Themes: Work Ethics, Witnessing a Crime, Rogue Cops
Main Cast: Charles Durning, Louis Gossett, Jr., Perry King, Clyde Kusatsu, Stephen Macht
Release Year: 1977
Country: US
Run Time: 119 minutes
MPAA Rating: R
Plot
Loosely based on former policeman Joseph Wambaugh's humorous novel, The Choirboys determinedly explores the stunted interior lives of a large crew of callous, bigoted L.A. policemen. These men get together to lend one another emotional support. However, the means they choose for this do not enhance their sensitivity or their judgement. When one of them has a really bad day, he asks his buddies to come to "choir practice," and they get together for alcoholic benders of fairly epic proportions. When one of them accidentally shoots a homosexual teen cruising a city park, everyone (including higher-ups) gets called on to help with the cover-up. The Choirboys, which was a critical and box-office failure, had an impressive cast list, including such well-known performers as Blair Brown, James Woods, Randy Quaid, Lou Gossett Jr., Perry King and Charles Durning. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
Review
There is a great film waiting to be found within the pages of the Joseph Wambaugh novel that gives this film its name. Unfortunately, Robert Aldrich and crew failed to deliver it with this film. The script faithfully translates many scenes and whole chunks of dialogue from the book verbatim but something went missing in the translation. This happens mainly because Aldrich's direction of the tale is uncharacteristically flat-footed, missing out on the surreal, cartoonish edge of the novel and delivering a finished product that lacks irony or any attempt to criticize the policemen heroes for the role they play in the vicious cycle of their careers. As a result, key scenes with a dark racial, social or sexual edge to them lack the sense of danger they should have and play out like crass gags from a particularly raunchy sitcom. The cast gives it their all, with pros like Charles Durning and Burt Young turning in solid work as police force veterans. However, normally reliable actors like Don Stroud and Perry King turn in overwrought performances, probably due to the shrill, one-note tone of the script and direction. Even the technical aspects of The Choirboys seems off: Joseph Biroc's cinematography has a dull, overlit "t.v.-movie" look to it and Frank DeVol's score includes humor-minded songs that sound like outtakes from the score of Car 54, Where Are You. In short, fans of Wambaugh's novels would be better off sticking with The Onion Field or The New Centurions rather than this misguided adaptation. ~ Donald Guarisco, All Movie Guide
Tim McIntire - Roscoe Rules; Randy Quaid - Proust; Chuck Sacci - Sartino; Don Stroud - Lyles; James Woods - bloomguard; Burt Young - Scuzzi; Robert Webber - Riggs; Jeanie Bell - Fanny Forbes; Blair Brown - Kimberly Miles; Michele Carey - Ora Lee Tingle; Charles Haid - Yanov; Barbara Rhoades - "No Balls" Hadley; Jim Davis - Capt. Drobeck; Phyllis Davis - Foxy/Gina; Jack de Leon - Luther Quigley; George DiCenzo - Lt. Grimsley; David Spielberg - Lt. Finque; Vic Tayback - Pete Zoony; Michael Wills - Blaney; Susan Batson - Sabrina; Claire Brennan - Carolina Moon; Joe Kapp - Hod carrier; Dimitri Logothetis - Card player; Louise Lorimer - Fox; Maria O'Brien - Carrier 2's wife; Cheryl Smith - Tammy; John Steadman - Odello; Lomax Study - Businessman; Bill Walker - Tilden; Suzanne Zenor - Blonde; Bob Minor - Hod carrier 2; Loni Kaye Harkless - Secretary; Ben Young - Vice officer
Credit
William Aldrich - Associate Producer, Lynn H. Guthrie - Associate Producer, Thomas S. Dawson - Costume Designer, Yvonne Kubis - Costume Designer, Malcolm Harding - First Assistant Director, Robert Aldrich - Director, William Martin - Editor, Irving Rosenblum - Editor, Maury Winetrobe - Editor, Mark Damon - Executive Producer, Frank De Vol - Composer (Music Score), Bill Kenney - Production Designer, Joseph Biroc - Cinematographer, Lee Rich - Producer, Merv Adelson - Producer, Raphael Bretton - Set Designer, Wiliam L. McCaughey - Sound/Sound Designer, Joseph Wambaugh - Screenwriter, Christopher Knopf - Screenwriter, Joseph Wambaugh - Book Author
