Powerful

hyped garbage

The film may be flawed, but its message is not.

It is encouraging that the film ends so strongly.Otherwise, it wouldn't have been a particularly memorable film

This begins so well. Even the titles are eye-catching in that day-glow red and green. Actions is immediately confusing but dazzling with wonderful photography. A great sense of excitement is established in the first half hour but it is slightly concerning that with so many interested parties and police it is never absolutely clear what is going on. Then all becomes clear but the stunning visuals disappear and the action becomes almost laughable. It is then that I began to notice the inconsistent acting, due presumably to an element of improvisation encouraged by Friedkin. Matters are satisfactorily resolved in the end but that feeling of disengagement was never made good and it would discourage me from a second viewing despite all that fantastic early footage.

So much potential, such bad casting. I'm giving this film a 3..no, on second thought make that a 4 only because I generally like Friedkins view on the world (Sorcerer, Fr Connection) and he always gets good camera-work out of his stuff. But this film… my god, the acting of Petersen and Pankow is beyond ridiculous. Everything about those two is ridiculous, dialog, behavior, the way they dress… it absolutely cripples the movie. Turrturo was excellent as was Dafoe. The rest of the cast was fine but when you have two disco-zombies like Petersen and Pankow prancing around in their tight levis, flashing skin, Petersen stumbling along in his high-heel cowboy boots, both of 'em doing some heavy male 'bonding' and then the final scene involving Pankow - - which is so utterly ridiculous (I know I'm using this word a lot here but dammit it fits) that I laughed out loud, well, even a Friedkin fan has to choke on his popcorn.Good chase scene though. And given the latest revelations regarding the 'professionalism' of the Secret Cervix, maybe its not that far off.

What is everyone smoking? I went in with high hopes and was let down by this awful film. Is it just nostalgia talking? I don't see why this is so beloved by film fans.I see labels like "groundbreaking", "cliche free", "gritty", "a different take on ___". It's NONE of those things! It's full of some of the biggest cop clichés of all time - and I know for a fact they didn't stem from this film. For example, 10 minutes in, one of the cops says "I'm too old for this s**t" - then he gets shot TWO DAYS FROM RETIREMENT! I almost fell out of my chair laughing at how ludicrous it was. It was like a parody of a cop film.Then there's the whole "the brooding cop doesn't want a new partner, but is forced to get along with him anyway". The lead isn't an anti-hero cop, he's just incompetent. He and his partner fall asleep at a stake out! He lets the guy he has in custody go see a "daughter" in hospital, not even checking with the hospital if she's related and knows the guy. Then he lets the criminal get away by taking his cuffs off in a hospital lift, and then getting the crap kicked out of him. RIDICULOUS!I know this film is from the '80s, but this is beyond your average '80s campy cheese factor. Numerous posing with one leg on a chair, with crotch in full view - tight jeans begging for mercy. Naked/half naked guys everywhere. It's not a big deal, it was just kind of laughable when all these guys are being macho with each other... then they're naked in a dressing room together, going about their business. The terrible soundtrack doesn't help. The main guy tries to act tough, but just comes off looking like a tool. Who wears a leather jacket without a shirt underneath? Plus, the main character is called Dick Chance. Yeah.The directing is hit and miss. Sometimes there's interesting shots, or techniques - I particularly liked the POV shot when the main guy is chasing after a criminal. The majority of the time though, the film has abrupt cuts which are jarring, but it not in an artistic, or meaningful way. It's just annoying, and feels like an amateur is behind the camera.It took three days for me to watch all of it. It was painfully bad. The only saving grace was the great acting from Dafoe and Turturro, but even they couldn't save this mess. Sorry for the long-winded post, but I felt passionate about this and want to make sure if anyone is on the fence about this - please, AVOID! If you want to watch a decent anti-hero cop film, I'd suggest watching Bad Lieutenant [1992], which is what I watched after this to cleanse myself after watching the prior trash. Bad Lieutenant does everything that this film wanted to do, but did it right - and went balls to the wall with it.

On the surface it's just an ordinary action crime thriller . However director William Friedkin ("French connection") takes a cliché story and creates one of the most dark , realistic and surprising movies I have ever seen. This is ART. It was obviously way ahead of it's time in the 80's and sadly even today it doesn't gets the recognition it deserves. I guess it's too intelligent for some critics and viewers. It's much more complex than the surface description of the plot suggests.The screenplay is loosely based on Gerald Petievich (a former Secret Service agent) book under the same title. The line between good and evil is very thin in this movie. Every character makes mistakes . It's hard to identify with the characters , because nobody is completely good or evil. The characters are well written, three dimensional and you forget that this is only a movie. I loved it . The story is very thrilling and unpredictable. The film has a very amoral feel to it , it's like a journey to Hell.The two main characters are mirrors of each other because both are obsessive with what they want to do. Both are living on the edge . Both are antiheroes. One is a cop who is breaking law , while other is a criminal that works within the law. One isn't loyal to his friends , the other respects loyalty. The main theme of the movie is counterfeit – in the money , but also in the people too with the characters motivations , emotions and relationships. It's a realistic and bitter movie that breaks standard Hollywood clichés . There's no hope for justice, good will and redemption . Every character is selfish and even self destructive.The movie is quite unique and important part of the movie , giving it a definite 80s feel. 1980s band Wang Chung provided much of the soundtrack for this movie . Their sound perfectly melts with the cinematography. Great and unforgettable songs – " To live and die in LA" , "Wait" and "Dance hall days ".The electronic score provides a thumping beat that matches the intensity and energy of the film's pace and style. Fantastic photography by Robby Muller. Los Angeles looks both beautiful and dirty . The movie has a very 80's feel to it (clothes , haircuts , Reagan etc) and wonderfully captures the feel of that decade , "The decade of greed". The action scenes are great , raw and brutal . Who could forget the AWESOME car chase or the shocking finale ?! Solid performances from all the people in the cast . There is no Oscar worthy performances here , but the overall quality of acting is high. William Petersen ("Manhunter") , Willem Defoe ("Platoon") , John Pankow (" The secret of my success , Darlene Fluogel ("Running scared") , John Tuturro ("Barton Fink") Dean Stockwell ("Blue velvet") and Steve James ("Delta force") make one of the best acting teams I have ever seen.This is a proof that if you have a vision and talent you don't need big budget (it cost only 6 million dollars !) to make a great movie. I really recommend this movie. It's very "anti-Miami vice" and "anti-Lethal weapon" type of movie. Not everybody will appreciate the nihilistic mood of the movie. It's a movie for adults . I give it 9/10.