A group of new police recruits takes to patrolling the streets of Los Angeles. Roy Fehler is a law student with a family and has joined the LAPD until he can complete his degree. He's partnered with veteran patrolman Kilvinski and they soon develop a good rapport. On the street the policemen are exposed to the seedier side of life but Kilvinski is a fair cop and a good teacher. Over time however, Fehler comes to love the work and both his family and his studies fall by the wayside. Kilvinsky retires and Fehler loses his way, drinking heavily. Fehler's wife leaves him and he soon hits bottom. Just as he begins to get his life in order, fate intervenes. An idealistic rookie cop joins the L.A.P.D. to make ends meet while finishing law school, and is indoctrinated by a seasoned veteran. As time goes on, he loses his ambitions and family as police work becomes his entire life. THAT AUTHOR AND former L.A. Cop, Joseph Wambbaugh ascended to the heights of pop culture in the 1970s surely was neither a fluke nor should it have been a surprise. Due to the great period of unrest and defiance of all that is "establishment", the Police of America were called to the main stage, front & center, in the spotlight, etc.<br/><br/>GARNERING ALL OF this ink, the next logical steps were to have someone tell the Cops' story and then to produce popular entertainments with Police as the subject. Furthermore, the guys in blue were the logical successors to all those six-gun toting dudes from all of the Westerns that glutted the TV tubes and the Matinée Playbills during the 1950s and '60s.<br/><br/>BEGINNING HIS CAREER as an author while still an active Policeman on the Los Angeles P.D., THE NEW CENTURIONS was his first published novel; as well as the first to be adapted to the screen. The author gives his best effort in looking beyond the uniform and badge; penetrating into the very souls of the guys who do the job.<br/><br/>IN CASTING THE parts of the "Rookie" and the "Old-Timer", we have Stacey Keach and George C. Scott. In every respect, the two are defined ion bold relief to one another. Officer Kilvinski (Mr. Scott) is pragmatic, instinctive and proactive. Likes so many street veterans, Kilvinski has his own rules and methods.<br/><br/>BEING THE ANTITHOSIS of this approach, Officer Kehler (Stacey Keach) is educated, polished "by the book". His very image was that of the "modern" law enforcement official. Slim, trim and fit, his very figure is that of an illustration for a modern police training manual.<br/><br/>BUT, THIS TOO comes to an end when his marriage dashes on the rocks. He next he resorts to hitting the bottle, Before we know it, he is a full blown alcoholic. By this time, he is at least a journeyman and well on his way to superseding Kilvinski as the grizzled veteran.<br/><br/>AND SPEAKING OF Kilvinski, he has retired by this time. He does, however, still maintain contact with his former pupil. Lamenting the loneliness of his retirement and reminiscing about the old days in a phone call, Kilvinski turns his service revolver on himself.<br/><br/>HOPING FOR SOME solutions to his own problems, Kehler meets an answer to a prayer; while he was being treated for on the job injuries in the local ER. It is here that he finds his new love in the Nurse, who treats him.<br/><br/>NOW BEING SERIOUSLY involved, putting the booze behind him and seemingly straightening out his life, he is fatally shot in the last part of a midnight to morning tour of duty.<br/><br/>AUTHOR WAMBAUGH AND the production team managed to squeeze all of the main problems of the police into one story; not living happily after ever. George C. Scott and Stacy Keach both give wonderful performances in this film. Joseph Wambaugh was a member of the LAPD and has written many excellent books that really bring police work to life. Wambaugh's most famous book is probably The Onion Field, but this is also an excellent adaptation. What I like about this film is its no frills, no punches pulled approach to the world of police work. It is a thankless, demanding, depressing and dangerous job. Scott is wonderful as the veteran cop who has "seen it all" and is a mentor to young officer Keach. SPOILER ALERT SPOILER ALERT After Scott retires from the force, he realizes how empty and meaningless his life is, to this man police work was his whole life. The scene where he takes the gun out of the drawer and kills himself was shocking and chilling. I was also surprised that they killed Keach's character in the end as well. This isn't a "happy" film to watch but it is true to life which is a hell of a lot more then I can say for a lot of films. The New Centurions does for the street cop what Platoon did for the foot soldier in Vietnam. It is a worthy tribute to them and leaves you with sympathy and understanding for what they have to go through. George C. Scott never gave a performance that wasn't first rate and this is no exception. Maybe because it is so downbeat this film is rarely shown on tv and to my knowledge is not available on video but it is worth your while to catch it. By the way, Isabell Sanford (Louise on "The Jeffersons") has an amusing cameo as a hooker that Scott arrests.
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