When I saw Richard Widmark and Henry Fonda as the stars with Don Siegel directing, I expected at least a half decent movie. Instead, this movie was a total bore. Not much police action and everyone was sleeping around committing adultery. Henry Fonda, roughly 63 at the time of this film, is sleeping with a married 28 year old of 3. Way to go Commissioner, you Hippocratic moron. Richard Widmark, 54 at the time has a hot wife 20 years younger, and pays no attention to her. He sleeps around on her with some saloon singer. Widmark is not that good looking. Widmark's wife cheats on him. Its a whole soap operary mess.Madigan and his partner are suppose to be chasing a killer, who got the drop on them because Madigan can't take his eyes off a young woman's ass. The killer didn't seem that bad. We see him briefly at the beginning and end. Henry Fonda did this role after doing Once upon a Time in the West(which he was excellent in). He seemed tired from that role and in this movie was constantly in a daze looking like he wished he were somewhere else, even when he was with the hot young woman.This movie was so far fetched with the older actors with hot younger women. It dragged and dragged and dragged and when the end came, I was glad Madigan acted like a fool, not wearing his bulletproof vest (he threw it off) and went straight in that apartment in the line of fire. There was no immediate threat and swat was there. Madigan did everything a detective should not do, so good riddance. Its so hard to believe they made a TV series after this movie. I guess Madigan got struck by lightning and came back from the dead for the TV series. Don't waste your time on this movie.

Richard Widmark(Madigan) & Harry Guardino play two police officers who lose their gun to a murder suspect(Steve Inhat). They are then given a short period of time to catch him, and retrieve his gun, before it is used in the commission of a crime. Madigan must also deal with his home problems involving his bored and neglected wife(played by the beautiful Inger Stevens) Henry Fonda plays the police commissioner who must deal with the hard-headed Madigan, and other issues that threaten the safety and reputation of the city.Moderately interesting yarn has good performances and direction, though a somewhat tedious and familiar story, though the ending is a surprise. Later inspired a brief TV series.

"Madigan", the Universal film of 1968 surfaced recently on a classic cable channel. Directed by legendary Don Siegel, and based on a novel by Richard Dougherty, with and adaptation by Abraham Polansky and Howard Rodman, proves to be a trip back to that era of the New York of the 1960s where crime took center stage for the police. There are two main stories in the narrative, one involving a team of detectives and the other about the police commissioner who finds himself in a dilemma as he finds out his best friend in the force has been involved in a shady deal.The detectives Madigan and Bonaro come to pick up Barney Benesch, a criminal, who is being sought in Brooklyn as a witness for a crime. The two irrupt in the apartment where Benesch is in bed with a young woman. He outmaneuvers the detectives, fleeing with their weapons, an embarrassing position for the lawmen who become the target of all jokes in the department.Anthony Russell, the commissioner, is told as he arrives in his office about the investigation that points out one of his colleagues, chief inspector Charles Kane has engaged in a shady deal which appears to be a criminal act, something a person in his position is immediate grounds for termination. Russell and Kane go way back in the police department. Russell, a decent man must get to the bottom of the situation to determine whether the chief inspector has to go.Don Siegel shot the film using locations in New York. The screenplay adaptation was written by Abraham Polonsky, a veteran of Hollywood, who was a good director himself and Howard Rodman. The emphasis of the action revolves around Madigan and his partner Bonaro, but another, probably more interesting film would have been made from the conflict between the two friends in higher places. Russell is no saint, he was having an affair with a socialite, but basically is a decent man. Kane, on the other hand, was just a good police officer whose whole family had been involved in the force in several positions.Richard Widmark does a wonderful job as Madigan, a man who has problems of his own, with an unsatisfied wife who is more interested in having fun, which her husband was not able to provide. Henry Fonda plays the upright commissioner with his usual easy way for giving a good performance without even trying. James Whitmore is Kane the man who makes a mistake and lives to regret it, thinking he has jeopardized his friendship with Russell. Inger Stevens' Julia is a tad exaggerated, not feeling real. There are interesting supporting roles. The film had locations in New York City and Brooklyn, but it is obvious studio sets stand for real Manhattan streets. The final sequence was filmed in Los Angeles. Russell Metty, the cinematographer shows the New York of the late 1960s with flair. The music score is by Don Costa.

The NYC police commissioner has given two policemen two days to bring in a fugitive. The cast is excellent: Fonda as the by-the-book commissioner, Widmark and Guardino as the not-by-the-book detectives, Stevens as Widmark's lovely and neglected wife, and Whitmore as Fonda's assistant and long-time friend. Siegel creates a gritty atmosphere in this companion piece to "Dirty Harry," with Widmark's title character having a lot in common with Clint Eastwood's maverick cop. However, while the film is well made, it is nothing more than a routine police drama. Widmark parlayed this role into a short-lived TV series of the same name a few years later.