NY1 Movie Review: "Rampart"
To view our videos, you need to
enable JavaScript. Learn how.
install Adobe Flash 9 or above. Install now.
Then come back here and refresh the page.
Woody Harrelson stars in "Rampart," where he a plays a corrupt Los Angeles cop whose life begins to unravel when he's caught on tape beating a motorist senseless. NY1's Neil Rosen filed the following review. The new movie "Rampart" stars Woody Harrelson as Dave Brown, a corrupt cop working in Los Angeles in 1999. His nickname is "Date Rape Dave" because he killed a serial date rapist several years back.
The LAPD has come under scrutiny for its unlawful behavior, including police brutality. Dave comes under the microscope when he brutally beats a person who accidentally slams into his car. The incident is caught on tape and it becomes headline news.
Dave, who is a Vietnam vet, is part of an older breed of cop who can't change to newer, fairer ways of operating as a law enforcement officer. He speaks eloquently and he's self-assured when confronted by attorneys, but he's really a mess.
He has two daughters by two different women who also happen to be sisters. He lives with them all and his home life is in shambles. We see Dave come apart at the seams as his life comes under fire by the press and his superiors.
The film is worth watching for one thing alone, Woody Harrelson's riveting performance. It's hard to believe that this is the same guy who played simpleton Woody on "Cheers." He displays an enormous range here and he's the one that makes the film interesting.
But the screenplay by James Ellroy and co-writer-director Oren Moverman is sort of a one-note. It holds your interest for a while, but you get the point early on that this guy is a corrupt bully who operates above the law. Beyond that, it repeats similar scenarios.
Moverman worked to better effect with Woody Harrelson in his last effort, "The Messenger," which across the board was a better film.
The supporting cast members, who includes Anne Heche, Sigourney Weaver, Ice Cube, Cynthia Nixon and Robin Wright, all do good work.
"Rampart" about the performances, most notably Woody's. The movie on the whole is just okay, leaving you with a unsatisfying ending and doesn't add up to a whole lot.
Neil Rosen's Big Apple Rating: 2.5 Apples