This seemed like a pretty ambitious movie, with a good director but even better cast involved. It however is a movie that doesn't work out at all, which can all be blamed on its main premise and main character, played by Woody Harrelson.
It is being made apparent from the start on that Woody Harrelson is playing a dirty and just mean cop. And he is not just crooked, he shoots and kills people! There really are no redeeming qualities about him at all as a cop and there is absolutely no reason why you ever want to root for him.
And he's not just a bad cop but also a horrible cheating and abusive husband, a bad heavy smoking and drinking father, a racist and whatever more. In short, he is a terrible human being, in about every regard. And there is no real point in the movie where he ever redeems himself, which makes his character also a bit annoying and the movie more of the same, all of the time. I just don't see at all what the movie was trying to do and tell with its story and main character. You feel that the movie wants to take its story to certain places at times but it just never quite gets there.
It might had all worked if this was some sort of action-thriller, in which the cop Woody Harrelson turns rogue and takes on the street punks. But the movie is however presented as an heavy and very serious character drama, with as a big problem that you just don't ever feel or care for its main character at all, while the movie its intention obviously was that you were supposed to care for him. It's obvious this was crucial for the movie and the main reason why the movie doesn't work out at all.
The movie is being shot and told in a more sort of art-house and independent movie type of way. I wouldn't call it pretentious but let me just say that the movie looks like it thinks that it's being a far better movie than it in fact truly is. It's not annoying but it does distract from the movie at times.
This is really a big waste of a fine cast all. Woody Harrelson, even though his character is despicable, gives away one fine performance and shows he's still more than capable to play a lead role and carry a movie. Lets just hope he gets better offers thrown at him from now on.
But the supporting cast is equally impressive, at least when you read all of the names that are in this movie. A lot of great actors show up, mostly just in cameos though. There is no real reason for actors such as Ben Foster, Cynthia Nixon, Anne Heche, Ned Beatty, Robin Wright, Steve Buscemi and Sigourney Weaver to be in this movie. They play some throw-away characters and some of their roles are only a couple of seconds short.
And where is the ending? Seriously the movie just..ends. There is no conclusion. Not for its story and also definitely not for its main character. It raises all sorts of questions but mostly just one; why?
A big misfire in my opinion.
4/10
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