A Question of Honor (1982) (TV)

Director:

Jud Taylor

Writers:

Sonny Grosso (book)
Philip Rosenberg (book)

Release Date:

28 April 1982 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Action | Adventure

Tagline:

The true story of a New York cop...framed by ruthless government officials determined to find corruption... even if they had to manufacture it! [Video Australia]

Plot:

Fictionalized account of the death of a New York City policeman who had been involved in a federal corruption...

Plot Keywords:

Drug Trade | Undercover | Confrontation | Drug Dealer | Retirement

Cast

Ben Gazzara	...	Detective Joe DeFalco
Paul Sorvino	...	Carlo Danzie
Robert Vaughn	...	Frederick Walker
Tony Roberts	...	Marlowe
Danny Aiello	...	Martelli
Carol Eve Rossen	...	Jeannie DeFalco
Steve Inwood	...	Luke Romano
Anthony Zerbe	...	Captain Marcus
Héctor Mercado	...	Stallard (as Hector Jaime Mercado)
Barton Heyman	...	Al Krikorian
Lance Henriksen	...	Wiley (as Lance Hendrickson)
Donna Mitchell	...	Mickie
Donald Symington	...	Kane
John Brandon	...	Horne
Sam Coppola	...	John

Also Known As:

Kunniakysymys (Finland) [fi]
Questão de Honra (Brazil) [pt]
Uma Questão de Honra (Brazil) [pt]

Runtime:

134 min | Brazil:150 min | Argentina:150 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Italian

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Argentina:Atp

Filming Locations:

New York City, New York, USA

Company:

EMI Television

One Good Cop

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

NYPD Detective Sonny Grosso's book about a narcotics detective who gets caught in a turf war between the federal government and his own department is the subject of this made for television film starring Ben Gazzara as the honest cop brought down by ego.

This film ought to be watched back to back with the more prominent and theatrically released Absence Of Malice. Both touch on the same subject the corrupt crusaders for law and order. In this case it's a pair of feds played by Robert Vaughn and Danny Aiello who concoct a diabolical scheme to find some crooked NYPD officers. And if they can't find them they'll dirty some up just to prove their point.

To put this all in context when this is all taking place the Mayor of New York was John V. Lindsay, a former Republican turned Democrat who was a prominent critic of the policies of then President Richard Nixon. And we all know about Nixon's enemies list.

The idea is put to an already crooked cop Tony Roberts to bring over an Italian Mafioso played by Paul Sorvino who will have a framed arrest and then be put to work offering bribes to narcotics cops in New York. Offers these guys can't refuse apparently.

Roberts crosses them up slightly, instead of making the bust himself he turns it over to Ben Gazzara who has a clean reputation, but suffers from the sin of vanity, he wants to make a French Connection type bust, the kind author Sonny Grosso was involved with in real life. Now with Sorvino as Gazzara's prisoner and him not cooperating, Vaughn and Aiello play some legal and very illegal hardball. It results in one awful tragedy.

For a made for television film, A Question Of Honor is a good piece of work with a fine group of New York based actors. Grosso's story is from experience and from the heart.

No one will want a career in the NYPD after seeing A Question Of Honor.