Michael Gross is the more relaxed of the two -- his expression a cross between a smile and a leer. David Soul is less stable. Gee, the guy has a terrible temper, kicking around some defective goods he's just bought, throwing bottles against the wall. The most memorable feature of this duo is that they are absolutely fearless and ruthless. Apparently they ride around armed and wearing camos LOOKING for armored cars or anything else to rob. When balked, Soul deliberately kills an innocent bystander. "Well, we didn't get anything," remarks Gross. "I did," says Soul.They're hypocrites too. Gross gives a phony spiel in church about having buried his daughter so he can hustle young ladies. He tells his pregnant girl friend, "You disgust me," then kicks her out. The victim, Becky Ann Baker, has a small role but she delivers. The surprising element of the script is that it shows us David Soul in an apparently happy marriage, teaching his son some basketball moves with obvious proprietary affection. It must have been tempting to edit the brief scene out -- draw a clear dividing line between good and evil -- but it would have cheapened the movie.The miscreant duo become more bold and reckless until a confrontation in a residential area. The battle is persuasively presented and it winds up rather like a slaughterhouse with two agents and both armed robbers dead.Of the two adversaries, the robbers are the more interesting. Law enforcement was doing it's job but for Gross and Soul it had turned into a witting way of life. Neither had ever been charged with a crime before and there was no evidence that they'd ever been violent. Yet here they are, carrying deadly automatic weapons and thousands of rounds of ammunition, two men courageously shooting it out with a dozen FBI agents on a quiet palm-lined street. Both men struggled on despite multiple bullet holes. Mortally wounded, Soul drags himself from car to car, shooting the agents who have already been downed.What he and Gross did would have earned them decorations had they done it on a battlefield in service of their country. Instead they chose to display their bravery and their willingness to fight to the last breath somewhere in Dade County, Florida. We treasure values like that but only when they are subject to the control of the state. No individual entrepreneurs.It's exceptional for a TV movie, in the script, in the direction, and in the performances.

I own this DVD. I have watched this movie countless times over the years. I can remember watching this film as it aired 'live' for the first time on TV. I immediately knew it would be a favorite of mine for years to come. Upon researching the actors in the film, I noticed an actor had not been mentioned. At least- I believe it to be this actor. I was wondering if anyone would confirm this. Towards the end of the film, when Gross's character and his girlfriend Vickie are in the restaurant, and Gross's character mentions it may be his last 'hit', his character grabs Vickie's arm. On the other side are patrons of the restaurant- one of whom I believe is Kevin Sorbo. Am I correct? There are no credits for him.

Most people tend to look down their noses at made-for-network TV movies. In fact, a rap against some theatrical films is that it plays "like a made-for-TV film". IN THE LINE OF DUTY: THE FBI MURDERS should take a backseat to no movie: network, cable or theatrical. Based on an actual FBI case, FBI MURDERS chronicles the attempts of the Bureau to capture two men who were going on a spree of murder and robbery across Florida in 1986. Eight agents shot it out with the two men. By the time the smoke cleared, two agents were dead and six were wounded before the robbers were taken down. The action in this film can stand side-by-side with such shoot 'em ups as HEAT (which was a remake of a made-for-network movie: LA TAKEDOWN), BONNIE AND CLYDE and TAXI DRIVER. What may come as a surprise is the actor playing one of the robbers. While David Soul has portrayed men on both sides of the law, it is the shock of seeing Michael Gross, best known for playing the ultraliberal Stephen Keaton on FAMILY TIES as the most vicious of the two crooks. I had the opportunity to go back and look at new articles about this case, one of the news photos is used as a shot in the film. The makers of this really did their homework. It was a shame that FBI MURDERS did not receive any Emmy nominations. Maybe someone will do a theatrical remake of it and cop some Oscars. If it can happen with HEAT, it can happen to this movie.