jnorgle A movie about rape is generally thought to be cheesy, feminist and overacted. The Rape of Richard Beck redefines what a movie such as the aforementioned is all about. Richard Crenna stars as Richard Beck, a mild-mannered, sensible police sergeant with an independent streak, having been a cop for over 20 years. The backstory succeeds in creating a normal, non-crafted individual without seeming forced. It should be noted those that have seen Rambo should be careful to not compare the two characters when watching.The first 35 minutes of the film both serve as a means to introduce characters and as a way to juxtapose the old Richard and his life versus the new, affected one. The formula works.What truly builds the film's level of competence are Crenna's small nuances he gives to Beck and the small but poignant change that is visible on his face before and after he is raped. The entire cast puts on a great performance as their characters are pitted against Crenna's Beck and one cannot help but have moments of pause. I suggest looking at Crenna's face at the beginning of the film and after the rape. There is a dramatic, and yet not dramatic, change in his face; his demeanor that help in making this film notches above the usual fare of movies on television. The term "gang rape" is not used in this film, perhaps because Richard was only raped by two men, or because it was not made clear if one raped him and the other held him down. The film does not give many details about the rape, perhaps because that is not what the story is about. It is a documentation of one man's life before and after a violent sexual assault. The ending of the film leaves one with a question about the rapists themselves, although one must wonder if it is simply bad acting or the look on the rapist's face: He looks woefully sorry from behind the police glass when finally identified. My first thought was he was high on drugs and would not have raped Richard otherwise and now must live with what he did. However, it is a question that will never be answered.If you ever have an hour and a half to spare, this movie is well worth the watch, and you may watch parts over and over because it is just that powerful.

ThomasMLeonard2003 Richard Beck is a NYPD cop with some old school views regarding women, especially concerning sexual assault. Victims sometimes bring things on themselves, a lack of understanding as to why victims often have trouble identifying & prosecuting attackers (as compared to victims of other crimes), and of course a categorization of assaults as more or less important dependent on the circumstances (a date rape maybe more a misunderstanding in Beck's view, not the same as the serial attacker who grabs you off the street or invades your home). Those attitudes, however are put to the test when he himself is assaulted.Richard Crenna won an Emmy for his outstanding performance as the chauvinist cop turned victim in this film. We see Beck early on as more of a low rent Dirty Harry type, a good guy who isn't always bound by conventional rules, such as when he's about to go off duty but stops three street thugs from hassling a homeless man (and decides to teach one of them a lesson about being bullied). We also see him risk his life to save a hostage in pursuit of murder suspect, then take the armed killer down and into custody. We see Beck off duty, clearly in love with his ex wife, unhappy they aren't together but reluctantly letting her life on her own (and date someone new who seems to be spending significant time with his two kids). Becks as a father seems interested in his daughter's musical pursuits and enjoys taking his son fishing on weekends, often with his dad, a retired cop in his own right. It's all designed to show Richard Beck as a decent human being at heart, not a one dimensional male chauvinist jerk with no compassion or concern for others. Crenna does a marvelous job straddling the line between the outdated and misunderstood misogynist and the more normal cop and dad, a drama movie version of Archie Bunker, who's attitudes on race left a lot to be desired but at heart wasn't an uncaring or unsympathetic man who deeply loved his wife and daughter.All of this makes Beck's transformation to a more enlightened man believable after he is assaulted while pursuing (foolishly without back up) two felons. We see Beck faced with same life or death situation many female rape victims face, the shock and disbelief following the attack, as well as the invasive and almost dehumanizing post assault investigation conducted by medical personnel, none of which is like anything victims of other types of crimes endure, a fact that until now has eluded Beck's conscious. Of course, it would be silly if Beck "saw the light" right away, and he doesn't, as we watch him withdraw from work and family unable to process what has happened, which isn't uncommon in sex assault victims regardless of gender or any pre conceived stereotypical attitudes. Beck also deals with the questions surrounding many victims related to whether or not their behavior caused the assault, made worse here for dramatic effect because of Beck's reputation as a rogue in the field and the way he has rubbed some higher ups in the Department and DA's office the wrong way through the years, a classic case of "prosecuting the victim".The supporting cast is strong, particularly Francis Lee McCain as Beck's ex wife, who plays a key role in helping him regain his dignity and re connect with his kids after his self imposed post assault exile. Meredith Baxter plays a rape counselor who in the past who crossed paths with Beck, but despite their differences she offers him support in the end, as well as a lead in possible serial rape case that Beck agrees to follow up on which involves a suspect he let walk on a bench warrant when trading information on another case (maybe not the best choice he could have made). Some of the individual scenes are gut wrenching, including the actual assault, Beck's initial rape exam in the hospital, his being brought to tears as the DA questions whether he was at fault for the assault, and great scene where Beck, trying to get his life back to normal, resumes his weekend fishing trips with his son and father, only to have his dad turn on him, humiliating him in front of his child, furious his son the cop would even engage such criminals without back up and unable to understand how his son could "let" an assault like this happen (you start to see where some of Beck's preconceived opinions have come from). Crenna is outstanding start to finish, despite some very challenging material, and deservedly won an Emmy Award For Best Leading Actor for this film (this was a busy time for him as he also received two Golden Globe nominations, one for this film and one for his role in the Matt Dillon film "Flamingo Kid"). This is one TV movie that stands the test of time and remains compelling no matter when it's viewed.

