Directed by Oren Moverman and written by Moverman and James Ellroy, Rampart is the story of a corrupt LAPD officer who finds himself in trouble as he tries to redeem himself during the Rampart scandal of 1997 for the Los Angeles Police Department. The film is a character study of a man dealing with his own actions as he tries to defend himself and save his career amidst a tumultuous period in the city of Los Angeles. Starring Woody Harrelson, Ice Cube, Ned Beatty, Robin Wright, Anne Heche, Cynthia Nixon, Brie Larson, Steve Buscemi, and Sigourney Weaver. Rampart is a compelling yet flawed film from Oren Moverman.
Set in 1999 Los Angeles during a dark period for the LAPD who is dealing with the Rampart scandal, the film is about a dirty and corrupt police scandal whose actions have finally caught up with him. Rather than quitting his job, officer Dave Brown (Woody Harrelson) tries to save his job and avoid any jail time but he becomes more troubling as even those who once bailed him out are unable to help him. Yet, Brown is also someone who is really a man that is just born to undo himself where he would eventually bring discomfort to authorities that want to help him as well as bring shame to his family. The film’s screenplay doesn’t just explore Brown and the things he does as a police officer but also a person who likes to take the law into his own hands. Sometimes it would be in the most gruesome way where he would be caught on tape beating someone who hit his car though Brown had every reason to beat up the guy.
While the script does paint Brown as a man who just hates everyone while doing all sorts of things. There are elements to him that try to show some goodness to him but his faults would often overwhelm everything as his own eldest daughter Helen (Brie Larson) really hates him. While the script does nice work in fleshing out Brown and his complexities, the script however doesn’t do much to get the story to move forward or really go anywhere. Especially as it relates to what Brown is trying to do but it tend to slow things down as he is given options that could’ve helped him. Whenever Brown is given these opportunities to redeem himself, the results become very frustrating as it play more into his character as someone that is just stubborn and not willing to see the bigger picture.
Moverman’s direction has some very intense moments in the way it showcases late 1990s Los Angeles as a world that is quite dangerous and unpredictable. Shot on location in some of the urban parts of Los Angeles as well as some of its downtown areas, the film does play into a world where a man is convinced that he is doing good for the city but is extremely corrupt in his actions. Moverman’s usage of close-ups and medium shots are engaging though there are some moments that aren’t very good. Notably a sequence where Brown meets two attorneys where the camera is constantly moving around to focus on one character in a repetitive pan where it is very annoying. It’s one of the aspects of the film that didn’t work while the script’s lack of a strong narrative does falter the pacing. Though Moverman’s usage of crane overhead shots and other stylistic moments are good, the film’s resolution is lacking in terms of any kind of redemption could be made for Brown as it ends up being unsatisfying despite Moverman’s observation on its protagonist. Overall, Moverman creates a intriguing but lackluster film about a dirty cop’s attempt to make things right.
Cinematographer Bobby Bukowski does excellent work with the film‘s cinematography from the stylish usage of lights and moods for many of the interior/exterior scenes set at night along with some grainy film stock for scenes set in the day. Editor Jay Rabinowitz does nice work with the editing as it does have some stylish jump-cuts and some unique rhythms for the suspense and drama though it does falter in that sequence where Brown is being interviewed by two attorneys. Production designer David Wasco, with set decorator Sandy Reynolds-Wasco and art director Austin Gorg, does fantastic work with the look of the home that Brown lives in with this ex-wives (who are sisters) and the hotel rooms he would crash as well as the home of a lawyer he would sleep with.
Costume designer Catherine George does terrific work with the costumes as it is mostly casual along with the look of the police uniforms while the only character that plays into a sense of style is Helen. Sound designer Javier Bennassar does superb work with the sound in the way the police sirens and gunfire sounds along with the intimate moments at home and at the bars. The film’s music by Dickon Hinchliffe is brilliant for its somber-based score in the guitar and keyboards to play into the drama while music supervisor Jim Black creates a soundtrack that features a mixture of hip-hop, electronic, and Mexican music along with a song by Leonard Cohen.
