“Against a backdrop of American cities riven by racial injustice and class inequality, soaring crime rates and unemployment, and a volatile mistrust of cops and judges, Wiseman made this thoughtful, measured, and often surprising film about the police department in Kansas City, Missouri. Weighing difficult questions of morality and justice, Wiseman goes beyond simplistic depictions of the police as an abusive authoritarian force. Though he does not gloss over scenes of racism and police brutality, his nuanced portrait of law enforcement also offers moments of compassion, comfort, and helplessness.” — Museum of Modern Art
Law and Order
Frederick Wiseman, 1969
USA | Format: 16mm | 81 minutes
Presented as part of THE FILM SOCIETY OF LINCOLN CENTER’s NYFF: Opening Acts Series. Discussion with director Frederick Wiseman and Kent Jones Festival Director of New York Film Festival to follow the screening.