Great for what's there; too bad about what's missing

Rating: 7/10 (15 April 2008)

The most outstanding element of this film isn't the story or the acting -- it is the production values. It is almost as if Ridley Scott has reconstructed NYC of the 1970s or traveled back in time. The story is interesting, and it follows history pretty accurately -- at least more accurately than many "based on a true story" movies. But, as many other users have noted, the movie doesn't take full advantage of the dual story threads -- the relationship between the gangster and the cop should have received more time at the end, and there are many minutes of film in the first half that could have been cut to make that possible.