Sadly Over-hyped

Don't Believe the Hype

There is just so much movie here. For some it may be too much. But in the same secretly sarcastic way most telemarketers say the phrase, the title of this one is particularly apt.

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

'The Rape of Richard Beck" combines elements of "Dirty Harry" and "Deliverance" in a message-oriented, urban crime melodrama about two hardcore homosexual hoodlums that sodomize an off-duty police detective at gunpoint when he cannot produce any back-up. Basically, it's a rape movie for guys about guys that espouse a callous, chauvinistic attitude toward female rape victims. Neither former ballet dancer-turned-director Karen Arthur nor producer-scenarist James G. Hirsch deviate an iota from the social problem/crime drama formula in this outstanding role-reversal rape movie. No, they don't depict the actual simulated sodomy between the cop and his two thuggish assailants, played with menace by Nicholas Worth and M.C. Gainey. Most of the action that takes place between Beck and his assailants occurs in close-ups and medium shots. The act itself takes place off-camera so that everybody retains their dignity. After all, this was a prime-time network featured 1985 made-for-television movie. Nevertheless, the impact of the rape on the cop's life evokes a reevaluation on his part about helpless women raped because he thought that they brought it on themselves. By the end of the action, Beck is teaching sensitivity training classes to cadets at the police academy."The Rape of Richard Beck" takes an obnoxious, hard-boiled cop and forces him to endure sodomy and then live with the consequences. Mind you, this isn't something you want to sit around and watch with a bunch of drunks. Detective Richard Beck's transformation when he loses his gun is 180 degrees. Indeed, at the beginning of "The Rape of Richard Beck," the filmmakers make a subtle point that perhaps Beck is a little too big for his own britches by trying to be a one man army. Beck compares modern-day cops to 'tribal warriors' of another age going out on 'safari' in 'the jungle' to apprehend criminals. Meanwhile, Beck's partner Blastig (George Dzundra of "Basic Instinct") thinks that Beck is crazy to jeopardize their lives when they are off-duty, especially because he has 37 months left until he receives his pension. If anything, Beck's hubris is that he's supremely overconfident about himself. He thinks that he is larger-than-life and exempt from all the rules. Indeed, he makes up Beck's Police Rules about being a cop. Ironically, the very same thing that Beck had accused women of doing by bringing her rape on themselves, he does himself when he embarks on his so-called 'safaris' to nab lawbreakers.Aside from this horrific twist, "The Rape of Richard Beck" is a well-made but standard, police procedural that argues a good case about misguided (male) perceptions of rape (women) victims. Earlier, Beck felt that female rape victims brought this molestation on themselves and then did help matters by refusing to identify the suspect and prosecute. By having the unthinkable happen to an abrasive, masculine cop who has trouble coming to terms with himself after the fact gives this film its dramatic punch. Richard Crenna, better known for his comedy TV role on "The Real McCoys" and his supporting bits in the "Rambo" movies, received an Emmy for his first-rate, top-notch performance as the violated detective. This performance is a far cry from his spaghetti western "A Man Called Noon," his French crime thriller "Un Flic," and his turn as a criminal in "Wait Until Dark." The sodomy for the sensation minded doesn't occur into about 40 minutes into the plot. Earlier, we learn that Beck is divorced. His son Joey (Jonas Marlowe of "Children of the Corn") and his daughter live with their mother Carolina Beck (Francis Lee McCain of "Patch Adams") and Beck comes around to take his son on fishing trips with his father Chappy Beck (Pat Hingle of "Hang'em High"). Beck spoils his son and his ex-wife doesn't appreciate his shenanigans. We only see Beck's current girlfriend once after the rape occurs and Beck suffers from a nervous breakdown and destroys the dinner that she had carefully prepared. Indeed, in the underground room where the crime transpires, we only see unsavory tough guy Nicholas Worth of "Heartbreak Ridge" and a younger, thinner M.C. Gainey of "The Dukes of Hazzard" corner a cop, disarm him, batter him, then seize him by the hair and pull his head back as one character reaches to unzip himself. Later, we learn that a janitor witnessed the rape in its entirety and refused to interfere for fear that he would receive similar treatment from them. Initially, Beck behaves like a female rape victim. He lives in the land of denial, but rape counselor Barbara McKee (Meredith Baxter Birney of "Ben") sees through his masquerade. Eventually, these two who had never tolerated each other join sides to catch a rapist."The Rape of Richard Beck" is one of the few TV movies or theatrical features that examines the impact of rape on a man, but the grim subject matter and prime time sensibility prevented the filmmakers from delving too deeply into any man's worst nightmare. You'd think that a TV movie of this magnitude would have merited a better presentation on DVD, but the copy that I bought appeared under a different, more generic title "Deadly Justice" on a twin-bill with an early Mark Harmon adventure opus "Tuareg: The Desert Warrior."

