My Grading System

A+ = Masterpiece (I hold back on this one.) / A = Great. / A- = Really Good. / B+ = Good. / B = Decent (Serviceable). / B- = Flawed but okay (For those times there's something redeeming about the work). / C+ = Not very good (Skip it). C = Bad. / C- = Awful. / F = Complete Disaster (I hold back on this one too).

Note on Spoilers: I will try to avoid ruining a story by going into too much detail. But if I wish to include some revealing points to my analysis I will try to remember to add a separate spoiler paragraph.

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Rampart (2011)

Woody Harrelson gives a remarkable performance as a corrupt LA police officer in a film undeserving of his talents.  By looking at the cast of this film (Anne Heche, Cynthia Nixon, Robin Wright, Steve Buscemi, Ned Betty and Sigourney Weaver) you'd think this would be the greatest police drama ever made.  But not even famous LA noir novelist James Ellroy involved can saved this disaster.  Oren Moverman's last film with Woody and Ben Foster was the brilliant military drama The Messenger, so I know he's a skilled film maker, and this one does have some great scenes and many visual high points, but the story goes all over the place with too many characters.  If more focused this could have been a new and improved Bad Lieutenant but instead it's an example of great acting alone can't save a movie.  Grade: C+   
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