Three cops mete out their own form of justice in 1950s Los Angeles. Guy Pearce plays the uptight career cop, Kevin Spacey is a celebrity cop and Russell Crowe is the brute with a thing for protecting women. Together they take on corruption in their own force. Kim Basinger is the classy hooker.
Violence does drive the narrative in places but this is also a romance and an exploration of the moral high ground and whether or not there is such a place. It has a film noir vibe: use of shadow, a femme fatale, intricate plot, skewed camera angles, use of flashbacks, loss of innocence, double crosses and so on. It is paced well. IMDB, from half a million voters, rates this as 8.2. Why so low?
Who would have thought that Guy Pearce, having first come to prominence in the 80s TV soap, Neighbours, would go on to create such a great back catalogue of characters? Check out his other work.
Director: Curtis Hanson
Cast: Guy Pearce, Russell Crowe, Kevin Spacey, Kim Basinger, James Cromwell
NETFLIX | PRIME | YOUTUBE
2 hours 18 min
