(rated R, 118 mins.)
When the LAPD’s elite Special Investigations Squad is assigned a high-profile homicide, veteran detective Eldon Perry (Kurt Russell) takes the case. He also chooses to tutor Bobby (Scott Speedman), a junior cop, in the grim realities of police intimidation and corruption. And so it becomes a story of two cops, two missions, facing their own inner demons while trying to face the demons of the city. A gritty cop thriller with a strong cast that even somewhere in the mix credits James Ellroy on screen (he originated this in a short story back in 1997) and that would make sense since this movie could be perfectly described as “LA Confidential” meets “Training Day”. But unfortunately, (and it’s not Russell’s fault), it’s not. Now if somebody else had directed instead of sports director Ron Shelton, that too, would have been another story. He’s done “Tin Cup” – Costner and golf. “Bull Durham” – Costner and baseball. Why didn’t he do Costner and football instead of this?
