Richard Beck is a NYPD cop with some old school views regarding women, especially concerning sexual assault. Victims sometimes bring things on themselves, a lack of understanding as to why victims often have trouble identifying & prosecuting attackers (as compared to victims of other crimes), and of course a categorization of assaults as more or less important dependent on the circumstances (a date rape maybe more a misunderstanding in Beck's view, not the same as the serial attacker who grabs you off the street or invades your home). Those attitudes, however are put to the test when he himself is assaulted.
Richard Crenna won an Emmy for his outstanding performance as the chauvinist cop turned victim in this film. We see Beck early on as more of a low rent Dirty Harry type, a good guy who isn't always bound by conventional rules, such as when he's about to go off duty but stops three street thugs from hassling a homeless man (and decides to teach one of them a lesson about being bullied). We also see him risk his life to save a hostage in pursuit of murder suspect, then take the armed killer down and into custody. We see Beck off duty, clearly in love with his ex wife, unhappy they aren't together but reluctantly letting her life on her own (and date someone new who seems to be spending significant time with his two kids). Becks as a father seems interested in his daughter's musical pursuits and enjoys taking his son fishing on weekends, often with his dad, a retired cop in his own right. It's all designed to show Richard Beck as a decent human being at heart, not a one dimensional male chauvinist jerk with no compassion or concern for others. Crenna does a marvelous job straddling the line between the outdated and misunderstood misogynist and the more normal cop and dad, a drama movie version of Archie Bunker, who's attitudes on race left a lot to be desired but at heart wasn't an uncaring or unsympathetic man who deeply loved his wife and daughter.
All of this makes Beck's transformation to a more enlightened man believable after he is assaulted while pursuing (foolishly without back up) two felons. We see Beck faced with same life or death situation many female rape victims face, the shock and disbelief following the attack, as well as the invasive and almost dehumanizing post assault investigation conducted by medical personnel, none of which is like anything victims of other types of crimes endure, a fact that until now has eluded Beck's conscious. Of course, it would be silly if Beck "saw the light" right away, and he doesn't, as we watch him withdraw from work and family unable to process what has happened, which isn't uncommon in sex assault victims regardless of gender or any pre conceived stereotypical attitudes. Beck also deals with the questions surrounding many victims related to whether or not their behavior caused the assault, made worse here for dramatic effect because of Beck's reputation as a rogue in the field and the way he has rubbed some higher ups in the Department and DA's office the wrong way through the years, a classic case of "prosecuting the victim".
The supporting cast is strong, particularly Francis Lee McCain as Beck's ex wife, who plays a key role in helping him regain his dignity and re connect with his kids after his self imposed post assault exile. Meredith Baxter plays a rape counselor who in the past who crossed paths with Beck, but despite their differences she offers him support in the end, as well as a lead in possible serial rape case that Beck agrees to follow up on which involves a suspect he let walk on a bench warrant when trading information on another case (maybe not the best choice he could have made).
Some of the individual scenes are gut wrenching, including the actual assault, Beck's initial rape exam in the hospital, his being brought to tears as the DA questions whether he was at fault for the assault, and great scene where Beck, trying to get his life back to normal, resumes his weekend fishing trips with his son and father, only to have his dad turn on him, humiliating him in front of his child, furious his son the cop would even engage such criminals without back up and unable to understand how his son could "let" an assault like this happen (you start to see where some of Beck's preconceived opinions have come from). Crenna is outstanding start to finish, despite some very challenging material, and deservedly won an Emmy Award For Best Leading Actor for this film (this was a busy time for him as he also received two Golden Globe nominations, one for this film and one for his role in the Matt Dillon film "Flamingo Kid"). This is one TV movie that stands the test of time and remains compelling no matter when it's viewed.
Richard Crenna won an Emmy for his outstanding performance as the chauvinist cop turned victim in this film. We see Beck early on as more of a low rent Dirty Harry type, a good guy who isn't always bound by conventional rules, such as when he's about to go off duty but stops three street thugs from hassling a homeless man (and decides to teach one of them a lesson about being bullied). We also see him risk his life to save a hostage in pursuit of murder suspect, then take the armed killer down and into custody. We see Beck off duty, clearly in love with his ex wife, unhappy they aren't together but reluctantly letting her life on her own (and date someone new who seems to be spending significant time with his two kids). Becks as a father seems interested in his daughter's musical pursuits and enjoys taking his son fishing on weekends, often with his dad, a retired cop in his own right. It's all designed to show Richard Beck as a decent human being at heart, not a one dimensional male chauvinist jerk with no compassion or concern for others. Crenna does a marvelous job straddling the line between the outdated and misunderstood misogynist and the more normal cop and dad, a drama movie version of Archie Bunker, who's attitudes on race left a lot to be desired but at heart wasn't an uncaring or unsympathetic man who deeply loved his wife and daughter.
All of this makes Beck's transformation to a more enlightened man believable after he is assaulted while pursuing (foolishly without back up) two felons. We see Beck faced with same life or death situation many female rape victims face, the shock and disbelief following the attack, as well as the invasive and almost dehumanizing post assault investigation conducted by medical personnel, none of which is like anything victims of other types of crimes endure, a fact that until now has eluded Beck's conscious. Of course, it would be silly if Beck "saw the light" right away, and he doesn't, as we watch him withdraw from work and family unable to process what has happened, which isn't uncommon in sex assault victims regardless of gender or any pre conceived stereotypical attitudes. Beck also deals with the questions surrounding many victims related to whether or not their behavior caused the assault, made worse here for dramatic effect because of Beck's reputation as a rogue in the field and the way he has rubbed some higher ups in the Department and DA's office the wrong way through the years, a classic case of "prosecuting the victim".
The supporting cast is strong, particularly Francis Lee McCain as Beck's ex wife, who plays a key role in helping him regain his dignity and re connect with his kids after his self imposed post assault exile. Meredith Baxter plays a rape counselor who in the past who crossed paths with Beck, but despite their differences she offers him support in the end, as well as a lead in possible serial rape case that Beck agrees to follow up on which involves a suspect he let walk on a bench warrant when trading information on another case (maybe not the best choice he could have made).
Some of the individual scenes are gut wrenching, including the actual assault, Beck's initial rape exam in the hospital, his being brought to tears as the DA questions whether he was at fault for the assault, and great scene where Beck, trying to get his life back to normal, resumes his weekend fishing trips with his son and father, only to have his dad turn on him, humiliating him in front of his child, furious his son the cop would even engage such criminals without back up and unable to understand how his son could "let" an assault like this happen (you start to see where some of Beck's preconceived opinions have come from). Crenna is outstanding start to finish, despite some very challenging material, and deservedly won an Emmy Award For Best Leading Actor for this film (this was a busy time for him as he also received two Golden Globe nominations, one for this film and one for his role in the Matt Dillon film "Flamingo Kid"). This is one TV movie that stands the test of time and remains compelling no matter when it's viewed.