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Takes itself way too seriously

a film so unique, intoxicating and bizarre that it not only demands another viewing, but is also forgivable as a satirical comedy where the jokes eventually take the back seat.

While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

It's funny, it's tense, it features two great performances from two actors and the director expertly creates a web of odd tension where you actually don't know what is happening for the majority of the run time.

The Super Cops is a police drama along the lines of Serpico, which was released a year earlier, with more emphasis on action and humor and less on retaliation within the police force. It's an under-appreciated, almost-forgotten gem that's carried by the charismatic lead characters, played by Ron Leibman (now known as the voice of Ron Cadillac in the FX series Archer) and David Selby.Leibman and Selbey play new cops Greenberg and Hantz who quickly tire of traffic duty and begin to solve crimes and bust crooks in their spare time. (No, really.) They accomplish this by thinking outside the rule book, in particular the one with the unwritten rules. They refuse to take bribes or grease palms. They receive assistance from convicted criminals. They stake out drug dealers in a giant cardboard box. All of this earns them some high profile busts and the enmity of pretty much every other cop in their precinct, particularly their new direct supervisor, Lt. O'Shaughnessy (Joseph Sirola).I realize this sounds like what's now a typical buddy-cop movie: a pair bucks the system to do what's right. And it sort of is a progenitor to those films. But look here, this story, based on the book by L. H. Whittemore, was a bit more groundbreaking than all of those Lethal Weapon clones we've seen over the past two decades. The cops aren't always good guys? They can make mistakes and have lapses in ethics? No one wants to see Greenburg and Hantz succeed, not nobody, not no how! But they do their best anyway, even if it means no advancement. They'll work in a crappy precinct for a jerky boss, even on desk or traffic duty, and then work cases in their spare time. Their spare time! The other cops try hard to dissuade the dynamic duo – nicknamed Batman and Robin for their comic-book-like exploits – from messing around with their traditional system of not caring (particularly after the shift's over). Meanwhile, Greenburg and Hantz just want to clean up one of New York's worst crack-infested areas, The Man be damned. They're crazy like foxes, is what they are. How crazy? They try to take down one baddie while the building they're in is being demolished. Pretty awesome scene.The Super Cops is available on DVD, finally. Seems the great Edgar Wright (Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz) raved about this lost classic, and that somehow spurred the powers that be to release the movie to the public. So it's out there, and it's well worth your while.

Before receiving an award for outstanding police work, New York City patrolmen David "Dave" Greenberg and Robert "Bob" Hantz are seen interviewed. Affectionately nicknamed, "Batman and Robin," this is their true story. After the credits, we flashback to the dynamic duo beginning at the Police Academy, with actors Ron Leibman (as Greenberg) and David Selby (as Hantz) assuming the roles. At first, Mr. Leibman and Mr. Selby are not assigned very hazardous duties. They start to go off on their own, wanting to crack down on drug dealers... Rogue techniques get the pair in trouble with the law, but we know from the opening how this story ends. This gives "The Super Cops" less tension than ideal – and, consequently, there isn't an abundance of excitement in the narrative. Leibman and Selby have a good rapport and director Gordon Parks works well in the gritty setting, with photographer Dick Kratina. Shot in a steeply sleazy walk-up hotel, the first meeting with sexy Sheila Frazier (as Sara) is a highlight.***** The Super Cops (3/20/74) Gordon Parks ~ Ron Leibman, David Selby, Sheila Frazier, Pat Hingle

A Street-Wise Production with Authentic NYC Locations Highlight this Cop/Comedy based on the True Story of the Two Policemen Nicknamed Batman and Robin and The Super Cops by the Media.It is a Fast Paced, almost Highlight Reel, and the Ghetto Backdrop is in Deep Contrast to the Bouncy, Lighthearted Way the Cartoonish Cops go about Their Business of Busting Drug Dealers and other Assorted Criminals.The Institutionalized Corruption and Apathy also play a big part in the Picture but The Film Never gets too Deep into that Sensitive Situation or for that Matter it Hardly Slows Down Enough for the Drug Busts and Implications of the Effects these Scum are having on the Population. It could be Faulted for Being just a bit too Smiley Considering the Devastating Subject Matter.Given that almost Unforgivable Whitewash, the Movie taken on its Own Terms of being an Entertaining and Superficial Take on the Whole Broad Strokes of the Inner Story both on the Streets and In the Precinct, it can be Forgiven as a Lightweight and Sometimes Succinct, Well Directed, Acted, and Written Piece of Faction that Results in a Popcorn Movie with that Seventies Grit and Realism that makes it Hold Up.

Two rookie cops join forces to try and make a difference fighting crime on the streets of New York. They quickly learn they must also fight the corruption and bureaucracy in their own police department.Entertaining and offbeat crime drama from Gordon Parks which served as his first follow-up feature after directing the two successful Shaft films with Richard Roundtree. Like that series, Super Cops is given a big lift by some great on-location shooting in New York City which really captures the gritty look and feel of 1970's street life.It also benefits from two likable performances from Ron Leibman and David Selby as the rookie duo "affectionately" nick-named Batman and Robin by the locals. The rest of the cast is a solid mix of familiar faces from the crime and blaxploitation films from that era. Standing out is Pat Hingle as a gruff inspector trying to bring down the boys and Sheila Fraser - fresh off her appearance in the Super Fly films - as a prostitute.The screenplay is based on the real life exploits of NY police officers David Greenburg and Robert Hantz (who both have cameos in the film) and frequently veers between comedy and drama - albeit somewhat unevenly. It is still held together by the engaging story and the smart direction of Parks.