MOVIE REVIEW: Rampart

Film: Rampart
Starring: Woody Harrelson
Directed by: Oren Moverman

Giving his best performance in years, Woody Harrelson shines in the gritty L.A. noir Rampart, but even his best efforts are not enough to keep this often tedious story afloat.

Set in 1999 Los Angeles, Rampart follows veteran police officer Dave Brown (Harrelson) and his, to say the least, unique approach to police work. He’s hot-headed, more than a bit racist, and willing to do whatever it takes to make sure he survives the jungle of the city as his lifetime of misdoings slowly begins to catch up to him, both professionally and at home. It’s a role packed with moments to shine and Harrelson uses every one to its full advantage. Even when joined by heavy-hitter castmates like Ben Foster and Sigourney Weaver, the floor is his.

There are many bad cop movies that critics and moviegoers have celebrated, even if the protagonist truly was an awful human being. Denzel Washington in Training Day is one that comes to mind, as well as Harvey Keitel in Bad Lieutenant, but neither had the dramatic storytelling advantage of Director Oren Moverman. Perhaps best known prior to now for The Messenger and I’m Not There, Moverman adds a layer of handheld camera work to his vast understanding of capturing human emotion and the results are striking to say the least.

Where Rampart stalls is the story. While the life of Dave Brown is an intriguing one, the film only offers us a glimpse into his world and the lives of those his actions impact, which makes connecting with everyone’s troubles and rage difficult at times. The lack of backstory and complete understanding often make it hard to grasp the message, if any of the film. Sure he does bad things, but should we hate him or try to see his perspective? Instead of deciding we are given the “on the fence” perspective and the inconclusiveness of that decision leaves something missing from the film.

Where many films suffer from an unbalanced storyline, it’s the balance of emotion that ultimately takes something priceless away from what should be a tremendous film. Rampart is definitely worth your time, even if you only watch to see Woody Harrelson act his ass off with flare, but it falls short of greatness at the hands of indecision and seeing something so good miss perfection like that is downright frustrating. The average moviegoer may not notice, but true cinephiles may tear out a hair or two.

Review written by: James Shotwell (Twitter)

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