Bo Dietl was a real member of the New York Police Department for 15 years and not merely a character in One Tough Cop. After his retirement in 1985, he’s spent decades elevating his profile by appearing on Don Imus’ old radio show and being a regular on Fox News. He once ran for the mayor of New York (and lost). He has appeared in Martin Scorsese’s Goodfellas, Wolf of Wall Street and The Irishman. You might remember him from his Arby’s ads where he talked trash about Subway. The big thing that got him noticed in public outside of New York City was the publication of his autobiography: One Tough Cop: The Bo Dietl Story. He goes through his life and most important cases. The book came to the attention of Martin Bregman who had produced Scarface, Dog Day Afternoon, Serpico and Carlito’s Way. He wanted to bring Dietl’s tale of being a gritty detective working the streets of New York City to big screen. One Tough Cop gave Dietl’s lifestory a chance to join those masterpieces that starred Al Pacino. Although Dietl is played by Stephen Baldwin (The Usual Suspects). Dietl plays Detective Benny Levine. He plays a small, but pivotal role as the guy who pulls back Chris Penn during a testy press conference. Seeing how Bo Dietl was recently appointed a member of the Homeland Security Advisory Council, I’m going to give his biopic One Tough Cop five stars before I press play on the remote.
Bo Deitl (Baldwin) is a detective who will handle any sort of case to make New York City a safe place. He’s willing to be a decoy to catch youths looking to rob homeless people. Him and his partner Duke Finnerly (Reservoir Dogs’ Chris Penn) have to show up at a hostage situation at a market involving an armed Luiz Guzman (Boogie Nights and The Limey). After the bloody mess, Duke and Bo get called in on an extremely nasty case. A nun has been assaulted and violated in a church. The police chief wants to catch the perps fast since the tabloids are making this a front page outrage. His ability to know and works the streets puts him on a trail fast. Dietl does have a life outside of the force. he’s got a hot girlfriend in Gina Gerson (Showgirls). He also hangs out in the neighborhood with his old pal Richie La Cassa (Mike McGlone, he used to introduce the GEICO ads like the piggy that says Weeeeee!). This could be a future problem since Richie appears to be connected (if you know what I mean). Duke’s life mainly consists of him losing bets on sporting games to mobster connected bookies. As the duo get closer to tracking down the nun’s attackers, things start going wrong for them including Dietl discovering he’s being watched by the FBI (Carrie‘s Amy Irving). Can this detective keep from going under and solve the most important case of his career?
Did Marty Bergman produce another Serpico here? Not really. Brazilian director Bruno Barreto doesn’t get as gritty as necessary on the streets of New York City. The biggest problem is that parts of Dietl’s story involving this horrific real crime case from 1981 were already public knowledge. Barreto didn’t have to be another Scorsese or Sidney Lumet. He had to top Abel Ferrara (The King of New York). The attack on the nun would be the basis for Ferrara’s Bad Lieutenant starring Harvey Keitel that was released in 1992. One Tough Cop is fun to watch as a TV movie version of Bad Lieutenant. After this film Barreto would direct the stewardess comedy View From The Top starring Gwyneth Paltrow. Stephen Baldwin packed on 30 pounds and grew a short beard to look more Dietl. This transformation makes Baldwin come off more “dough” than “tough” in the title role. Chris Penn really makes the film for me. There’s one scene where things aren’t going right for him and a mobster teases him until the cheerful Penn turns the made man into blooding pulp. The film does have quite a few notable actors in small roles beside Guzman. We get Paul Calderon (Pulp Fiction), Micheal Rispoli (The Sopranos), Larry Gillard Jr (The Wire) and Nigel Bennett (Forever Knight). They all add to the action involving detective Bo Dietl. One Tough Cop is the best biopic ever made involving the life of a sitting member of the Homeland Security Advisory Council.
The Video is 1.85:1 anamorphic. The 1080p transfer looks fine as you see Bo and Duke working the streets. The Audio is LPCM 2.0 stereo. The sounds of the streets comes out from the speakers. The movie is subtitled in English.
Three TV Spots (0:59) promises us there are still real heroes although some say he went too far.
Theatrical Trailer (2:28) reminds us of Martin Bregman’s past productions. This is film that will touch a nerve and speak a truth.
MVD Marquee Collection presents One Tough Cop. Directed by Bruno Barreto. Screenplay by Jeremy Iacone. Starring Stephen Baldwin, Chris Penn, Gina Gershon, Mike McGlone, Luis Guzmán, Harvey Atkin, Paul Guilfoyle, Victor Slezak, Amy Irving, Jason Blicker & Bo Dietl. Running Time: 90 minutes. Rating: Rated R. Release Date: June 24, 2025.
