Brock's Last Case

After leaving the hustle of New York City police work, Lieutenant Max Brock settles in a quiet Western town hoping for a calmer life. When a local sheriff is killed and a Native American man becomes the prime suspect, Brock can't leave the matter alone and begins digging into the case. He sifts through witness statements, conflicting alibis and local gossip, testing the official story against physical clues. As he moves through town politics and simmering resentments, Brock relies on old instincts while learning the limits of small-town loyalties. He forms tenuous alliances with some locals while alienating others.

Brock's Last Case aired in 1973 as a made-for-TV mystery, directed by David Lowell Rich and created by Alex Gordon and Martin Donaldson. The cast is led by Richard Widmark as Lieutenant Max Brock, with Henry Darrow, Beth Brickell, David Huddleston and Henry Beckman in supporting roles.

As a television movie it didn't attract major awards attention, with no notable Oscar or Emmy wins. It hasn't been a regular feature in award retrospectives, and archival recognition is limited to TV listings and genre guides.

Though it's not widely known today, the film is sometimes cited by collectors of TV mysteries for Widmark's turn as a weary investigator. A few scenes reflect 1970s attitudes toward law enforcement and Native Americans, which show how TV handled social issues then. It survives mainly as a curiosity for fans of era-specific television and character-driven mysteries.

Contemporary reviews were mixed, and modern viewer ratings remain low, with sparse votes on aggregator sites. The story takes on themes of aging, outsider status and prejudice, favoring methodical clue-gathering over action. Performances, particularly Widmark's, attract interest from viewers who appreciate restrained acting and period atmosphere. It appeals mostly to viewers who like period pieces and slow-burning mysteries.