Stylish but barely mediocre overall

Really Surprised!

Go in cold, and you're likely to emerge with your blood boiling. This has to be seen to be believed.

Unshakable, witty and deeply felt, the film will be paying emotional dividends for a long, long time.

Homicide: Life on the Street was an interesting series. For five seasons, I would say it was an *excellent* series, until executive meddling brought it down in its last two years (younger, more attractive cops! more sensational cases!). This TV movie served to wrap up the show.The main problem is how the "let's bring everyone back for The Most Important Case" premise - all detectives return to investigate the shooting of Giardello (Yaphet Kotto) - clashes with the series' main tone. Homicide was always at its best in quieter, minimalistic moments. Also, like in a class reunion, suddenly having so many old acquaintances around means you end up ignoring most of them. Here the focus is on the couple with the most complex psychological interplay, the duo Pembleton (Andre Braugher) / Bayliss (Kyle Secor). Their powerful last confrontation is the movie's highlight, in spite of it being distractingly over-directed. This character moment really called for a subtler approach.The second best scene is a comedic one, a montage of Kellerman (Reed Diamond) nonchalantly eating various foods as his partner uselessly pursues an aggressive line of investigation.Overall, what can be done with his sort of things is done fairly well, although the best conclusion for Homicide would have been ending the series a few years earlier.7/10

For anyone who liked the series this movie will be something to watch. However, it also leaves you wanting more. I loved the way that every character (detective)made an appearance. Least with the ending of who is the fourth chair for they leave a reason for another movie. My guess is Bayless of course. This like the series was a very well put together series of scenes. This is a series I wish had lived on. Thanks to the cast for some wonderful TV.

Homicide: The Movie proved to be a good wrap-up to a well-written, well-directed, and well-acted series. Loose ends were tied up that weren't properly addressed at the end of the final season. The entire series, and especially the movie, provided a life-like look at life (and death) in Baltimore, a culturally unique city with an extremely high murder rate. My attraction to the series began long before I moved to Baltimore, but once I experienced life here for myself, I realized how realistic it was. And the movie certainly retained that spirit. I will certainly miss new original episodes of the series, but am very grateful to NBC and the producers and cast for giving us one last glimpse at the dark side of Charm City.

HLOTS the series, especially the first few seasons, was breathtaking: gritty, ultra-realistic, without ado and with superior writing and camerawork.HLOTS the movie was none of that, the final scene found me with a sour taste at the back of my throat, and cemented that feeling of having been let down badly. That scene killed everything that the series stood for -- once and for all.While it was nice to in general see the old characters again (the only reason I didn't go lower with my vote), I do hope no one gets the idea of making another one like that. Fontana should have left well alone.Each original episode is far superior.