We’s gots a new po-po chopper takin to the skies here (well, old now). The ultimate in urban surveillance machines. Seems like a pretty good piece of machinery here, don’t it? Then imagine it over your house in your city and wonder if it’s such a great idea anymore. At least that’s the thoughts of the main character here.
Police helicopter pilot Frank Murphy is getting back in the air again after a somewhat vague happenings that grounded him for a bit. He has a new co-pilot JAFO Lymangood with him. It doesn’t take long to see Murphy has some Viet Nam kinda issues still, but he’s cool. He’s calm. He’s collected. And has an old girlfriend that he still digs and she digs him. After a crime incident with a local politician, Murphy gets involved in a new helicopter program. A hush-hush kinda military deal as the Olympics are coming to town. Crowd control kinda stuff. Murphy figures is may be used for something more than just that, and it don’t sit quite right with him.
Gotta say, this is actually a pretty decent action thriller. It’s been out for a bit now, and when first seeing it back whenever it was like yeah, cool, helicopters doin cool shit. Upon revisiting and absorbing the actual story of it, yeah, it’s cool, and super fucked up. Because you know this is what’s going on even like 40 years later. The politics hit a bit heavier now, given the implications. Damn fine job by Roy Scheider as the slightly PTSD’d copter pilot. Malcom McDowell is the perfect nemesis as COCKrane, representing more than just an opposing pilot. A young Daniel Stern actually does a great job here as JAFO, as well as Warren “Big Toe” Oates as Frank’s captain. Enjoyed this more than I thought I would, nice timepiece as well as social warning. It did spawn a short-lived TV series, plus its speedy counterpart with a cool theme song, known as AIRWOLF!
