The very first police novel of Joseph Wambaugh is the subject of this film. Although George C. Scott is top billed the story is carried through all the way by Stacy Keach. In this Scott's role is similar to the one he played in Taps.

In fact The New Centurions also has a classical analogy as well. Scott as Julius Caesar who dies midpoint in the Cleopatra saga and Stacy Keach as the Mark Antony figure who carries on to the end to meet the same fate.

The title comes from the fact that these cops see each other as the forces of law and order holding back a tide of anarchy. That kind of pressure to be the force of order certainly puts a lot of pressure on those who enlist to serve. The old centurions failed and the Roman Empire they protected eventually failed as well.

Scott is the old timer ready for retirement and whose last partner is rookie Stacy Keach. Keach is married to Jane Alexander and has a young daughter. As Keach gets more into his job he and Alexander drift slowly apart.

It's a cliché in police dramas that death is ever present with those who take up this work. But this is one cliché that is tried and true. You'll see some examples of that.

Wambaugh's cops here and in other of his work are deeply flawed human beings and there's no exception here. Keach is completely unraveled when Alexander walks out on him and starts drinking on the job. He has an incident which I won't describe, but believe me it shows what can happen to a policeman who is abusing and not focused on the job.

Ironically Keach does meet another woman Rosalind Cash and with this The New Centurions marks one of the first interracial romances ever shown on the big screen. But death snatches him with rapid suddenness and it makes the tragic ending all the more poignant.

Down in the cast is James Sikking who went on to play many a cop most notably in Hill Street Blues. Keach does some time with the Vice Squad and Sikking who is perfect as an ambitious cop looking to rise by running up a score of arrests for victimless crimes.

Devotees of police dramas and serious ones will like The New Centurions. Fans of the stars will be impressed.

THE NEW CENTURIONS is a trend-setting police procedural thriller based on a best-selling novel that was itself written by a Los Angeles cop. It's a gritty and grimly realistic portrayal of the unrewarding life of a cop, where murder and alcoholism are just around the corner and the best thing a guy can hope for is not to be killed outright on the street that day. It's clear that this film was hugely inspirational, inspiring countless TV shows up to the present day, like the reality show COPS. I just wish the overrated END OF WATCH could have been more like this. Still, I digress: THE NEW CENTURIONS is blessed with an excellent cast that really brings the episodic storyline to life.

Headlining the cast is the ever-tough George C. Scott playing, you guessed it, a real hard-ass of a cop who takes rookie officer Stacy Keach (young, thin, and handsome) under his wing. The pair spend their time busting drug dealers, hookers, and armed robbers, all the while interacting with other officers in the precinct. These include an impossibly young Scott Wilson (THE WALKING DEAD),playing alongside Clifton James (LIVE AND LET DIE) and an equally youthful Erik Estrada. THE NEW CENTURIONS is a well made production, and I appreciated the excessively downbeat and pessimistic tone which is no surprise given director Richard Fleischer had recently shot 10 RILLINGTON PLACE.

I recently bought the Season One DVD set for "Police Story"--the cop show from the 70s that was inspired by Joseph Wambaugh's film "The New Centurions". So far, I've really enjoyed "Police Story"--and am sad that only the first season is on DVD. So, in consolation, I decided to at least see "The New Centurions".

Like "Police Story", "The New Centurions" does not whitewash police work. The language is very earthy, to say the least--especially since it didn't need to worry about television audiences and was rated R. It shows the interesting side as well as the downside--and all through the perspective of a rookie cop, Fehler (Stacy Keach),as you follow his through the years. There is a HUGE price to pay for loving a job like this--as his marriage falls apart and he pretty much gives his life for the department.

I have noticed that other reviewers talk about Fehler's partner, Kilvinski (George C. Scott). He was a HUGE presence in the film, though he's only in about half the film. Apart from that, Fehler had other partners and a variety of experiences that all pushed him almost over the edge. Dealing with drinking, PTSD and more is what makes this cop film quite unusual--and well worth your time. Exceptionally well made and a film that revels in NOT being like cop films of the 30s, 40s and 50s!! Exceptional acting and writing make this a standout film.