The casting by Laura Rosenthal and Rachel Tenner is amazing as it features some notable small roles and appearances from Robert Wisdom as the Rampart station’s captain, Jon Foster and Jon Beranthal as a couple of fellow officers, Steve Buscemi as a district attorney official in Bill Blago, Stella Schnabel as Brown’s new partner early in the film who is perturbed by his actions, Sammy Boyarsky as Brown’s youngest daughter Margaret who questions about what her father has done, Audra McDonald as a one-night stand Brown would be with early in the film, and Ben Foster in a superb role as a homeless vet named the General who often hangs out at a fast food restaurant. Robin Wright is wonderful as the attorney Linda whom Brown would frequently sleep with while he is suspicious that she is spying on him. Ned Beatty is terrific as the former cop Hartshorn who tries to help Brown in any way including moments that would help him only to realize that Brown is his own worst enemy.
Cynthia Nixon and Anne Heche are excellent in their respective roles as the sisters Barbara and Catherine as two of Brown’s ex-wives who deal with the coverage of Brown’s activities with Nixon as the more calm of the two and Heche as the one who wants nothing to do with him. Brie Larson is fantastic as Brown’s eldest daughter who despises her father as she also feels humiliated and embarrassed by his actions where she also copes with his own hatred for everyone. Sigourney Weaver is brilliant as the assistant DA Joan Confrey who wants Brown to reveal all of his activities as well as give the man a chance to do what is right. Ice Cube is incredible as the investigator Kyle Timkins who works for the DA’s office as he also tries to implore Brown to do the right thing while revealing what is at stake. Finally, there’s Woody Harrelson in a phenomenal performance as Dave Brown as a dirty LAPD officer who finds himself a big target during one of the lowest points of the LAPD where Harrelson brings a very menacing performance as a man with very little care for the world where he is also his own worst enemy as well as be selfish to the point that he brings shame to his own family including his own daughters.
Rampart is a stellar yet flawed film from Oren Moverman. While it features a great cast led by Woody Harrelson along with Dick Hinchliffe’s score, it’s a film that had all of the tools to be an intriguing character study but it lacks a very cohesive narrative to keep things going. In the end, Rampart is a fine but underwhelming film from Oren Moverman.
Oren Moverman Films: The Messenger - (Time Out of Mind) - (The Dinner (2017 film))
© thevoid99 2016
Originally Written and Posted at Epinions.com on 9/17/06 w/ Additional Edits & Revisions.
Based on James Ellroy's novel that is based on the 1947 murder of Elizabeth Short, The Black Dahlia is the story of two detectives who investigate the murder of an aspiring actress as it would take a mental and emotional toll on the two men as well as their relationship for a young woman as a doppelganger seduces one of them. Directed by Brian de Palma and screenplay by Josh Friedman, the film is an exploration into a mysterious murder that occurred in the late 1940s as two men become lost in the mystery of who kill this woman. Starring Josh Hartnett, Aaron Eckhart, Scarlett Johansson, Mia Kirshner, Mike Starr, Patrick Fischler, John Kavanagh, Jemima Rooper, Fiona Shaw, Rachel Miner, Rose McGowan, and Hilary Swank. The Black Dahlia is a stylish but very underwhelming film from Brian de Palma.
After a charity fight to raise the salary of L.A. policeman, local street cop Bucky Bleichert (Josh Hartnett) and Lee Blanchard (Aaron Eckhart) become opponents for the fight publicized by Ellis Loew (Patrick Fischler) as the two later become partners in the Warrants division as Bleichert also befriends Blanchard's girlfriend Kay Lake (Scarlett Johansson). The two become successful in their work while Bleichart and Lake realize they're attracted to each other but keep their feelings intact out of respect for Blanchard. During a case to catch a child rapist where they encounter a shootout, the two find the body of a dead woman cut in half as she's revealed to be Elizabeth Short (Mia Kirshner). With news of the release of a criminal in Bobby DeWitt (Richard Brake) and the graphic nature of Short's death, Blanchard starts to unravel who wants to go after DeWitt but has to work on the Short case with Bleichert who learns a lot about Short and her aspirations to be an actress.
