Q & A

Charles S. Dutton has hair on his head. What am I supposed to do with that?

More admirable than entertaining, especially when so much is layered on so thick. It also doesn't have a clear through-line and incorporates too many themes to keep itself focused -- much is said about racial identity here, yet it never comes to any conclusion. I also have a problem with the actual lack of questioning and answering going on here -- the lawyer character acts more like a cop. Still, the beefy dialogue and terrific performances counter-balance a lot of the problems.

I couldn't understand what the hell Nick Nolte was mumfgmdfggdfmbling

Sidney Lumet continues his stories of systemic corruption and bad cops. Armand Assante and Nick Nolte get some beefy scenes to chew on.

Viewed April 2, 2021.

Q & A - Sem Lei, Sem Justiça estreava há 30 anos na Dinamarca. Eu gosto de como o Lumet trabalha aqui mostrando enquanto o sistema policial é racista (e homofóbica) muito além do racismo estrutural, embora o filme em si não chega a ser uma obra-prima como Serpico na sua representação da polícia. BlurayRip RARBG.

Quite good.

standart bir sidney lumet filmi demeyi övgü haline getirmek herkesin harcı değil. yüz kez dinlediğim hikayeyi bir yüz kez de kendisi anlatsa lumet, değil sıkılmak bir yüz kez daha anlatmasını isterim. belki burada olduğu gibi ahlaki pusula fazla kıssadan hisse vari bir tonu getiriyormuş gibi olsa da filmde işlemeyen tek şey reilly'nin eski sevgilisiyle olan sahnelerindeki çiğlik. onun haricinde yine bir lumet güzelliği. nolte de ayrıca takdire değer tabii.

(...)Rassismus ist nicht einfach das, was im Affekt so dahergeredet wird. Es geht um Loyalitäten. Jeder in der New Yorker Polizei benutzt einen bestimmten Slang, um dazuzugehören: Zu den Iren, den Italienern oder den Hispanics. Das ist sogar verständlich, denn draussen tobt ein Krieg. Der Chief (Patrick O'Neal) glaubt, dass dieser Krieg ausgetragen wird zwischen den Ordnungshütern und denen, die New York zerstören wollen (also die Schwarzen und Latinos)(...)

Some very good supporting performances, especially Nolte as a gladhanding thug cop, and in parts it really works. But there's too many wildly misjudged moments, be it the appalling soundtrack, scenes played far too broadly, or a twist in the exposition-heavy final act that goes from implausible to impossible, given the casting involved.

It has a lot of problems, including a plot that seems at first to be overly complicated but eventually ends up being overly simplistic (and more than a little ridiculous), a tepid romance, and a really fucking terrible soundtrack. But Lumet kicks it along at an exciting pace (it's too long, but it somehow doesn't feel it), and the acting is excellent (apart from Lumet's daughter, who should stick to writing) so I enjoyed myself.

75.500

As Lumet police dramas go, this is one of the worst.

One of the rawest, ugliest cop films I've ever seen. It's like Lumet said, "you know, I enjoyed making Serpico, but people don't respond to that kind of subtlety anymore. What we need here is more blood, more bribery and corruption, more racism, flagrant cruelty, and ten times more expletives." And I have to admit, I enjoy it quite a bit.

Armand Assante kicks ten kinds of ass in this film.

Another utterly forgettable film from past-his-prime Lumet.

Great crime drama. The lead villain (won't give away who it is) is one of my favorite "honorary monsters" in motion picture history. One of those movies that seriously needs a site like Criticker to help talk it up since it's WAY too lurid and cynical for normal people to handle it