Product Details

• Actors: David Janssen, Ed Begley, Keenan Wynn, Sam Wanamaker, Lillian Gish
• Format: Color, Dolby, DVD, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Language: English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono)
• Subtitles: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: Paramount
• DVD Release Date: November 1, 2005
• Run Time: 99 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B000AOEMXW
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #138,549 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• For more information about "Warning Shot" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

34 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Janssen at his best!, September 25, 2005

By 

Harry Orwell (Surrey, England) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Warning Shot (DVD)

Warning Shot has been a personal favourite for many years. It stars David Janssen in what I consider to be one of his best screen roles; that of Sgt. Tom Valens. Without giving too much away, Valens is accused of shooting an innocent man, a doctor, while on a stakeout. He insists the doctor pulled a gun on him, but no such gun can be found at the scene. Can Valens find it and prove himself innocent? It means discrediting a hitherto saintly man who, it seems, never did anything but good in his life.

Janssen is superb in this role! He underplays for all he is worth and that, essentially, was his greatest strength as an actor. It's a subtle, low- key study in desperation, and no one did this sort of thing better.

And what a cast! Some of these great names only have cameo appearances, but here is the line up:

Ed Begley - Valen's bull-necked Captain
Keenan Wyn - A fellow Sergeant who can't quite believe his friend is innocent
Sam Wanamaker - a cop hater and prosecuting attorney; out to nail Valens in court
Lillian Gish - a dotty old lady and former patient of the "good" doctor
Stefanie Powers - the doctor's former secretary
Eleanor Parker - the doctor's heavy drinking, but still glamorous, widow
George Grizzard - a tenant at the apartment block where the doctor was shot, who divides his time between being a private pilot, and having a whale of a time with his bikini clad, babe neighbours!
George Sanders - an unctuous, smooth, stock broker who looked after the doctor's finances.
Steve Allen - what else, a talk show host, but this time with a nice line in playing devil's advocate
Carroll O'Connor - head of the preliminary hearing at which Valens is committed for trial
Joan Collins - Valen's estranged wife
Walter Pidgeon - a renowned defence attorney
And
Vito Scotti - a slightly over-the-top, camp fashion designer

All are very effective, but Sam Wanamaker, George Sanders, Steve Allen, Ed Begley and George Grizzard are just superb, and Eleanor Parker makes a fantastic lush, "at least my olive is black" she declares after her husband's funeral.

The story is great, the direction is perfectly paced to allow you to enjoy the material, and the score, by Jerry Goldsmith, is the icing on this particularly moreish cake.

If you are a Janssen fan and haven't seen this film, buy it, you won't be disappointed. If you like a good crime drama with a great twist and a flawless cast, do likewise. When it comes to this type of drama you yanks beat us, all hands down. I have to say, David Janssen was one of the all time greats and his early death was a terrible tragedy. Let's hope we see much more of his work released on DVD. Why on earth are The Fugitive and Harry `O' not available to buy? Am I am alone in wanting to see these shows on DVD? I rather think not! Anyway, until they are, enjoy this one for now.

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Where Did that Gun Go?, November 13, 2005

By 

Kim Anehall "www.cinematica.org" (Chicago, IL USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Warning Shot (DVD)

Film noir had aged some twenty years when Warning Shot came out. The film applies some of the traditional noir elements by being shot in a city, shadows, and with a bleak approach to the notion of ends justifying the means. It enters a world where the society turns its back on a public servant - a police officer, and leaves him to fend for himself. Yet, it is not a film noir. It is not even neo-noir, as the film continues to leave a trace of hope and a strong moral sense that lingers throughout the film.

The film opens at a stakeout where police sergeant Tom Valens (David Janssen) and his partner (Keenan Wynn) tries to entrap a psycho killer, which is the way they refer to the murderer they are trying to capture. The stakeout is planned in the manner where one person sits alone and hides behind a bush while his partner sits in the car, which is somewhat baffling in regards to safety. Anyway, Valens awaits the killer to arrive when a little puppy emerges followed by a strange man that runs away after he has identified himself. It turns into a brief foot-hunt through the (smoke-machine) fog, which ends with the man pulling out what seems to be a revolver from his coat pocket. Valens reacts and fires his gun.

The man that Valens has shot turns out to be Dr. James B. Ruston, and later the police cannot find the gun that Dr. Ruston supposedly had in his pocket. It is unfortunate for Valens who is suspended from fieldwork until the investigation is over, but he cannot resist searching for the gun and the motive of why Dr. Ruston was at the location at the late hour. However, he does not find the answers he tries to find, and instead ends up in bigger problems when the district attorney has decided to try him for murder. If he did not have enough problems, his divorce with his wife, played by Joan Collins, is also about to be finalized. Despite the bleak outlook, Valens does not give up while he continues to search for the truth by probing and asking questions that could free him from guilt.

The film does not reach its full potential, as there is some awkwardness within the film. Somehow this film provides an atmosphere of a stage, or a set, which happens mostly when the scenes are shot indoors. The angles and sharpness of shadows thrown by characters and the mise-en-scene accentuate an unnatural environment, which removes some of the genuine suspense. The problem seems to rest with the lighting. There are also a few scenes where the film tries to apply some humor to the film, but it is rather irrelevant to the story itself. This also causes some friction within the main story, as it diverts the audience's attention from what is important for no apparent reason. Despite the cinematic flaw, Warning shot presents a somewhat intriguing story that helps provides a springboard for future police films, as the terrific supporting cast supports the lead when he seeks his own innocence.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Falsely accused again, October 13, 2007

By 

miel22 "miel22" (UK) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Warning Shot (DVD)

I'm a fan of David Janssenn, & he was particularly good in this genre. Once again DJ's character is falsely accused ! Settle back & enjoy.