VeteranLight I don't have all the words right now but this film is a work of art.

Glucedee It's hard to see any effort in the film. There's no comedy to speak of, no real drama and, worst of all.

Philippa All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

Billy Ollie Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

alexanderdavies-99382 "Kojak" was a fairly tough police drama series that wasn't exactly known for being flamboyant or pretentious. The feature length pilot episode proved all this, thanks to its rather grim but realistic plot. Telly Savalas was given the role of his career as the title character. He had been very successful in portraying some villainous characters. Finally, he had the chance to be cast against type for this television show. The actor proved he could play honest and decent characters and Kojak is that, plus tough. He is very good at his job as police officer in a Manhattan precinct but was also quite harsh when necessary. Telly Savalas gave a sterling performance. The writing was very good on the whole as the show lasted five seasons and over a 100 episodes. There are all kinds of cases that were covered during the series, from police corruption to drug trafficking, armed robbery, problems within the department etc. The show lent itself to some gritty realism and it served its purpose very well. There wasn't a good deal of location shooting and the studio backlot came in useful. This caused "Kojak" to look slightly artificial at times but I can overlook this. Another winner from "Universal" studios.

qormi Kojak was fast-paced and the subtle clues and plot twists whizzed by me when I saw this show back in the 70's. Thank goodness for the DVD's - now I can back track and follow the plot without getting lost. Kojak was a very intelligently produced drama - all the characters were real and the fast- paced show had plenty of suspense and action. Telly Savalas was a master at his craft and his charismatic portrayal of Kojak conveyed a man who was respected by his peers and who was very dedicated and tenacious. The run- down precinct house - chipped and peeling green paint everywhere , dirty, paper-strewn desks, worn-down staircases, confusion...all added to the realism. The on-location shots of NY streets had you immersed in the inner city - all the crime, grime, pimps, junkies, etc. He was like a hipster Sherlock Holmes, sucking a tootsie pop or having a smoke - and he dressed to the hilt, in custom-made suits and expensive ties. Theo - we love ya, Baby.

Maddyclassicfilms Kojak was created by Abby Mann and it stars Telly Savalas, Kevin Dobson, George Savalas and Dan Frazer.The series is about the weekly life of the detective squad at New York's Manhattan South led by Lt Theo Kojak(Telly Savalas)a Greek American who's as tough as nails,honest,incorruptible,romantic and loves lollipops.His most famous quote is of course"who loves ya baby"? He's aided by Detective Bobby Crocker(Kevin Dobson,)Captain Frank McNeill(Dan Frazer),the plant loving Detective Stavaros played by Telly's brother(George Savalas),Detective Saperstein(Mark Russell)and Detective Rizzo(Vince Conti).The episodes are all shot in an almost documentary style which gives each one an air of authenticity.Great stories,characters and lots of action and Kojak bringing down the bad guys. Kojak's relationship with Crocker is interesting, Kojak is part mentor and part older brother to the younger man and as the series goes on these two become very close. Crocker is very impulsive and hot headed and Kojak knows how to calm him down and get him to take a step back and look at a situation before rushing straight into it. Kojak may be gruff and tough but when he has the time he always makes sure he tells Crocker and the others how much they mean to him and he always has their backs through the tough times.The series was filmed on location in New York and is filled with interesting characters, stories and lots of action. Kojak is a great series that's highly recommended.

Herag Halli If there was one Series on TV, that brought pure pleasure in watching was "Kojak." The dialog was fast paced, the greatest American slang and humor (so much so the audiences in England, were astounded with the slang), the greatest and smartest detective, the nasal and overbearing Captain Mcneil. brilliant direction that never sagged in the quality, the greatest side-kicks in the way of Stavros and Crocker. Those incredible stories series after series. The only intellectual TV show that came close to this was "Banaceck" with George Peppard, but that was a solo act that lacked the brilliance of an ensemble like "Kojak". This was a TV series, where things came together like a zig-saw puzzle. This is the "God Father" of the TV and the director is the "Coppola" of TV directors. If there is one set of DVD's in entirety that I would own, those would clearly be "Kojak" "All In The Family" and "Law&Order." Who loves ya baby!!