The Last of the Finest

Drugs and selling arms: two topical news items that have been grafted together to form a simple plot. Throw in a little patriotism and machismo and you've got The Last of the Finest. Brian Dennehey, Joe Pantoliano, and Jeff Fahey star as a renegade trio of LAPD special detectives who quit the force and go after a massive drug ring on their own. Initially they were tracking the drug overlords from the inside, but then (surprise!) they discover that the roots of corruption have already infiltrated the police department, and quite possibly reach all the way up to the federal government. John MacKenzie, who directed the superb The Long Good Friday, keeps the action moving at a fairly good clip, but the story is so predictable, the drama so lame ("let's do it" is a popular refrain from the drugbusters), and the politics so simple-minded that you can't help but remove yourself from the film early on. The Last of the Finest is not a terrible film by any means, it's merely a doggedly mediocre one. Not recommended. (R. Pitman) [Blu-ray Review—July 25, 2017—Kino Lorber, 106 min., R, Blu-ray: $29.95—Making its debut on Blu-ray, 1990's The Last of the Finest features a decent transfer and a DTS-HD 2.0 soundtrack. Extras include audio commentary by filmmaker Steve Mitchell and film historian Nathaniel Thompson. Bottom line: an unremarkable police drama makes an unremarkable Blu-ray debut.]