Times are awfully tough for Dave Brown (Woody Harrelson), a thoroughly dirty (though fictional) cop in the scandal-beset Rampart Division of 1999 LAPD. Things are just not going his way. Everything about Brown stinks. He's an alcoholic, bad-tempered misogynist. He's got a major crime in his past he seems both ashamed and proud of; his home situation is extremely complicated, two ex-wives to support (Cynthia Nixon and Anne Heche) who are also sisters, and two daughters (one by each ex-wife), one of whom certainly hates him and one who's well on the way. Plus he's sleeping around, maybe to numb his pain, maybe just for sport.
According to the movie's tagline, he is "the most corrupt cop you've ever seen on screen."
Brown is thoroughly unimpressed with the department's ongoing efforts to clean itself up, a sign of weakness, he thinks. And he can't stay out of trouble himself, even after repeated warnings—not that he's really trying. It's all a very high-stakes game of chicken to him, one laced with a lot of alcohol and a few other bad habits. He gets involved with a lawyer (Robin Wright) who might have it out for him, or maybe it's his old friend Hartshorn (Ned Beatty) who is after him. Someone is—he's sure of that.
Woody Harrelson as David Brown
The film is adapted from a book by crime novelist James Ellroy (L.A. Confidential) and director Oren Moverman, and it's a strong portrait of a cracking persona. It seems almost silly to describe it as "gritty," but, well, it is, mostly because Harrelson once again turns in an impossibly good performance (and this film is all Harrelson—everyone else, many of whom are very fine actors, are just there as props for his insanity). Cinematographer Bobby Bukowski keeps him suspended in tightly-framed claustrophobic shots; he's all sweat, tight sunburned skin, and jagged edges. We keep waiting for him to combust or shatter.
Brown with fellow cop Kyle Timkins (Ice Cube)
Moverman knows rough characters and the sort of toll their stressful, stereotypically macho jobs can take on them. Formerly an Israeli soldier, Moverman also made 2009's The Messenger (which also starred Harrelson and the marvelous Ben Foster, who produced this film and has a small part as an addled addict-informant). The Messenger worked largely because the characters were intriguing—soldiers who had the unpleasant duty of informing families of their deceased loved ones.
Rampart has all the same messy dissolution, the characters rotting from the inside out, but without the intrigue: Brown's a straightforward if extremely dirty cop—something we've seen before in countless films and TV shows. It's a thoroughly fleshed-out character piece that digs deeply into Brown's life, and yet never his psyche. He's still almost as much of a mystery at the conclusion as the start.
With ex-wives Barbara (Cynthia Nixon) and Catherine (Anne Heche)
This, I think, is what ultimately makes Rampart so unsatisfying. It would be silly and untruthful to demand a moment of redemption in such a character; a forcedly neat conclusion with a light at the end of the tunnel wouldn't have been true to Brown's mess. Yet the film as a whole never really justifies itself to the audience. Great acting and sunbaked cinematography is hardly enough. Why is a descent into such a thoroughly despicable character worth our movie ticket and 108 minutes? What makes this dirty cop movie worth watching? Why should we care? Ellroy's story and Moverman's adaptation fail to answer these questions after stringing us along for so long, which keeps it, ultimately and regrettably, from the greatness it could have achieved.
Talk About It
Discussion starters
Brown has been engaging in these dirty tactics for a long time. What do you think makes him do these things? Why do you suppose he thinks he won't hurt his family by doing them?
What does Brown want from life? What rules his life? What authority does he acknowledge?
Have you ever done something wrong and tried to make amends by asking forgiveness for a different fault? What made you do that?
The Family Corner
For parents to consider
Rampart is rated R for pervasive language, sexual content and some violence. It's full of bad language, even for a film about a dirty cop. Brown's crimes are disturbing in nature. Though he studiously avoids violence toward women, his sexual practices are clearly questionable. He does engage in lots of violence toward men, including a disabled addict.