After my fourth viewing, I retain one over-riding response to this film: Lenny is extremely lucky to have Mace.
In fact, she pretty much carries the plot, and the film.
Ralph does a fine job and all, and it's atmospherically and politically interesting, but I'm just not sure it's a good movie. And it wouldn't be anything without Mace.
The soundtrack is also pretty good.
It is a moment of transcendence when one recognizes oneself as an adversary- Ramu
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Agree on Mace's character being the true heart of the movie.
Can't agree on the other statements though.. How is it not a good movie? It delves into a few cliche's but it's so skillfully handled. The drama, violence, the great pov shots and overall sense of movement in the film worked perfectly imo, Bigelow rarely ever pulls punches in her movies which is refreshing. And i think the soundtrack is better than good, apart from being mostly entirely original (all the bands were assigned to write songs for the movie) it fits the setting just right. Actually if you haven't listened to the soundtrack cd i recommend it, it's alternative 90s gold.
How about this:
It it is not a good movie because it doesn't finish what it started.
Cameron built a big fuzz around Jericho One's execution at the hands of the police, built it up to a great climax scene, then just dropped it to let the two main characters kiss. Wow.
So much trouble, so much mayhem, dozens of people shot dead, and the truth abouth the movie's centerpiece, the execution video, isn't even exposed to the world.
But hey, the bad cops go to jail or to the morgue, and Lenny and Mace kiss. Oh, and people keep dancing on the corpses of their dead friends! Awesome right?
Hmm, no. I don't think so.
I just watched this film and it had possibilities, story wise. The problem was a disjointed script and it was badly directed by Kathryn Bigelow. Did she get the job because she was Cameron's girlfriend? Juliette Lewis needed a strong director; she just flounders in her role. Fiennes was just so-so. The only good thing about this film was Angela Bassett, who IMO, needs no direction; she's a natural.
shareI'm pretty sure that you are on point about this one.
share---- So much trouble, so much mayhem, dozens of people shot dead, and the truth abouth the movie's centerpiece, the execution video, isn't even exposed to the world. ----
Did we watch the same movie? At the end the LAPD commissioner arrests the two loose canons after watching the tape. Commissioner Strickland was meant to be one of the few "honest, do-gooder cops," the conspiracy's out: after he'd seen the evidence the story about the shooting would spread like wild fire through the press and the entire world would see it on the news the next day.
That's the reason Lenny urges Mace to show it to Strickland, this was the guy who originally outed Lenny and banished him from the force for his SQUID dealing; he knows Strickland will tell the truth. Why would they blast the tape over the screens to "show the world" right in the middle of a 2K NYE party? Especially when the crowds are already heated and out of control? Because that would be totally illogical and unbelievable.