I’ve seen the trailer few times in the cinema
and on TV but didn’t think much of it. Looked like another rip-off of Ferrara’s Bad Lieutenant that set “corrupt
violent cop” standard back in 1992 that is still too high for anyone to reach
anytime soon. And after that Herzog’s
piece of shit remake I didn’t have stomach to go through another one of
these flicks.
But then it got some positive reviews by Danny Leigh on BBC so I
decided to check it out when it came out on DVD recently.
And – surprise, pleasant surprise – it is
not bad at all. Woody Harrelson is brilliant (nothing new right?) and he did
remind me of Harvey Keitel sometimes. Especially in shots when they were
driving the cars isolated from the outer world and confined to their madness
(Woody listening to the radio all the time and Harvey even shooting the damn
thing). Similarities with Bad Lieutenant don’t end just here because Rampart
too is almost entirely character driven. True, there is a story but it is not
typical mystery/crime stuff and it never really takes off. There’s no need for
it because our hero is doomed from the start and we all know it will turn badly
for him.
Dark and unsettling stuff about addictions
and their inevitable consequences indeed. It’s good to know there are still
people in Hollywood who make this kind of stuff. Also worth noting is that it
is created extremely well and precise, I had the feeling that director knew
exactly what he was aiming for. Was little surprised to learn that this is only
Oren Moverman‘s second movie.
And of course “I am not a racist. Fact is, I hate all people equally.” has a good
chance to go into history of notorious film quotes. I’m sure we’ll see T-shirts
with it this summer.
8/10
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