Back in January, I presented Gordon Parks’ ‘The Super Cops’ at the New Beverly. At that time it had never been released on DVD. Today that changes, because partly as a result of my screening, it is finally available to order from Warner Archive.
‘The Super Cops’ is a great movie and a big influence on my own ‘Hot Fuzz’. I first saw this on TV at a very young age and was taken with the story of the real life superheroes of New York; beat cops Greenberg & Hantz who were nicknamed ‘Batman & Robin’.
It’s an unsung buddy classic, mostly down to the unlikely badasses that are Ron Liebman and David Selby. I defy you not to love this pair after watching this this utter gem.
And it’s worth noting that the Batman & Robin connections don’t end with Greenberg & Hantz’s nicknames, the film’s cracking screenplay is written by Batman’s TV screenwriter, Lorenzo Semple Junior.
Anyone who came to the screening in January with David Selby and Lorenzo Semple Jnr in attendance will attest that this movie is a blast. Buy it now. You won’t regret it.
Better cool your jets, all you Bed-Stuy dealers, operators and lowlifes: the heat that will take you down is on the street. The Super Cops zippily chronicles the crime-busting adventures of David Greenberg and Robert Hantz, the unorthodox police duo “who became known, not always fondly, as Batman and Robin,” writes Vincent Canby in his review in The New York Times. “The nicknames define the comic-book style of the film,” Canby adds, a film directed by renowned Life photojournalist and Shaft filmmaker Gordon Parks and amped by enthusiastic performances from leads Ron Leibman and David Selby. The real-life Greenberg and Hantz appear in the film in news footage and in bit roles.
Director: Gordon Parks
Cast: Ron Leibman, David SelbyImportant Note: This film has been manufactured from the best-quality video master currently available and has not been remastered or restored specifically for this DVD and Digital Download release. Ships to U.S. Destinations Only
