One of the best first acts of ever, never seen a steady pace and storytelling like that.

Kinda fell off when they focused on the woman and the love plot, focusing on corruption would’ve been enough.

Nick Nolte should’ve had more screen time, and should’ve won the Oscars

One of the best first acts of ever, never seen a steady pace and storytelling like that.

Kinda fell off when they focused on the woman and the love plot, focusing on corruption would’ve been enough.

Nick Nolte should’ve had more screen time, and should’ve won the Oscars

Police corruption + Sidney Lumet = Great movie.
Nick Nolte is such a powerful force that really makes him frightening.

Police corruption + Sidney Lumet = Great movie.
Nick Nolte is such a powerful force that really makes him frightening.

You always know a movie was shot in and on location in New York when a bunch of Sopranos actors show up. I saw Pussy Bonpensera as an extra in a bar scene, acting the shit out of a pretend conversation.

I wasn't hopeful this would hold my attention for the full two hours but it really did a solid and it's down to the key performances. Lumet lets the actors cook, sticking to long takes in wides and two shots, even leaving in small line flubs at times for the sake of realism. Hutton is ok in the lead role, but Nolte gives an absolute shirt ripper of a performance. Assante was fun too.

The negatives are the under done romance/female troubles B plot. It's not set up or developed at all. Then the soundtrack at times throws up a heartful upbeat adult contempory song during tense dramatic moments and it's super jarring. Towards the end it feels like the actors are trying to yell over the top of the score. Otherwise, enjoyable.

Also, Nolte's character in this reminds me of a friend I went to school with.

You always know a movie was shot in and on location in New York when a bunch of Sopranos actors show up. I saw Pussy Bonpensera as an extra in a bar scene, acting the shit out of a pretend conversation.

I wasn't hopeful this would hold my attention for the full two hours but it really did a solid and it's down to the key performances. Lumet lets the actors cook, sticking to long takes in wides and two shots, even leaving in small line flubs at times for the sake of realism. Hutton is ok in the lead role, but Nolte gives an absolute shirt ripper of a performance. Assante was fun too.

The negatives are the under done romance/female troubles B plot. It's not set up or developed at all. Then the soundtrack at times throws up a heartful upbeat adult contempory song during tense dramatic moments and it's super jarring. Towards the end it feels like the actors are trying to yell over the top of the score. Otherwise, enjoyable.

Also, Nolte's character in this reminds me of a friend I went to school with.

The Wire if only one character figured out how fucked up the American justice system is.

While the film doesn’t say anything really damning for law enforcement, it does have a commanding performance by Nick Nolte, who plays a sadistic, corrupt and abusive cop who is blackmailed into a conspiracy with the DA. His character exudes generational hatred with every scene he’s in.

Something that struck me is the amount of violence perpetrated on gay and trans people by Nolte’s character, being gay himself. You can tell there is generational trauma there, Nolte’s character being conflicted with himself; impulsive and a loose-cannon type of douchey cop who doesn’t really care about anyone but himself and the cops who’ll cover for him.

That gets to another point, which is that the cops and law enforcement officials in director Sidney Lumet’s world are all racist toward each other; trading slurs and insults like seamless chatter. It’s harsh — and that’s the point. These people don’t give a shit. That’s why when a (relative) rookie, played by Timothy Hutton is called up to the office as Assistant DA, he is made visibly uncomfortable by the culture (granted, we learn that he has some pretty bad racial biases of his own, later on).

Overall, I wouldn’t call this copaganda; its main point is to point out “bad apples” exist, but it’s not really saying anything about the police on an institutional level.

The Wire if only one character figured out how fucked up the American justice system is.

While the film doesn’t say anything really damning for law enforcement, it does have a commanding performance by Nick Nolte, who plays a sadistic, corrupt and abusive cop who is blackmailed into a conspiracy with the DA. His character exudes generational hatred with every scene he’s in.

Something that struck me is the amount of violence perpetrated on gay and trans people by Nolte’s character, being gay himself. You can tell there is generational trauma there, Nolte’s character being conflicted with himself; impulsive and a loose-cannon type of douchey cop who doesn’t really care about anyone but himself and the cops who’ll cover for him.

That gets to another point, which is that the cops and law enforcement officials in director Sidney Lumet’s world are all racist toward each other; trading slurs and insults like seamless chatter. It’s harsh — and that’s the point. These people don’t give a shit. That’s why when a (relative) rookie, played by Timothy Hutton is called up to the office as Assistant DA, he is made visibly uncomfortable by the culture (granted, we learn that he has some pretty bad racial biases of his own, later on).

Overall, I wouldn’t call this copaganda; its main point is to point out “bad apples” exist, but it’s not really saying anything about the police on an institutional level.

ITBH, I was tired and even though I watched the whole thing, nothing really set in and I lost the story. I'd watch it again if I didn't have so much on my watch list.

From what I saw Nolte seemed great but I've never warmed to Timothy Hutton as an actor. As he was the lead in Q & A, this was half the problem.

ITBH, I was tired and even though I watched the whole thing, nothing really set in and I lost the story. I'd watch it again if I didn't have so much on my watch list.

From what I saw Nolte seemed great but I've never warmed to Timothy Hutton as an actor. As he was the lead in Q & A, this was half the problem.