DeathSquad

The Death Squad (1974)

This made for television movie starts out with a criminal getting off on a technicality. Later on we see a group of men grab him out of his bed, take him off to an isolated part of town, and kill him. Then the big shocking reveal is made that the men are cops fed up seeing criminals get away with murder (literally in some cases). The main story then kicks in as we are introduced to Eric (played by Robert Forster), a former cop that was kicked off the force for a minor violation. He is approached by the commissioner to try and track down the Death Squad in exchange for being reinstated. Obviously being a “rat” puts him on the Death Squads hit list eventually and we get a satisfying amount of action.

The Death Squad is a very satisfying, if a bit watered down for television, revenge cop story in the vein of a Dirty Harry movie. The story is solid and keeps the action moving along so that the viewer never gets bored. That said I do wish that they had spent more time developing the characters, especially the members of the Death Squad. We really never get much explanation as to their motivations other than the general “get the scum off the street”. This is especially true for the Claude Akins character. But then I’d just like to see him get more screen time. Also I’d have to say that most of the movie is very predictable and the twists are easy to see coming. Still this is a fun and distracting way to kill 70 or so minutes. What really stands out for me is the cast, in spite of some overacting (a few scenes with the actors shouting their lines). Robert Forster does an excellent job in the lead role of Eric, and Claude Akins is menacingly good as the bad detective Brennan. Also veteran actor Melvyn Douglas has a decent part playing Eric’s mentor Captain Kreski.

If I hadn’t already mentioned it this is a television production from the early 1970s and it looks like it. While shot on film you can see that there were budget limitations. The stunt cars look like they have already been wrecked a dozen times before (which they probably were). Some of the action scenes are a bit limited in their scale, which again is probably a budget thing. The Death Squad also has the sort of soft look to it that I’ve always associated with movies shot in the late 60s and early 70s. Not sure if it was the film stock or camera equipment that they used, but it is fairly unique. This might bother some folks, but I kind of like it.

And I guess that is a good way to sum up my review for the Death Squad. It has some flaws, but I kind of like it. The cast is fun and is filled with familiar faces. The story is familiar, but doesn’t feel too much like a retread of better movies. And while the action and violence is toned down, it is still satisfying and fun. So yeah I’d recommend everyone check this one out.

3 out of 4

reviewed by John Shatzer