It’s noted as groundbreaking at the time (1971) since it was anti-Hollywood in its rendition of ‘cops/robbers’ and it used ‘raw’ locations known by many in Williamsburg and Bushwick sections of Brooklyn. (I spotted three locations that I knew very well.) It had a verisimilitude (finally got to use that word!) that captured audiences. You may do well to pass on it though. The main cop character (Popeye Doyle) is played by Gene Hackman who had a hard time getting into the part since Doyle is based on an actual cop named Eddie Egan — a flaming unapologetic racist – who hung around the sets while filming went on. Hackman couldn’t stand Egan. Hackman is known as a very serious actor and needed to get into a despicable character he had the misfortune to have to see in real life and experience every day on sets. Hackman ended up downplaying the real Egan in order to play him.
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