Madigan is a gritty, hard-bitten cop thriller from 1968 directed by the legendary Don Siegel (Dirty Harry,  Invasion of the Body Snatchers and Play Misty for Me) starring Richard Widmark (The Alamo, Who Dares Wins and To the Devil A Daughter) in the title role as Detective Harry Madigan, Henry Fonda (12 Angry Men, My Name is Nobody and The Grapes of Wrath) as Commissioner Anthony Russell, and Harry Guardino (Dirty Harry, The Enforcer and King of Kings) as Madigan’s partner. Detective Rocco Bonaro.

Widmark and Guardino are a pair of seasoned NYPD cops who not only lose a murder suspect, he manages to relieve them of their weapons in the process. The pair are handed 72 hours to track him down and bring him in or face the consequences. The escaped suspect, Barney Benesch (Steve Ihnat, Countdown, The Honkers and Fuzz) has already made the pair look like fools, and they are out to protect their reputations as well-respected long-serving officers by completing the task at hand. There is also another side plot involving corruption within the police force, which adds a little extra spice to the complex relationships on show.

Madigan represents the link between the old-style police thriller of the 50s and 60s and the gritty, violent cop thrillers Siegel would make his name with during the 1970s. Madigan is the prototype of Dirty Harry, a tough New York cop, who has never risen above the position of a street cop, despite possessing enough talent to rise through the ranks. Widmark is excellent in the role and whilst Eastwood would go on to make that type of role his own, he owes a debt of gratitude to Widmark for taking those first steps. All of the key cast members are excellent, Fonda is superb as the commissioner who is having an affair with a married woman, Tricia Bentley (Susan Clark, Coogan’s Bluff, Porky’s and Airport 1975), whilst Inger Stevens (Hang ‘Em High, The Buccaneer and The Farmer’s Daughter), excels as the long-suffering, Julia Madigan who just wants to spend some time with her hard-working husband. It is, however, Steve Ihnat, who steals the show. He may be on screen less time than most of the other key cast members, but he is absolutely outstanding as Barney Benesch, the crazed maniac who has Madigan and Bonaro chasing around the city on borrowed time. Don Siegel was obviously impressed with Guardino’s performance, as he would go on to cast him alongside Clint Eastwood in both Dirty Harry and The Enforcer as Lt. Bressler. 

Madigan is a very good precursor to Siegel and Eastwood’s cop thrillers of the 1970s, featuring hard-boiled cops, gritty scenes of New York City and an excellent gunfight as its finale. This new Blu-ray release from Powerhouse features excellent sound and picture quality for a film of its age, as well as a great audio commentary from Barry Forshaw and Kim Newman, a documentary on Richard Widmark, a super-8 version of the film, an isolated score and the usual trailers and gallery of stills from the film’s production. Overall, this is a great package for a great film.