Bleichert's investigation leads him to clues that includes a journey into the underground lesbian bars where he meets a Short doppelganger in socialist Madeline Linscott (Hilary Swank) who later invites him to to a family dinner. Bleichert and Linscott would have an affair as he later retrieves a stag film that featured short and her friend Lorna Mertz (Jemima Rooper) which makes Blanchard more uneasy as he is later taken out of the case while an earlier case to lead to a falling out between him and Bleichert. Kay later reveals some information about Blanchard's state of mind and why he's become uneasy as things eventually get worse where Bleichert learns a deeper connection between Short and the Linscott family as he gets closer to close the case.
While the film has all of the elements of a stylish, 1940s film-noir and crime stories, it also has the style that Brian de Palma is known for when it comes to suspense considering his often ode to Alfred Hitchcock. Unfortunately, despite all of de Palma's efforts to create a fascinating, intriguing mystery. It loses its sense of direction right into the third act. While screenwriter Josh Friedman does create a faithful adaptation the Ellroy novel. What is lost is many of the psychological and character study aspect of Ellroy. Instead, the script loses some insight into the characters, the murder, and most of all, Bleichert's obsession with Short.
The changes from the book to script are unfortunate since it loses some of its suspense and the style of Ellroy's writing which weaves and entrances its audience. While the first two acts are faithful with some stuff along with major subplots and characters not making it into the film adaptation. The third act is crucial yet misses a lot on the psychological aspect of Ellroy's work where a lot of things is lost and the suspense in the book gets crammed up in too many moments. Notably the confrontation between the Linscott and Bleichert where too much goes on where in the book, Bleichert confronts the Sprague family on a series of suspenseful sequences.
The fault is really to Friedman and de Palma for wrapping things up a bit too fast while having some bizarre sequences, notably the DeWitt confrontation which in the book, is set in Tijuana, Mexico but in the film, it's in Los Angeles where it doesn't entirely work. It ends up overwhelming itself where a lot of the drama and action is forced and de Palma seems to have rushed things a bit too quickly. Still, de Palma does create some fascinating work that is reminiscent to his past films like a boxing fight scene between Bleichert and Blanchard. Some scenes are definitely borrowed from 1940s films with soft lenses on some scenes that adds style to the film. The only real falter in de Palma's directing is the ending. It feels totally false and not true to the character of Bleichert where his character in the end is forced to grow up and confront some inner demons. In the film, it wraps up to quickly with no resolve and comes out very lame. Overall, despite some strong moments in the film, de Palma loses sight of everything by the third and final act.
Cinematographer Vilmos Zsigmond does some wonderful work in the photography whether its some lovely, soft touches in some emotional sequences between Bleichert and Kay to some of the shading of windows that is true to the noir-style. Zsigmond's work also shines in many of the film's exterior's shot in Los Angeles while the interiors are very intimate with some great long shots from de Palma's directing as the veteran cinematographer does some fascinating work. Production designer Dante Ferretti and art directors Pier-Luigi Basile and Christopher Tandon adds a lot of flair and style to their extravagant presentation of 1940s Los Angeles including the worldly Linscott home and the lesbian bar scenes that all of the interiors were shot in Bulgaria. Costume designer Jenny Beaven also does some great work in the 1940s costume work from the suits and Fedoras that the men wear to the black clothing Kirshner and Swank wear along with the more loose, silvery, grey clothes of Johansson.
Editor Bill Pankow does some nice cutting into the film while adding some great, curtain-like cuts that owes to the old, 1940s film editing style that adds flair to the film while doing great work in not cutting on some great long shots de Palma did. Sound designer Paula Fairfield also does some great work in the sound including an earthquake scene that does add atmosphere along with the sounds of gunshots and things that adds an intensity to the film. Score composer Mark Isham plays to the world of 1940s style of jazz while the orchestral score works in conveying the emotions and intensity of the suspense. The soundtrack also includes an old Cole Porter jazz number performed by k.d. lang in a cameo appearance that is fun in one of the film's lesbian bar scenes.
