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| Movie Review: Rampart Alternate Title: Bad Cop, Bad Cop
Story: I hated this film. It
was difficult to follow, painfully slow and shot almost exclusively
at night or in a dark room. The use of a shaky hand-held camera did
nothing to the aesthetic. When there was dialog, it was hard to hear
because there was always pulsating music or ambient noise. It could
have used subtitles. Do you want more? The close-ups were at pore level.
I was sitting in the last row of the theater and wanted to move further
back. Need more? The script, what there was of it,
was mystifying. This I know - bad cop Dave (also known as Date Rape
Dave) was a cop on the edge and spiraling downward. Dave was caught
on video tape brutally beating a civilian. Was it a set up? Was an already
corrupt police department (see trivia below) using Dave's raging actions
to deflect the news media? Officer Dave is an angry man. He married two
sisters and has a daughter by each of them. He is a control freak that
is out of control. He drinks, he takes drugs, he is a sexaholic and
declares he is not a racist - but hates everyone equally. So does this film directed by Oren Moverman
and written by James Ellroy and Mr. Moverman
have any redeeming value? If you are a fan of Woody Harrelson and liked
him in Natural Born Killers and The Messenger - then you will like him
here. Otherwise, stay home. Watch the trailer here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dswL5nsEYiY Acting: Woody Harrelson as Dave Brown was someone
you would not want to ever meet. If that is appealing - he was good.
Robin Wright as Linda Fentress was curious. I did not
know who she was or what she was doing in the film. Sigourney
Weaver as Joan Confrey looked frightened to be in this film.,
Ice Cube as Kyle Timkins was fine as was Ned
Beatty as Hartshorn. Steve Buscemi as Bill
Blago had a cameo. Cynthia Nixon ( as wife #1 Barbara
and Anne Heche as wife #2 Catherine were okay.
Predilection: None
Trivia: Owen Moverman's first film, The Messenger,
also starred Woody Harrelson. Stella Schnabel (appears
early on as his female partner) is the daughter of Julian Schnabel and
his first wife Jacqueline. Woody Harrelson's career began in New York
theatre as an understudy in Neil Simon's "Biloxi Blues". Within
months, he was cast as Woody on the hit TV series, "Cheers"
(1982).
The Rampart scandal refers to widespread corruption
in the Community Resources Against Street Hoodlums (or CRASH) anti-gang
unit of the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) Rampart Division in
the late 1990s. More than 70 police officers in the CRASH unit were
implicated in misconduct, making it one of the most widespread cases
of documented police misconduct in United States history. The convicted
offenses include unprovoked shootings, unprovoked beatings, planting
of evidence, framing of suspects, stealing and dealing narcotics, bank
robbery, perjury, and covering up evidence of these activities.
Critters: Pitbulls
Food: Tacos, fried, spaghetti, broccoli, lots of
booze.
Sex Spectrum: Yes - there are plenty of sex scenes.
Our bad cop was very busy day and night.
Soundtrack: Loud and pulsatingly annoying.
Opening Titles: All titles are at the end.
Visual Art: Most of the film takes place at night
or in a darkened room. It was hard to see much of anything.
Theater Audience: Crowded for opening weekend. Mostly
an older AARP crowd.
Weather: Not a factor
Sappy Factor: 0
Quirky Meter: 0
Squirm Scale: 2 - the lead character is a loose cannon.
Drift Factor: I paid attention throughout but was
often confused.
Predictability Level: Moderate
Tissue Usage: 0
Oscar Worthy: Woody Harrelson might get a nod from
the Academy. They like these sort of roles.
Big Screen or Rental: Go for the big screen if you
are going to see it.
Length: Under two hours
LOBO HOWLS: 3 |