Synopsis
Dr. Bock, the chief of medicine at a Manhattan hospital, is suicidal after the collapse of his personal life. When an intern is found dead in a hospital bed, it appears to Bock to be a case of unforgivable malpractice. Hours later, another doctor, who happens to be responsible for another case of malpractice, is found dead. Despondent, Bock finds himself drawn to Barbara, the daughter of a comatose missionary.
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Cast
- George C. ScottDr. Herbert Bock
- Diana RiggBarbara Drummond
- Barnard HughesDrummond
- Richard DysartDr. Welbeck
- Stephen ElliottDr. Sundstrom
- Donald HarronMilton Mead
- Andrew DuncanWilliam Mead
- Nancy MarchandMrs. Christie
- Jordan CharneyHitchcock
- Roberts BlossomGuernsey
Recommendations
- 100
Rolling Stone
This blisteringly cynical satire, written by Paddy Chayefsky, is one of the darkest movies ever made, a cold-eyed lament for a society torn apart by upheavals of the Sixties. - 75
Chicago Sun-Times
It has been criticized for switching tone in midstream, but maybe it's only heading for deeper, swifter waters. - 75
TV Guide Magazine
The laughs are sardonic, and the reality of Chayefsky's heavy-handed message (i.e., hospitals treat their patients badly) eats away at the viewer. But even when it falls flat, it's still an interesting watch. - 70
The New York Times
Although Mr. Chayefsky has written a very contemporary melodramatic farce, his political sympathies have their roots in the liberalism of 20 years ago. - 60
The New Yorker
The picture strains for seriousness now and then, but even when it makes a fool of itself it's still funny. - 50
Time Out
It starts off with some marvellously cruel moments, and Scott's performance towers over the proceedings throughout. But Hiller's direction is pretty shoddy, while the script eventually loses its way and begins to look increasingly hysterical, at the same time shamelessly trivialising Scott's crisis. - 50
Variety
The heavily sprayed-on sociological angle is that hospitals today treat patients like baggage.
