Written and Directed by Joe Carnahan
Starring Ray Liotta and Jason Patric
102 Mins / Paramount Pictures / Rated R

The Poster

Morality takes a backseat to justice. With Joe Carnahan's gritty, tight script and stimulating directing style, the film presents a world where every cop has a secret... and it's not always what you'd expect.

Jason Patric plays Nick Tellis, a narcotics officer who's past has changed him irrevocably from the man, and officer, he used to be. While working deep under cover he was forced to confront a criminal, with dire consequences. Tellis, a broken shell of a man, is brought in to investigate the slaying of another officer.

Ray Liotta bulks up as Lt. Oak, a complicated man and friend to the officer who was killed. Oak had been investigating the officer's death, but his alternative policing tactics have brought him under scrutiny. So Tellis and Oak are partnered together to bring some closure to the case.

The two go charging through criminals, busting heads and using whatever means necessary to get to the bottom of the killing. In this way, it's reminiscent of The Shield - where cops are somewhat rogue, but are usually so in the name of justice. But as in all things that straddle a moral line, it's a clouded situation. Where does justice end and criminality begin?

The film's images are gray and gritty and do an excellent job of setting the scene in the unnamed, rundown big city. The camera swishes and pans loosely, nearly every section of the movie shot handheld. This could very well be an episode of Cops. Because of this, you get closer to the characters, in their face and feel like you have a view into their souls. There's no artistic 'distance' in this film. The movie also knows it's ancestors as it pays homage to all cop films before it. The flashback sequences manage to bring to mind both A Thin Blue Line and Rashomon. Slick and precise, they give conflicting views on events and shade our heads just as the characters are shaded.

Liotta and Patric like guns.

The film could easily be mistaken for a CineMax late night movie - the images are familiar, we've seen bad cops and violence before. But the film has dramatic twists, pounding visuals and amazing soundtrack. The music and sound are amazing. Fantastic, beating and confusing, the sound swirls and surges representing the characters' charged emotions.

It's a small film, short and with few characters, but perhaps that's what makes it so good. We feel for these cops, even if we don't always agree with their brand of justice.

Overall: 4.75 out of 5

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