Before Blue Thunder, There Was ... Birds of Prey
1973-01-30
N/A
81 min
Harry Walker, a former military pilot, works as a helicopter pilot and traffic reporter for a Salt Lake City radio station. One day while working he observes a bank robbery in progress and the kidnapping of a young woman who worked at the bank. Harry goes into pursuit which leads to an exciting conclusion.
Ex-Flying Tiger /traffic watch helicopter pilot Harry Walker is having a bad day; alimony demands from three ex-wives mean a trip to the bank. In another part of town, masked men break into an armory to steal grenades and arms, killing the soldier on duty. Harry Walker prepares to land on the bank's roof helicopter pad when he notices an armored car pull up far below. A car moves to block the truck and the guards are dispatched with stolen grenades.
After stealing bags of money, one of the robbers grabs a bank employee, drags her to the getaway car, and Walker gives chase. He informs an ex-Flying Tiger buddy who "flies a desk" at the police department of the number and course of the criminals. Walker flies under the freeway and trails the robbers onto a parking garage, with police in hot pursuit. Suddenly, a large helicopter appears, picks up the crooks, and nearly runs over Harry's light chopper.
Angry and "the only game in town," Harry Walker pursues the robbers unarmed and low on fuel. Unlike later movies, the action is in edge-of-your-seat real time. There is a hint of "love and glory," but these "birds of prey" face off in an aircraft hangar as the tale comes to a Viking funeral. 8/10
Note: Music of the 1940's from Harry Walker's favorite, "Three Little Fishies" to "I'll Be Seeing You" add to the atmosphere of the movie and the relationships between the characters. You will have to recreate this soundtrack on your own, since the DVD features generic film music. Not acquiring rights to music used in TV and movies has been a sore point among fans from this TV movie to "WKRP in Cincinnati" to "Northern Exposure." Oh well, life goes on, even as memorable music fades away, like it did for the TV show, "Cold Case."
Here's an almost complete "Birds of Prey": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xYQoSlHDN48
