Green Dolphin Beat
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Cast: John Wesley Shipp, Jeffrey Sams, Troy Evans, Miguel Sandoval, John Lavachielli, Linden Ashby, Melanie Smith, Cali Timmins, Tom Butler, Robin Mattson, Allan Royal, Beth Toussaint, Beau Billingslea, Montrose Hagins, Clifton Powell, Keith Harvey, Linda Hoffman, Cleandre Norman, John Vargas, Colleen Winton, Eli Gabayu, Lisa Vultaggio, Lesley Ewen, Sook Yin Lee, Brenda Crichlow, Lossen Chambers, Brent Stait, Elizabeth Leslie, James Kidnie, Timothy Webber, E. Ernst Harth, Dolores Drake.
Ensemble players are led by black detective John King (Jeffrey Sams) and white detective Terry Lattner (John Wesley Shipp), who had an affair with comely druggie-prostie Ty (Linda Hoffman). Having gone straight, she's now opening up a nitery with a pal and is secretly being helped by the two cops.
Another team is Joe Keller (Troy Evans), whose wife's died, and hyperactive Bon Marchek (John Lavachielli), whose gimmick is pushing health pills. A sour Linda Rodriguez (Melanie Smith) rides with ex-N.Y. policeman Dave Henderson (Linden Ashby), and they both have dark secrets.
Overseeing the flock is Capt. Juan Garcia (Miguel Sandoval), an original concept among the few. His fantasy charge on a white horse against Zapata's dreamed-up troops demos much-needed gusto in the telefilm.
The grieving Keller gulps pills Marchek's given him and sees his dead wife hovering in the air. He also connects with hooker Rose (Robin Mattson), one of the better elements of the thin vidpic.
Directed without distinction by Tommy Lee Wallace, "Green Dolphin Beat" tries familiar humor -- a flock of prosties hauled into the precinct, cutesy patter between King and Lattner -- and supposedly startling revelations, such as a therapist involved in lesbianism, or King unconcerned about the colors of the dames he dates.
Sams' King, stuck with the only verbal crudity in the script, comes off as authoritative and persuasive. Shipp as his partner is OK, and Lavachielli gives the telefilm much-needed energy. Others, except Sandoval, Elizabeth Leslie as Keller's wife's floating ghost, and the convincing Mattson, don't register very high.
Brent Thomas' production design looks worn. Camera work by Tobias Schliessler is routine. Charles Bornstein's editing is typically solid, and Peter Manning Robinson's sharp score is above the usual vid fare.
Camera, Tobias Schliessler; editor, Charles Bornstein; art director, Doug Byggdin; sound, Martin Fossum; music, Peter Manning Robinson; production designer, Brent Thomas. 120 MIN.
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