The Onion Field (1979)

Harold Becker's account of an actual police case that occurred in 1963 features an unforgettably graphic first act that the rest of the film can't quite sustain, yet it remains an absorbing study of the psychological costs of police work. Prolific author and ex-cop Joseph Wambaugh has probably done more than anyone in any media to give the public a real sense of the life of the average police officer. John Savage's cop, the survivor of a terrible ordeal, fits that description closely, and it's his crippling mental anguish over his partner's (Ted Danson) death that is the film's true subject. James Woods, in his breakthrough role as the psycho ex-con, is truly terrifying in the film's opening, and the effect of this sequence is so powerful that it tends to diminish the impact of the rest of the film, although it's undeniably well done. Savage gives what may be his best performance as the tormented cop, but the part leaves him little latitude as a dramatic character. Among the talented cast are Franklyn Seales, Priscilla Pointer, Christopher Lloyd, and Ronny Cox. ~ Michael Costello, All Movie Guide