In the Line of Duty: The F.B.I. Murders (1988)

SERIOUSLY. This is what the crap Hollywood still puts out?

Self-important, over-dramatic, uninspired.

This movie was so-so. It had it's moments, but wasn't the greatest.

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

Super-charged TV movie concerning two Vietnam veterans (Soul and Gross) who embark on a ruthless and progressively more violent spate of armed robberies. As their heists become increasingly more murderous and brazen, the FBI's finest (principally portrayed by Cox, Sheehan and Greenwood) struggle to subdue the carnage. The cat and mouse game finally comes to a rousing climax when the fugitives are cornered in a car chase, and a bloody shootout ensues.Watching this intense, suspenseful and shocking feature, you easily forget its TV movie constraints; nothing is inhibited by the TV scale. Characters are well drawn and given appropriate depth, and the action sequences are realistic and well staged. Directory Lowry shows his adept handling of the content, conjuring a pair of the most ruthless, frightening villains ever conceived. Gross completely dispenses the shackles of his (at the time) amiable alter-ego from "Family Ties", as a cold-blooded misogynistic, religious zealot, while Soul is devastating in a dichotomous characterisation - warm and sociable with his family and friends, and a total psychopath in balaclava and fatigues. Daring casting against type that succeeds.Doug Sheehan is workmanlike in his performance as the central FBI guy, while Ronny Cox as the revered agent nearing retirement adds a significant prestige to the ranks. Bruce Greenwood's star has risen since this feature, and his portrayal of the young newcomer is played with conviction. Based on true events, director Lowry manages the pace for an outstanding climax of Sam Peckinpah proportions. Exceptional TV movie highly recommended for anyone remotely interested in the true crime genre.

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 .

An explosive and completely true account of the most horrific shootout between criminals and federal law enforcement in U.S. history. It is the story of Bill Mattix and Mike Platt, two former Army Rangers and ordinary blue collar guys who have families, raise kids, and pay their taxes. They also rob armored cars and shoot people for a living. And they are damn good at it. They kill people about as routinely as mowing their lawns with absolutely no remorse or second thought as to the consequences of their actions. Their exploits attract the attention of the Miami F.B.I. field office who become more and more interested in finding out who they are. The agents quickly become obsessed with stopping them before they rob and kill again. It sets the scene for the eventual showdown and the carnage that ensues when they try to corner the robbers. This one is hard to find but it is a great insight into the minds of two bank robbers and the FBI agents who hunted them.

The In The Line of Duty series stands out as excellent - I was fortunate enough to watch a police training tape that re-enacted the infamous shootout upon which this movie is based. The movie itself is well acted and directed. The shootout at the end is pretty amazing - in fact, it shows a real double-standard on the part of network television - they'll cut a theatrical film to death, but if it's made for TV, they'll spice it up as much as they want. You won't believe your eyes as Michael Gross (Family Ties) and half of Starsky and Hutch (David Soul), play vicious robbers, who are finally caught up with by FBI agents, and engage them in a bloody shootout. Gross and Soul take hit after hit before going down, and taking two agents with them. (This isn't theatrics, by the way. Those two men were adrenalized, and determined to get away. They really did take a lot of hits) The tactical mistakes made by the agents that day have reshaped police training forever.