Liberally based on true events surrounding a mid-80's F.B.I.
investigation and notorious apprehension attempt of a pair of
murderous, military-styled bank-robbers, IN THE LINE OF DUTY:
THE F.B.I. MURDERS (1988) is well-scripted, beautifully acted,
and superbly directed. The pacing and tension build up perfectly
as the two story-lines one involving the F.B.I. team diligently
working its way through the case, the other showing the harsh
criminal viewpoint mesh together with ever-tightening switch- ups until the dramatic and bloody climax. Nothing feels forced or
out of place, and nothing seems missing. Just solid story-telling
and top-notch drama from beginning to end.
It's largely the casting which plays such a huge role in determining
the quality of this picture, in my opinion. With screen veterans
Ronny Cox, as senior agent Ben "The Grinch" Grogan, and David
Soul, as the sadistically deadly robber Michael Lee Platt, you have
both sides of a very truthful and convincing acting team
represented. Add to that Bruce Greenwood, as the rookie agent,
his ex-"Knot's Landing" compatriot Doug Sheehan, as another
hard-driven and concerned field-agent, and a plethora of other
lesser-known but equally skilled actors and you have a solid cast.
But the most notable and electrifying performance turned in is in
the surprisingly cold and delivered performance by Michael Gross,
as fellow killer William Russell Matix. Here Gross completely
sheds the compassionate, intelligent and endearing character
traits so well-portrayed with his much-loved character Steven
Keaton on the TV series "Family Ties", and gives a completely
inner-defined and chilling turn as a contradictory bible-thumping/
womanizing, murderer and bank-robbing degenerate. Shocking
and terribly engaging all in one. The film pulls few punches with
regards to violence throughout the final "take-down" scene is
surely one of the most graphic and bloody ever shot for
mainstream audiences, even by today's standards I'd wager
but it never comes across as exploitive. The story is always the
main focus of the film and for THAT reason it succeeds; it's simply
a good, engaging story that needed to be told.
I first saw this made-for-TV movie on it's original network television
airing and was extremely impressed. Now, 15 years later, I still
hold it in high regard (with only the cars and the synth-driven
soundtrack music really adding any dating to the picture at all).
Unfortunately, IN THE LINE OF DUTY: THE F.B.I. MURDERS, has
long since been out-of-print on VHS, and rarely turns up on TV. For
those lucky enough to come across it I whole-heartedly
recommend it.
7/10. A made-for-TV movie that succeeds in being more!
In the Line of Duty: The F.B.I. Murders
1988
Action / Crime / Drama / Thriller
In the Line of Duty: The F.B.I. Murders
1988
Action / Crime / Drama / Thriller
Plot summary
It is 1985, and a small, tranquil Florida town is being rocked by a wave of vicious serial murders and bank robberies. Particularly sickening to the authorities is the gratuitous use of violence by two “Rambo” like killers who dress themselves in military garb. Based on actual events taken from FBI files, the movie depicts the Bureau’s efforts to track down these renegades.
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April 02, 2024 at 08:27 PM
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Above-Line TV Movie
Gripping
This true story of a armed team of robber/murders hunted by law enforcement which resulted in the most deadly shootout in FBI history and the most studied armed incident after the Kennedy assassination was well told and intense .Michael Lee Platt and William Matix seemed to have split personalities that the chemistry of the two of them together ignited into explosions of violence and murder .Both ex-military , high combat proficency and they practiced their marksmanship regularly , making for a particularly dangerous duo .Platt in particular was amazing I wouldn't want to go up against him , he seemed to be a born assassin . Add to that their kamikaze attitude and their attempted capture was ripe for disaster .The FBI only adds to this with bad decisions on site , before and during , however their motives were as lofty as they come .They were trying to protect the public . One wishes they were able to make better choices because they were good men (Grogan and Dove )but the film is intense and worth seeing , all the more so because most of it is true .
Finally Out On DVD
Finally out on DVD, fans of true crime dramas and action films will really enjoy this 1988 made-for-television production. Based on actual events in Miami, Florida (I'm not sure how embellished), "In the Line of Duty: The FBI Murders concerns a pair of military trained bank- robbers and the FBI task force who attempted to identify and apprehend them. This is a far cry from the fictional movies that attempt to glorify G-Men or violent criminals.
Both sides are portrayed in their real life bumbling glory as the robbers act stupidly and recklessly and the task force basically stumbles into them and is ill prepared for the confrontation. But this makes the story quite fascinating and if you connect with it you will probably want to watch it several times.
The film is structured as two parallel stories and what suspense there is stems from the viewers knowledge that the two stories will eventually intersect with each other, you just don't know how or when it will occur.
The strength of the film (besides its real life feel) is the characterization of the two robbers, played by David Soul and Michael Gross. Although their backgrounds are fragmentary, it appears that they bring out the worst in each other and their crime spree continues more for the adrenaline rush it provides. They begin to really get off on the violence and power, their crimes are almost random which tends to work in their favor as the investigation can find little logic or pattern behind their activities.
The film's weakness is the parallel story of the task force. This was a far cry from a cerebral Sherlock Holmes type investigation so you eagerly wait for them to cut back to Soul and Grace. The characterizations are generally shallow and weak so almost all viewers will end up identifying with the two criminals; even though they have a lot of mad dog qualities. Doug Sheehan is quite effective as the task force commander but Bruce Greenwood and Ronny Cox (rookie paired with veteran) are painful to watch.
The violent climax is worth waiting for, although the violence is in real time, the confrontation has the slow-mo feel of a Sam Peckinpah production.
Then again, what do I know? I'm only a child.