Rampart
Director: Oren Moverman
Year Released: 2011
Rating: 2.0
Standard cop-on-a-downward-spiral story has edgy officer Woody Harrelson doing nothing by the book, stealing, killing and whoring around ... he's also arguably a racist and a bigot. This doesn't have the same urban poetry of Ferrara's magnificent Bad Lieutenant and some of Moverman's stylistic choices are in question (what's with the swaying camera?) - Harrelson's incessant smoking represents his anxiety and inner conflict, though it's only a matter of time before his poor choices take him down (and they should). Echoing McQueen's 2011 movie Shame - about sex addiction - Harrelson's ultimate breakdown is represented by a saunter through an underground sex club (and consuming what appears to be a lot of meat). The performances are excellent and the cast is loaded, but even having James Ellroy contribute to the script doesn't grant it the complexity it so desperately needs.