bkoganbing The Rape Of Richard Beck should never have been a made for TV film, it was truly worthy of theatrical release. Had it been on the big screen there might have been an Oscar instead of an Emmy that sat on Richard Crenna's fireplace mantel. The big screen's loss was the small screen's gain. Richard Crenna in the title role is a hard-nosed cop who has little patience for the victims of sex crimes, especially after he was reassigned to sex crimes after pulling a real cowboy performance in apprehending a suspect. Maybe he's seen too many Clint Eastwood films and emulates his style, but there's nothing wrong calling for backup.Afterward he's still looking to score big and follows two really suspicious characters into Seattle's underground where they get the drop on him. The two are a really vicious pair of inbreds and male rape is probably an ordinary thing in their family. They both assault and rape him and make the mistake of leaving him alive. Probably they don't want a cop killing on the resume, at least they're bright enough to appreciate those consequences.The story centers around Crenna who has to readjust his thinking and come to grips with the fact that cops can be victims too. Crenna is now going through victim trauma, rape trauma something he'd been dismissive of with women before.Other roles to note are George Dzundza as his partner, Pat Hingle as his father and a former cop as well, Meredith Baxter as the rape counselor who previously had not been getting along with Crenna. Most of all the role to note besides Crenna's is that of Frances McCain as Crenna's ex-wife who has an interesting relationship with her former husband.This one is highly recommended, especially for those considering a career in law enforcement.

pooh-24 A tv movie with Richard Crenna,playing a hard nosed cop who,supposedly,gets raped by two men and goes through all the drama of the after effects of the rape. Feminist wet dream of putting a tough masculine straight man in the position of a woman when handling the emotional and psycological problems brought upon them by a rape. You know a man can go through the same thing a woman can go through when they are met by any kind of violent crime,being shot,getting carjacked,being robbed at gun point,getting mugged,it is always hard on the victim no matter who it is. The Rape Of Richard Beck wants people to see men get their just deserts by having a man get raped and having this man seen as a representation of the rough masculine type who would be seen as the last person expected to suffer through a crime like this. Rape is seen as the female victim's violent crime and for a man to suffer through rape's humilation is the type of show liberal feminist Hollywood want to see in and want to present to the general public at large. Rape is hard on its'victims.Including the relatives and family members and friends of the victims,most of whom are men.The Rape Of Richard Beck is a typical example of pure tainted Hollywood liberal rot sending a terrible message to a gullible public.