The film centers around Johnny Ryan (Clancy Brown), an honest cop working the 1940s New York City who...wait for it...doesn't play by the rules! After a protected witness takes a dive out of a hotel window, the District Attorney (J. Kenneth Campbell) recruits Ryan to tackle the local mob bosses (Robert Miranda, Paul Rossilli and Victor Argo) and weed out any corrupt cops. Before you can say The Untouchables, Ryan has assembled an eclectic squad that...sit down for this one...doesn't play by the rules! I'm sure the success of the aforementioned Brian DePalma flick is what got this pilot movie greenlit. Writer-producer Mark Rodgers had previously mined this territory with the mini-series The Gangster Chronicles (1981). Perhaps the most interesting thing about this is seeing perpetual bad guy Clancy Brown in a leading role as the good guy. Also interesting is Bruce Abbott of Re-Animator fame is his partner. Julia Campbell plays the showgirl that Ryan falls for. Teri Austin shows up as a prosecutor and that year she was also a regular on Cop Rock, thus ensuring this was the least embarrassing thing she did that year. Other familiar faces include Robert Prosky as a police captain; Romero alumni Eugene Clark (Land of the Dead) as a tough cop and Jason Beghe (Monkey Shines) as a drunk cop; and Roberta Findlay alum Christine Moore as a member of Ryan's team. Yes, the star of Lurkers and Prime Evil in a network television film, truly a step down. Made via Dan Curtis Productions, it looks really nice with lots of period detail, but is filled with cliches. Ultimately, this never made it to series and NBC dumped it on a Sunday night on July 29, 1990, snagging a 6.6 rating. However, it did have impact in one way as the big band score earned it an Emmy nod.
Review of Johnny Ryan
