Freebie and the Bean

Freebie and the Bean
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Richard Rush
Screenplay by	Robert Kaufman
Story by	Floyd Mutrux
Produced by	Richard Rush
Starring	James Caan Alan Arkin Loretta Swit Jack Kruschen Mike Kellin Alex Rocco Valerie Harper
Cinematography	László Kovács
Edited by	Michael McLean Fredric Steinkamp
Music by	Dominic Frontiere
Distributed by	Warner Bros.
Release date	December 25, 1974 (1974-12-25)
Running time	113 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$3 million[1]
Box office	$12.5 million in the United States and Canada[2]

Freebie and the Bean is a 1974 American buddy cop black comedy action film starring James Caan and Alan Arkin, and directed by Richard Rush. The film follows two offbeat police detectives who wreak havoc in San Francisco attempting to bring down an organized crime boss. The film, which had been originally scripted as a serious crime drama, morphed into what is now known as the "buddy-cop" genre due to the bantering, improvisational nature of the acting by Caan and Arkin. Reportedly, by the end of filming, both actors were confused by the purpose of the movie, not knowing that they had stumbled into a successful character formula. The film was popular enough to spawn various other successful film franchises such as, Lethal Weapon, 48 Hours and Beverly Hills Cop. Loretta Swit and Valerie Harper appeared in supporting roles.