e-blowers

Good cops versus bad cops but done with great style. Set in late 1940's Los Angeles this film has a real feel for the period with the costumes and cars. The background sets are stylised rather than replicated which has the effect of giving them the period feel without over doing the reality which would otherwise have looked out of place. The score is a foot tapping swing/jazz piece that can grab you at once and get you "in the mood". The pairing of George Peppard and Richard Bradford in the leading cop roles works well and Charles Haigh, late of "Hill Street Blues", is convincing as a "dock rat". Ursula Andress is just right for the aging night club owner. It is not a new plot,we have been there many times before but I enjoyed going there again with this film and I think you will too.

In England they are known as Ticket Touts, but whether you know them as Touts or Scalpers the character is the same. Unpleasant. So an unlikely candidate as a leading character in a romantic comedy? Maybe so, but this is one of the things that sets this film apart from the average romantic comedy. Another is the performances. Not Oscar winning stuff maybe, but they all seem to be getting the most out of their roles. While the focus is on the relationship between Garcia and McDowell, the relationship between Garcia and his pal/father figure Benny underpins the film and ultimately is the catalyst which is the reason for the ending. Benny is ably played by Richard Bradford, at last being given a chance to stretch his wings outside of the corrupt coppers he is usually asked to play, and you would have to be a hard hearted person not to be touched by his portrayal. It is such a shame that so much of "Benny" ultimately ended up on the cutting room floor and so we are only given a glimpse of why Garcia takes him under his wing.

If you want your intellect stretched, look elsewhere. But if you want to curl up on the sofa armed with a box of Kleenex and a box of chocolates, you could do a lot worse than let this film into your living room.

Although this film appeared to be a western for the 1970's, the story was not new. The writer, Dorothy M. Johnson, originally wrote it for the T.V. series Wagon Train (1957-65). Ralph Meeker was cast then in the Richard Harris role, and an excellent job he made of it, in his quiet way. A good story will always stand the test of time, as this proves.

Only one actor is listed as a regular cast member and that is Richard Bradford who starred as the man and his suitcase, McGill. That, and his wits, were all that were left to him after the CIA kicked him out to fend for himself. McGill had a rougher ride in this series than any other spy or investigator before or since and, to his credit, Richard Bradford made sure it showed. The effort he put into his characterisation, the generally high level of the supporting cast, writers and crew which backed him up, was well worth it as, over thirty years, later this series is still as fresh as the day it first aired. I am glad I found it, and I can't stop watching it.

Richard Bradford is mesmerising to watch as McGill and throughout the series he is consistently good, never giving less than his best so a lot of the credit for the success of this series must surely go to him. He has made many appearances in films and on t.v. in character roles since which shows his scope as an actor, but I believe his talents deserved better. The star of Man In A Suitcase is surely the one that got away.