646f9e108c The famed P.I. works to uncover facts of the death of a wealthy socialite whose two grown children are accused of murdering her. Complicating matters are Rockford&#39;s omnipresent &quot;friend&quot; Angel, and Rockford&#39;s ex-wife Kit, a lawyer who represents the children. James Garner was nominated for a screen actor&#39;s guild award for this, his return to the popular 70&#39;s role: Jim Rockford. He always lends credibility to the roles he plays, no matter what they are. As TV movies go, it&#39;s pretty typical. Joe Santos and Stuart Margolin are on handusual, and Joanna Cassidy, who has had a workmanlike career, plays the second lead. She starred in a few gems earlier in her career like Blade Runner and Under Fire. In recent years, she&#39;s become a mainstay in TV movies. The plot of this Rockford movie starts in typical fashion, but it then goes off in a preposterous direction with its subject matter. Garner always makes it watchable though. There&#39;s always a secondary storyline, and in this one Rockford is thinking of moving out of the Los Angeles area. It&#39;s a shame that the movie didn&#39;t rely on what the series was good at: Good old-fashioned detective work. ** of 4 stars. During the course of a riot in Los Angeles with the police rather occupied an old time film star from the 50s and 60s is shot to death in her own driveway. The police arrest her two grown kids, Geoffrey Naufts and Shannon Kenny, for the crime. They&#39;ve retained Joanna Cassidy who at one time was married to a well known private eye.<br/><br/>That would be Jim RockfordJames Garner reprises his role from his 70s television series The Rockford Files. They may not be married any more, but Cassidy doesn&#39;t doubt his professionalism. These two spoiled Hollywood brats can certainly afford the Rockford price of $100.00 a day plus expenses.<br/><br/>The kids are arrested and Joe Santos does the arresting, but later they offera defense the fact that their stepfather former ballplayer Joe Campanella sexually abused them while practicing Satanic rituals in his basement. <br/><br/>Jim Rockford was definitely one of the more cynical characters that television ever brought us. But even he has his heroes and he refuses to believe all American Joe Campanella could be into Satanism. Especially since he visited Campanella before Campanella makes an admission to it. Then it became on the house after Campanella was found hanging from his basement roof and the cops call it suicide.<br/><br/>Stuart MargolinAngel Martin is back and though he&#39;s really not part of the plot every Rockford Files episode was a bit better when he was in it.<br/><br/>Garner and Cassidy also worked well together. Garner is a little older with a lot more belly to him. But still the same razor sharp cynical mind. It was a nice return.
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