Rampart

Sleazy L.A. noir has become an atmospheric subgenre of the cynical crime thriller, ranging from Dashiell Hammett's The Maltese Falcon to James Ellroy's L.A. Confidential. In Rampart, Woody Harrelson plays an angry, bullheaded, rogue cop on a downward spiral, both professionally and personally. Working as part of the notoriously intolerant, militaristic, and corrupt Rampart Division of the LAPD in the late 1990s, chain-smoking Officer Dave Brown (Harrelson) regularly takes the law into his own hands when the courts fail to exact justice, much to the chagrin of the scandal-plagued assistant district attorney (Sigourney Weaver), mayor (Steve Buscemi), and Internal Affairs investigator (Ice Cube). Given the nickname “Date Rape Dave” after he shot and killed a serial rapist, the 24-year-veteran vigilante finds himself in hot water when he's videotaped brutally beating a motorist who slammed into his police cruiser—footage that goes viral, igniting a protest among those who feel the LAPD is out of control. Misanthropic Dave has been married twice—to sisters (Cynthia Nixon, Anne Heche)—and he lives with them and his two daughters in a small, stucco family compound. Complicating matters are Dave's various entanglements with a boozy lawyer (Robin Wright), a crooked ex-cop/informant (Ned Beatty), and a wheelchair-bound vet (Ben Foster) who roams the streets. But the emotional climax arrives when his rebellious older daughter accuses him of being a macho, sexist, racist, homophobic, chauvinist bigot–which he is. Co-written by Ellroy and director Oren Moverman, Rampart is an uneven film exploring the psychology of a flawed, deeply troubled protagonist, whose movements telegraph what's going to happen next. A strong optional purchase. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include audio commentary by director Oren Moverman, a behind-the-scenes featurette with interviews of cast and crew members including star Woody Harrelson (30 min.), and trailers. Bottom line: a solid extras package for a bad cop downer of a film.] (S. Granger)