plot spoiler . dr. boch ( george c. scott ) be the chief of medicine at a major nyc hospital . he leave his wife and his child have disown him and he impotent and drink a lot and contemplates suicide . also there a killer roam the hospital . then he meet very strange barbara ( diana rigg ) and fall in love . she want him to run away with her but can he completely give up on his old life and start a new one . very strange movie with an oscar win script by paddy chayefsky . it present a suicidal main character and show u a hospital full of overworked nurse and doctor that be run incompetently . it manage ( somehow ) to actually make this seem pretty funny . it not laugh out loud humor it very black humor . also the acting be right on target scott be just great ( and oscar nominate ) here . you see him try to keep his sanity in a totally crazy situation . riggs character be more than a little odd but her matter of fact manner work and she also incredibly beautiful . the script be strong and brutal but never too much . i think it fumble the ball at the end with a situation that go way too over the top but it still worth see . if this have be do totally seriously it probably would be impossible to take . also look for katherine helmond in a small bit and stockard channing and christopher guest in uncredited bit . i personally have trouble take this seriously . from what i have hear hospital be this bad back in the 1970s but not anymore . see it for the acting and script . i give it a 7 .