I have read the book and seen the movie; however, they both did not show the bigot side of police when it came to dealing with union activists, civil rights organizations, blacks, other minorities, etc. Police work is dangerous; however, it would not be so dangerous if the police got rid of their racist, sexist, political, and ideology attitudes against the rest of the community. The police in America are always voting and upholding the same economic, political, and social system that causes many people to turn to crime just to survive which in turn makes the streets dangerous for the police. The book and movie never show incidents of dealing with rich people who threaten to destroy a police officer's career if they are arrested.If police fought for progressive change in America, then they would not have to face high divorce rates, suicide, and drunkenness on and off the job. Then again, if the crime rate in America was low like it is in Canada, Japan, and Europe, I think the police would get drunk out of sheer boredom of the job because they get too few calls. Many of them live for that adrenalin rush.

I picked up this movie at a local flea market. I noticed George C. Scott was a star and it was a cop movie. Being a fan of law enforcement films, I paid $2 for a VHS copy. When I finally was able to sit down and watch it, I found it wanting. There was no central plot to the story, just the random calls that this "rookie" and "veteran" receive. It was entertaining to see the old timer's methods of dealing with the prostitutes, as well as Isabel Sanford playing one of them. The "rookie" struggles to keep his family together and turns to the bottle as the rigors of police work take their toll. There is some insight given to the lives of the officers while out of uniform, but there is no depth. The entire film seemed to have the quality that one might expect from an episode of Police Story or one of the other many cop shows that graced the TV screen in the 1970s. I found the film full of clichés about life as a cop. Of course, given this film's date, perhaps it was the "cliche setter".

I saw this movie when it first came out. I was in high school and the son of a cop. I later became a cop myself and other than the setting (Los Angeles) this movie, while flawed, shows a side of policing that people rarely see, or at least then. Up until this time, with few cinematic exceptions, police officers had either been comic buffoons or squared-jawed emotionless men who always got their man. Here we have a young man who became a cop to pay for law school. He is introduced to an old veteran who only knows police work, nothing more. Together they become partners then friends. SPOILER: The scene of Kilvinski's (Scott) death is griping, but not unexpected. He was a lonely man who did not have his life (police work) any more. Juxtapose that with Fehler's (Keach)death. His life had hit a bumpy road but was upbeat and hopeful when he died.END SPOILER.There are no heroes in this movie, but it does show the heroism of these officers going to work and doing their duty as best they can under trying and sometimes deadly circumstances. A good movie but a better book. If you have a chance, read all of Wambaugh's novels. He nails police work as it was in the 60s and 70s.

George C. Scott and Stacy Keach both give wonderful performances in this film. Joseph Wambaugh was a member of the LAPD and has written many excellent books that really bring police work to life. Wambaugh's most famous book is probably The Onion Field, but this is also an excellent adaptation. What I like about this film is its no frills, no punches pulled approach to the world of police work. It is a thankless, demanding, depressing and dangerous job. Scott is wonderful as the veteran cop who has "seen it all" and is a mentor to young officer Keach. SPOILER ALERT SPOILER ALERT After Scott retires from the force, he realizes how empty and meaningless his life is, to this man police work was his whole life. The scene where he takes the gun out of the drawer and kills himself was shocking and chilling. I was also surprised that they killed Keach's character in the end as well. This isn't a "happy" film to watch but it is true to life which is a hell of a lot more then I can say for a lot of films. The New Centurions does for the street cop what Platoon did for the foot soldier in Vietnam. It is a worthy tribute to them and leaves you with sympathy and understanding for what they have to go through. George C. Scott never gave a performance that wasn't first rate and this is no exception. Maybe because it is so downbeat this film is rarely shown on tv and to my knowledge is not available on video but it is worth your while to catch it. By the way, Isabell Sanford (Louise on "The Jeffersons") has an amusing cameo as a hooker that Scott arrests.