A Case of Deadly Force
A Case of Deadly Force is an American made-for-TV drama film that was released on April 9, 1986. The movie was shot in Boston, Massachusetts, United States, starring Richard Crenna, John Shea and Dylan Baker. It was adapted from the book Deadly Force by Lawrence O'Donnell.
| A Case of Deadly Force | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre | Drama |
| Written by | Lawrence O'Donnell (book Deadly Force) (as Lawrence O'Donnell Jr.) |
| Directed by | Michael Miller |
| Starring | Richard Crenna John Shea Lorraine Toussaint Tate Donovan |
| Theme music composer | Paul Chihara |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Kenneth Kaufman Michael Lepiner |
| Producer(s) | Bruce S. Pustin Dennis Nemec (co-producer) Lawrence O'Donnell (associate producer) (as Lawrence O'Donnell Jr.) |
| Production location(s) | Boston |
| Cinematography | Kees Van Oostrum |
| Editor(s) | Paul Fried |
| Running time | 95 minutes |
| Production company(s) | Telecom Entertainment Inc. |
| Distributor | CBS |
| Release | |
| Original network | CBS |
| Picture format | Color |
| Audio format | mono |
| Original release |
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Plot
Fact-based story about a 1975 cover-up of an unjustified shooting of a black man by two white members of the Boston Tactical Unit. While on stakeout on a suspected getaway car used in an armed robbery, the two gunned down a black man who entered the car. The two claimed the man had a gun and they shot in self-defense. Police investigation decided it was a rightful shooting. The man's widow (Lorraine Toussaint) knew her husband would not be carrying a weapon and became determined to prove her husband's innocence. She hired a former cop (Richard Crenna), who had become a lawyer, to prove her case. Working with his four sons (John Shea, Tate Donovan, Tom Isbell, & Dylan Baker), the lawyer team takes on the police force in what eventually proved to be a landmark legal decision.
Cast
- Richard Crenna as Lawrence O'Donnell Sr.
- John Shea as Michael O'Donnell
- Lorraine Toussaint as Pat Bowden
- Francis X. McCarthy as Hanna (as Frank McCarthy)
- Tom Isbell as Billy O'Donnell
- Dylan Baker as Kevin O'Donnell
- Michael O'Hare as Joe Miller
- Tate Donovan as Lawrence O'Donnell Jr.
- Anna Maria Horsford as Virginia Cates (as Anna Marie Horsford)
- Anthony Heald as Dave O'Brian