Busting was the directorial debut of Peter Hyams, following two successful telemovies for ABC exec producer Barry Diller - the film noir detective pastiche Goodnight, My Love and the wronged man melodrama Rolling Man. It was the 14th film produced by the duo of Winkler and Chartoff following their joint beginnings with John Boorman's seminal Point Blank, one of the key thrillers of the 1960s. Hyams himself was a former CBS news anchor and used his background in crime reporting…

The Coen Brothers are now virtually enshrined in American film as the most provocative team working generally outside of the Hollywood establishment. Following the unexpected critical success of the stylistically mannered Barton Fink the independent duo were, however, poised to possibly approach larger audiences and revenues. Thus, their quirky follow-up The Hudsucker Proxy was expected to do extremely well – it was certainly their biggest budget to that date – but when it proved a major box-office flop the duo…

Walter Hill’s The Warriors was immediately controversial. It was accused of glorifying gang violence and the gang lifestyle. Several theatres screening it reported copycat incidents of violence and religious and community leaders denounced it. Its original poster was thought so incendiary an incitement to youth hostility that it was withdrawn by the studio. Some urban administrators called for the film to be banned from cinema screening in their communities. In the years since, the film’s stature amongst audiences and critics…