AllMovie

This pilot film for a short-lived series based on the Joseph Wambaugh novel doesn't hit the dramatic highs of its miniseries predecessor but works as a tidy little police thriller. Albert Ruben's script follows the familiar story progression of a cop show but uses the extra time the t.v. movie format offers to flesh out its plot and the inner struggle of its policeman hero (a scene where he debates his aging-cop status with a sympathetic date is a nice touch). George Kennedy does a fine job as Bumper Morgan, creating a character that is convincingly tough yet retaining a carefully guarded sensitivity beneath his bluster. Among the supporting cast, Verna Bloom provides nice support as a love interest and Glynn Turman is electric as Morgan's elusive criminal prey. Director J. Lee Thompson handles the proceedings in an energetic style, making effective use of handheld camerawork to draw the viewer into the action and getting plenty of visual mileage out of the film's seedy Los Angeles settings. In short, The Blue Knight treads familiar territory but fans of the police-procedural genre are likely to enjoy its confident take on those familiar elements.