Freebie and the Bean (1974) review

San Francisco-based detectives "Freebie" (James Caan, an Honorary Italian) and "Bean" (Alan Arkin) are assigned the job of tracking down racketeer Red Meyers (Jack Kruschen) but they can't stop bungling things up, they've got the D.A. (Alex Rocco) ready to strangle both of them ... and then back at home "Bean" is concerned his wife (Valerie Harper) is unfaithful to him.  This is credited with being one of the first "buddy cop" movies and some of the (non-politically correct) banter is admittedly very amusing - the two leads have that inherent "tough guy" machismo - except there's little reasoning behind their "methods": they drive right through a marching band, crack up dozens of cars, crash into an apartment and kill or pummel whoever they feel like ... with zero repercussions.  It's a post-Dirty Harry "conservative" view of police work, and the "final villain" is a homosexual that's also a cross-dresser - the last shootout (in the ladies bathroom) should give queer theorists something to write about.