The film's cast is wonderfully assembled that includes some small appearances from Rose McGowan, Kevin Dunn, Richard Brake, Troy Evans, Ian McNiece as the coroner, William Finley as the Linscott patriarch George Tilden, James Otis as Bucky's demented German father, and Scarface actor Pepe Serna in a cameo as Tomas dos Santos. Rachel Miner is good in the role of Martha Linscott but her character is underwritten since the book has more information on her. Miner isn't the only actress to suffer from the underwritten script as Jemima Rooper's Lorna Mertz is also underwritten since her character has more to hide despite a good performance from Rooper. Patrick Fischler is indeed, Ellis Loew as the publicity-driven D.A. who controls the investigation while trying to make a public thing for himself though the book had more of his plans. John Kavanagh is really good as the slimy, charming Emmett Linscott while noted character actor Mike Starr does some great work as the veteran good cop Russ Millard who unfortunately, is underused since Millard is a great character though Starr doe some great work.
In a performance that can be described as over-the-top, British actress Fiona Shaw gives a performance that goes way overboard as Ramona Linscott as she just goes all out to the point that it becomes unintentionally hilarious. Mia Kirshner delivers one of her best performances in the film's title role as she brings an innocence and sadness to Elizabeth Short as well as a troubling sexiness that is entrancing to watch. Hilary Swank continues to play interesting characters as she brings a lot of vamp in her role as the femme fatale Madeline Linscott. While the book portrayed Madeline as a more psychotic, seductive character, Swank does excellent work in playing sexy with a strange, Irish accent and a presence that is troubling. Though the performance is a bit over-the-top, it's nonetheless entertaining despite the fact it's underwritten. While Scarlett Johansson can transform herself into a true, 1940s starlet with her undeniable beauty. Her character however, suffers the most from the script since it's very underwritten in her connection with DeWitt as well as in her relationship with Bucky. Johansson still manages to be very good as the more guarded, traditional woman who loves the company of two men while often smoking a cigarette and being worrisome to everything around her.
Aaron Eckhart is really the film's best performance as the troubled Lee Blanchard. Eckhart has all of the sensitive tough guy qualities that Kay adores while his character ends up being more troubled with great reasons and a darker past beneath it. Eckhart is Lee Blanchard like the book though the script puts him in strange situations that isn't true to the character though Eckhart manages to do some fine work. Josh Hartnett isn't a great actor and never will be but he does manage to do some of his best work as Bucky Bleichert. While his narration and some of his performances, notably his scenes with the main actors are good. It's inconsistent since he often looks a bit wooden and sometimes, a bit smug including a confrontational scene between him and Johansson. It's not his best work, that goes to The Virgin Suicides, but Hartnett ends up being decent though the script fails to make his character into being far more complex and interesting.
While it has some moments that keeps it from being a disaster, The Black Dahlia is an over-stylized yet un-engaging film from Brian de Palma. While it has a good cast, great settings, look, and style, fans of the book will indeed be disappointed in what got cut and its psychological aspects of it. Fans of noir films will probably lean to the more successful and brilliant L.A. Confidential by Curtis Hanson that is also a novel by James Ellroy. In the end, while the film is entertaining and has style but lacks a lot of substance. In the end, The Black Dahlia is a very disappointing film-noir suspense film from Brian de Palma.
Brian de Palma Films: (Murder a la Mod) - (Greetings) - (The Wedding Party) - (Dionysus in ‘69) - (Hi, Mom!) - (Get to Know Your Rabbit) - Sisters - Phantom of the Paradise - Obsession - Carrie - The Fury - (Home Movies) - Dressed to Kill - Blow Out - Scarface (1983 film) - Body Double - (Wise Guys) - The Untouchables - Casualties of War - The Bonfire of the Vanities - Raising Cain - Carlito’s Way - Mission: Impossible - Snake Eyes - Mission to Mars - Femme Fatale - (Redacted) - Passion (2012 film) - (Domino (2018 film))
© thevoid99 2013
