Review by Stuart Barr
Stars Woody Harrelson, Anne Heche, Cynthia Nixon, Brie Larson, Robin Wright, Sigourney Weaver, Ned Beatty, Ben Foster, Ice Cube, Steve Buscemi, Jon Bernthal, Robert Wisdom
Written by Oren Moverman & James Ellroy
Certification UK 15 | US R
Runtime 108 minutes
Directed by Oren Moverman
Rampart is a character study of a uniformed LAPD cop Dave Brown (Harrelson). Set in the nineties the film's events take place in the shadow of the Rodney King beatings, and the subsequent lawsuit against the force. As a character Brown epitomises old values that modernisers in the force are trying to abolish, he is a maverick with racist tendencies, a womaniser with a variety of chemical habits, and a miasma of corruption follows him. Brown's nickname among the cops of Rampart Station is "date rape Dave", this goes back to an incident in which Brown killed or executed a suspected serial rapist.
Director Moverman collaborated on the screenplay with crime writer James Ellroy and initially Brown appears to be a classic Ellroy hard-nut hero. Like L.A. Confidential’s Bud White he is violent, corrupt, but has a barely concealed sentimental streak about violence towards women, and some of the street people he uses as criminal informants. Brown’s domestic situation is unconventional, he is living with two sisters (played by Anne Heche and Sex and the City’s Cynthia Nixon), and has been married and had children with both. As his homelife sours, he embarks upon a dysfunctional relationship with a lawyer played by Robin Wright. Brown’s personal and professional worlds start to unravel after he comes under internal investigation due to several violent incidents when on duty. Unlike other Ellroy narratives, there is no redeeming mystery running alongside the lead characters’ meltdown.
This is familiar material, covered pretty extensively by a variety of filmmakers in the past. Apart from the obvious touchstone of both the Abel Ferrara and Werner Herzog Bad Lieutenant films, it reminded me of Bernard Rose's underrated Ivansxtc, in which Danny Houston played a Hollywood agent on a drink, drugs and sex bender. The chief interest in the film is a great central performance from an emaciated looking Harrelson, and a quite amazing supporting cast. There is a scene stealing performance from Ben Foster (also a producer) as a disabled drunk. The script does feature some great hardboiled dialogue that is unmistakably in Ellroy’s voice, but it sorely lacks the narrative drive of his novels. The film is well directed, with often stylish visuals, but these mean streets are well travelled.