Most undeservingly overhyped movie of all time??

brilliant actors, brilliant editing

In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

Great story, amazing characters, superb action, enthralling cinematography. Yes, this is something I am glad I spent money on.

it is the role of Telly Savalas. this fact is so obvious than is very difficult to ignore it. because his Theo Kojak is always surprising and gives the right expected portrait of unconventional detective against the crime world. because it is the hero in his way, far by others recipes and formulas. the face, the gestures, the voice. Telly Savallas works each detail with huge and precise care and efficiency. and this is the basic virtue of a series who remains, decade by decade, spectacular.

Kojak was fast-paced and the subtle clues and plot twists whizzed by me when I saw this show back in the 70's. Thank goodness for the DVD's - now I can back track and follow the plot without getting lost. Kojak was a very intelligently produced drama - all the characters were real and the fast- paced show had plenty of suspense and action. Telly Savalas was a master at his craft and his charismatic portrayal of Kojak conveyed a man who was respected by his peers and who was very dedicated and tenacious. The run- down precinct house - chipped and peeling green paint everywhere , dirty, paper-strewn desks, worn-down staircases, confusion...all added to the realism. The on-location shots of NY streets had you immersed in the inner city - all the crime, grime, pimps, junkies, etc. He was like a hipster Sherlock Holmes, sucking a tootsie pop or having a smoke - and he dressed to the hilt, in custom-made suits and expensive ties. Theo - we love ya, Baby.

Kojak isn't just one of the best cop shows of the '70s and all-time. The title character is also one of the best and coolest detectives ever to appear on prime-time. Telly Savalas was the perfect choice to play the detective who apparently never met a lollipop he didn't like.Kojak was a no-nonsense cop who cared about solving crimes and getting criminals off the street. But he can also display care and sympathy for the relatives of crime victims, as demonstrated during a phone call he makes to a murder victim's mother in the episode "Girl In The River." In that episode, Kojak could identify with the victim's mother's discomfort about the thought that her daughter's killer has resurfaced, because he acknowledged his own inability to rest well with the killer still on the loose. But after the inevitable identification of the killer and the final showdown that results in the killer's death, the episode ends with Kojak calling the victim's mother again, this time to let her know that she can finally rest.This is a classic TV show that must be watched and cherished.

The guy was rude, bald and probably a nightmare to work for; but we all thought he was real cool for a while. I think if I'd been on the receiving end of a "Crocker!" or "Stavros!" I'd have probably ended up with some sort of complex, but it worked well and, in between, the show managed to tackle some serious issues.I also remember it as one of the first shows out of the US where the good guys didn't always win.Towards the end it started to get a bit preachy; but by then I'd moved on to Starsky & Hutch, so I didn't have to put up with it. For the first few seasons though it was definitely one of the best cop shows on TV.