I saw this movie when it first came out on television. At the time, and still today, male rape is rarely spoken about. It is under reported even more than crimes against women. I found this little gem at Big Lots in Huntington Beach California for only $1.50...It does not come in the fancy book style DVD package, but in a little cardboard holder. Crenna's picture is on the cover, under the title Deadly Justice. Hearst owns the rights. It is in the video section. Richard Crenna was always one of my favorite actors and he had a lot of guts to take on this subject matter. Meredith Baxter has a small but important part as the rape counselor. At the end Beck becomes a speaker to graduating police cadets about how rape can happen to anyone, even a man, even a cop. Great movie!!!

After a few years of fruitlessly trying to find this film, I finally won the jackpot when I found it on DVD (with the title "Deadly Justice") and at a decent price!!! I had read Video Movie guides and all of the reviews for this movie were very positive and encouraging. I knew that with the late, great Richard Crenna on board (truly deserving the Emmy he won for this performance, and he was the king of TV movies) this was a must-see.For the time, this film was quite daring (with the exception of such movies as "Deliverance") and very realistically acted. Crenna is fantastic as the chauvinistic, inconsiderate, hardened cop who believes that sexual assault victims "bring it on themselves". His attitude does not serve him well when he is re-assigned to the Sex Crimes Unit in his precinct. He cracks offensive jokes after trying to remove a nude rape victim from a phone booth who is incoherent with fear. He undergoes a transformation and an attitude adjustment after he is beaten and brutally attacked by two criminal sadists. Thankfully, because this movie was made for TV in the mid-80s, we are not exposed to the graphic details of the rape, nor are any given later on in the statements that Richard Beck makes. But, truthfully, we don't need to be shown. We know what he's gone through, as he experiences everything that rape victims face - and perhaps, because he is both a straight male and a cop - even more. He realizes that people look at him differently, especially his partners and most notably, his father. His dad cannot understand why Beck didn't do more to stop the attack, and Richard realizes, after going through the denial phase, that what happened to him was not his fault, despite what people say. He flashbacks to the assault, alienates his girlfriend, and has to answer embarrassing questions (as all sexual assault victims who report the crime do), like, has he ever had homosexual relations before? His ordeal transforms him into a more aware and sensitive individual who sees that the medieval attitudes toward rape need to change. What I thought was a nice touch was his rescuing a woman from a rapist, his ex-wife and children being the most supportive of him, going over his partner's objections of identifying his attackers, and finally, speaking to the cadets in the Police Academy, spreading awareness, concern and knowledge.It was also great to see two 80s TV moms in the same film (Meredith Birney of "Family Ties" and Joanna Kerns of "Growing Pains"). Pat Hingle was great as Beck's father, and Frances Lee McCain was compassionate as Beck's ex-wife. But the biggest honors go to Crenna, for his realistic and excellent portrayal. His talent and presence is, and will continue to be greatly missed, but his impact will live on. I highly recommend this film. You may never look at sexual assault the same way again. RIP Richard.

This TVM features rape as the dramatic centre point but there`s a difference in that the victim is a middle aged streetwise cop who is MALE . The crime itself is thankfully understated ( This is a TVM after all ) and the teleplay revolves around the victim Richard Beck struggling to come to terms with his rape as he finds sympathy in short supply Casting Richard Crenna as Beck is a double edged sword . Crenna is best known as playing supporting roles usually as good guys and he gives a very good performance here . Unfortunately he does come over as being far too nice to be entirely convincing as a tough streetwise cop . I couldn`t help notice that the script also seems to play up to the nice guy character of Beck . We the audience are supposed to empathise with the victim but if they`d made Beck a rather more hard edged or just plain nasty and cynical character we`d have still felt sorry for him . Considering the theme is one of rape I can`t feeling the producers have made a mistake in making Beck too likable . Were they frightened that if we saw Beck give someone a few slaps now and again we would have thought he deserved to be raped in some way ? I can`t help thinking everything would have worked a bit better if there had been more in the way of " Rape victims deserved it " from a sneering cynical arrogant pre rape Richard Beck which would have made a few scenes work even better , scenes like where his police chief says " Get out of here punk " when Beck goes to pieces at the ID parade or when Beck desparately explains to his unsympathetic relative that " There was nothing I could do , they had a gun to my head " As it is THE RAPE OF RICHARD BECK is a very good TVM but probably tries a little too hard to make us empathise with the rape victim which isn`t necessary because no one deserves to be raped