“EARLY DIRTY”

By Raymond Benson

The filmmaker who made the iconic Clint Eastwood vehicle, Dirty Harry in 1971 also made something of an early test-run three years earlier in the form of a crime picture called Madigan. Starring Richard Widmark as a tough, cynical, and world-weary police detective in New York City, Madigan displays the same look, feel, and grit that the later Eastwood police procedural exhibits. And, like Harry Callahan, Dan Madigan doesn’t always follow the rules.

Don Siegel (credited here as “Donald” Siegel for some odd reason, for he had been “Don” in earlier films) had been a solid craftsman since the 1950s, responsible for such works as Riot in Cell Block 11 (1954), the original Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956), the admirable remake of The Killers (1964), and Coogan’s Bluff (1968). Likewise, Madigan is a well-made thriller with a hard-boiled plot and realistic characters portrayed by an excellent cast that includes Henry Fonda, Inger Stevens, and James Whitmore.

The tale begins when Madigan (Widmark) and his partner Rocco Bonaro (Harry Guardino) screw up while attempting to bring in hoodlum Barney Benesch (Steve Inhat) for questioning, unaware that he is wanted for murder in Brooklyn. Benesch gets the upper hand on the pair and runs away with their guns. Police commissioner Russell (Fonda) isn’t happy about this, but he has other problems on his mind. Besides being involved in an adulterous relationship with a mistress (Susan Clark) that’s going south, Russell’s best friend on the force, Chief Inspector Kane (Whitmore), may be accepting bribes. Madigan has marital problems, too; his wife, Julia (Stevens), is fed up with him, for he is married more to the job than to her. As the two storylines converge, Russell orders Madigan and Bonaro to track down Benesch by following the leads of several colorful characters, including “Midget Castiglione” (Michael Dunn). Of course, the investigation culminates in a climactic shootout with tragic results.

Widmark is very good as the film’s protagonist, although the actor always seems to play “Richard Widmark” in whatever movie he’s in (except Kiss of Death, which made him a star as a psychotic killer). It is Fonda, however, who dominates the picture. Russell’s plotline is ultimately more interesting than that of Madigan’s, revealing a troubled, conflicted man who appears to have his mind on the job but his heart ready to chuck it all.

Kino Lorber’s new 1920x1080p Blu-ray looks slick and sharp, and it has optional English subtitles. An interesting audio commentary by film historians Howard S. Berger, Steve Mitchell, and Nathaniel Thompson accompanies the movie, but there are no supplements other than the theatrical trailer and some TV spots.

Madigan became a short-lived television series in the early 70s with Widmark reprising his role, but it is the 1968 feature film that packs the punch. A warm-up to Dirty Harry? Perhaps not intentionally, but Madigan is a strong entry in Don Siegel’s filmography.

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