Rampart features a powerhouse central performance from Woody Harrelson as corrupt Los Angeles Police Officer Dave Brown. Harrelson manages to take a character who should be (and is) reprehensible, and yet manages to imbue him with the faintest sense of tragedy. However, the problem is the movie that takes place around Brown. Brown’s story is an inherently tragic one, a relic of a by-gone era trapped in his own self-destructive pattern. He’s not dynamic or proactive, and so reacts to the world around him. While director Oren Moverman populates the film with any number of iconic and recognisable character actors, the film can’t help but feel a lot too sterile, a little too inert. We’ve seen this story before, and while Harrelson’s performance is compelling, the film around him is not.
He’s got this police thing working gangbusters for him…
Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: Brown, California, Counties, film, Harrelson, los angeles, Los Angeles Police Department, Movie, non-review review, Oren Moverman, Rampart, review, sigourney weaver, steve buscemi, United States, woody harrelson | 5 Comments »
