Both parts were played by Edward G. Robinson, the first at the start of his film career and rise to fame, the later nearing his September Song, and filled with heart and an undying spirit. Unfortunately, this TV movie is extremely depressing, even if its star performance is one you'll never forget. In the opening scene, Robinson, who is retired and living with son Martin Balsam in the suburbs, visits his old neighborhood and longtime close friend Sam Jaffe, witnessing a horrifying crime, and desperately trying to find somebody who believes him. Unwilling to give up or be told that he is slowly becoming forgetful (dementia or Alzheimer's are never mentioned), Robinson decides to investigate on his own, running several times in the man (Percy Rodriguez) he swears he saw beat Jaffe to death with a rubber hose. People in the old neighborhood swear he is confused, and when an obvious aging hooker (Ruth Roman) tries to pick him up, this leads him to further danger that might further endanger his life!
My first issue with this is trying to figure out the location. Certain aspects would indicate Los Angeles (palm trees in the background, footage that looks like part of downtown L.A.) and other aspects would indicate the lower east side of Manhattan (mentions of Avenue C, the apparent entrance to the Manhattan Bridge). The other is the very abrupt ending that leaves the viewer hanging, and even if the writer was trying to indicate that some issues are never resolved satisfactorily in life, the viewer did deserve some answers for some of those unanswered questions. Still, some of the details reveal much about the corruption going on within city politics, with councilman Martin E. Brooks somehow tied in with Rodriguez, citizens either corrupted or too much in fear of Rodriguez to reveal what they know, and a mental health nurse (Virginia Christine) who has a Nurse Ratched feel to her treatment plan for Robinson. I love the way, though, that Balsam cuts her off as he storms out to try to find his father, and when he expresses his heartache at seeing his father losing his wits, the look on both his and wife Diane Baker's face are extremely touching.
It is those moments and a few other elements (especially the two young black men who go out of their way to try to help Robinson when they realize what kind of danger he is in) make this worth watching in spite of the serious failings of the script and movie as a whole. Robinson, just a few years before his moving performance in "Soylent Green", is truly touching, yet in spite of his frail appearance, it is obvious that he is not going out of his life without a fight. Ed Asner, as a psychiatrist assigned to try to find out the truth about what Robinson did or did not see, gives a gentle performance, although his methods aren't necessarily in his patient's best interest, and evidence of how fortunate the public is that mental health treatment and dealings with the elderly have changed over the past 50 years. The imposing Rodriguez doesn't get to say much, but he's a frightening villain. Roman makes the most of her cameo as the aging floozy, and her scene with Robinson in both the dive bar (where some very corrupt cops kick bathroom doors in for no apparent reason) and her apartment where her true nature is revealed. This is a flawed TV movie with good intentions that works on some levels but unfortunately needed more development and a real conclusion to be truly satisfying.
My first issue with this is trying to figure out the location. Certain aspects would indicate Los Angeles (palm trees in the background, footage that looks like part of downtown L.A.) and other aspects would indicate the lower east side of Manhattan (mentions of Avenue C, the apparent entrance to the Manhattan Bridge). The other is the very abrupt ending that leaves the viewer hanging, and even if the writer was trying to indicate that some issues are never resolved satisfactorily in life, the viewer did deserve some answers for some of those unanswered questions. Still, some of the details reveal much about the corruption going on within city politics, with councilman Martin E. Brooks somehow tied in with Rodriguez, citizens either corrupted or too much in fear of Rodriguez to reveal what they know, and a mental health nurse (Virginia Christine) who has a Nurse Ratched feel to her treatment plan for Robinson. I love the way, though, that Balsam cuts her off as he storms out to try to find his father, and when he expresses his heartache at seeing his father losing his wits, the look on both his and wife Diane Baker's face are extremely touching.
It is those moments and a few other elements (especially the two young black men who go out of their way to try to help Robinson when they realize what kind of danger he is in) make this worth watching in spite of the serious failings of the script and movie as a whole. Robinson, just a few years before his moving performance in "Soylent Green", is truly touching, yet in spite of his frail appearance, it is obvious that he is not going out of his life without a fight. Ed Asner, as a psychiatrist assigned to try to find out the truth about what Robinson did or did not see, gives a gentle performance, although his methods aren't necessarily in his patient's best interest, and evidence of how fortunate the public is that mental health treatment and dealings with the elderly have changed over the past 50 years. The imposing Rodriguez doesn't get to say much, but he's a frightening villain. Roman makes the most of her cameo as the aging floozy, and her scene with Robinson in both the dive bar (where some very corrupt cops kick bathroom doors in for no apparent reason) and her apartment where her true nature is revealed. This is a flawed TV movie with good intentions that works on some levels but unfortunately needed more development and a real conclusion to be truly satisfying.