Too much of everything

Simple and well acted, it has tension enough to knot the stomach.

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

It is encouraging that the film ends so strongly.Otherwise, it wouldn't have been a particularly memorable film

David Janssen stars in what might be described as a "mid-'60s sun-baked L.A. neo-noir meets Dragnet-esque police procedural". This was probably Janssen's best big screen role of his career, although the film did still overall have the production values and feel of a made-for-TV movie. I thought director Budd Kulik did well with his blocking and the pace of the film.Janssen, in his usual low-key but effective manner of acting, plays LAPD Sgt. Tom Valens who is accused of the wrongful shooting of a respected Beverly Hills doctor during a late night stakeout. Later, unable to locate the gun he claims the doctor had pulled on him, Valens is first relieved of duty and then must face a grand jury hearing after which the prosecutor played by Sam Wannamaker expresses his delight in "putting bad cops in their place". With all the evidence pointing to Valens' guilt and with few if anyone believing his story, he sets out for himself in search of evidence to prove his innocence. (sound familiar, fans of his most memorable television role?) A number of well known and respected actors and actress of the time would make what could basically be called long cameos throughout much of the movie, as it does seem a bit episodic in some parts. Among those familiar faces would be Ed Begley as Valens' LAPD superior, Lilian Gish as a sweet but forgetful elderly lady, Stefanie Powers as a sympathetic nurse, George Sanders as an investment banker, Eleanor Parker as the decedent's less-than-grieving widow, Joan Collins as Valens' soon-to-be ex-wife, Steve Allen as a blowhard television commentator, Carroll O' Connor as the grand jury judge and George Grizzard as a playboy airline pilot.The ending is a bit weak in regard to a somewhat illogical aspect to it, but overall it is worthwhile.

I was going to say this felt more like something on TV, and here I find this movie was originally made for TV, but was released theatrically instead. David Janssen stars in this rather low-key but surprisingly well-made and effective movie about a murder investigation. It seems a kind doctor was making a house call at 11:00 at night. Odd, right? Why would he see Lillian Gish, who's a patient of his, at night, unless he had some other ulterior motive? That's up to David Janssen to find out, because he shot and killed the doctor, when the doctor pulled a gun on him. Only thing is, where'e the gun? And, why would an innocent doctor panic and run and pull out a gun? This features a slew of names, of movie stars and TV stars, which you can find listed here. But I will say, while Joan Collins may be eye candy for the men, she is rather lifeless here. And for that matter so is Stefanie Powers. The only highlight for the actresses here is the always dependable Lillian Gish and the always alluring and talented Eleanor Parker, as a far-from-grieving widow of the doctor. She really peps up the last half of the movie. David Janssen possesses his own way of acting with little to no emotion, but in a strange way he comes off very convincingly as a cop who's about to have his life turned upside down, because of his shooting an apparently innocent man with no gun. He must discredit the doctor and get to the truth. Will he? Maybe, but not before.....

David Jansen gives a bravura performance as a police sergeant who gets tagged with a "Mad Dog" label after a stakeout turns into what appears to be a bad shoot. Ed Begley is terrific as the boss. Sam Wanamaker gives a convincingly cold-blooded performance. Steve Allen has fun as a blowhard newsman who selects Jansen as his target du jour. Lots of interesting twists, appropriately downbeat music, sharp-edged dialogue, and taut direction by Buzz Kulik make this one of my favorite mysteries of the 1960's, right up there with Harper and Wait Until Dark.

During a 1966 break from filming The Fugitive TV series, David Janssen joined with producer-director Seymour "Buzz" Kulik and screenwriter Mann Rubin to film Warning Shot. The film finds Janssen in familiar territory as a man wrongly accused and having literally no recourse but to defend himself, and his performance as LAPD Sgt. Tom Valens can be seen as another alter-ego of Richard Kimble. The presence of Fugitive alum such as Carroll O'Conner and Ed Begley Sr. adds to the familiarity for Fugitive fans. Jerry Goldsmith composes a strikingly strong score for the film, from the mildly bombastic opening theme through its more mournful renditions throughout the movie.Janssen's performance as Richard Kimble made The Fugitive a television clasic, and here he imbues Sgt. Tom Valens with identical sympathy. Valens, on a stakeout for a prowler, encounters a doctor, James Rustin, who pulls a gun on Valens and is shot. The gun flies out of Rustin's hand, and is lost. Because the gun cannot be found, Valens is suspended, and faces even greater trouble because Dr. Rustin has earned a striking popularity with neighbors of his for his medical efforts, both in LA and in his frequent flights to Baja. When Valens digs into Rustin's past, he finds some discrepencies with the doctor's image, but it all blows up in Valens' face in the death of a model Rustin was having an affair with.Nonetheless, despite persistent pleas from his friends to admit to guilt, Valens pushes his investigation of Dr. Rustin, and he hits paydirt when he finds a curious truth about one of Rustin's elderly neighbors (and her dog), and when someone tries to kill him and then Dr. Rustin's nurse is found dead, leading to a confrontation between Valens and his ex-partner.Janssen shines in this film, but gets superb help from his supporting cast, including George Grizzard as a playboy pilot who is always missing out on the action - or so he says.