Don't like cop movies? - Watch this anyway!

Rating: 10/10 (28 July 2000)

I am a hardened hater of cop movies, especially 50's cop movies. So, having been forced onto the sofa to watch this supposed "gem" of a movie by an ardent Russell Crowe fan, I settled down reluctantly to what I thought would be over two hours of stereotypical pap.
Was I ever wrong! Forget the old stereotypes - good cop/bad cop, buddy cop movies and the rest. This takes all of those and twists them out of all recognition. Every character has his or her lovable side but you end up resenting the fact that you like them because of various other angles of their personalities.
The ensemble cast is superb! Kevin Spacey is on form as ever, Russell Crowe deservedly broke into Hollywood with this role and, hopefully, so will the excellent and much underrated Guy Pearce. And as for Kim Basinger, well, having thought of her acting as a somewhere between mildly amusing and downright irritating for some years I have had to re-evaluate and now think she's totally amazing. Talk about versatility! Even the ever type-cast Danny DeVito is splendid as the narrator and two-bit hack who coins the title to the movie.
The friend who made me watch the movie is now living in delighted smugness in the fact that I have to admit that this has to be my favourite film of all time and also that I have watched it at least a dozen times.
Just two words can now set the hairs on the back of my neck on end (you'll understand if you watch it) - "Rolo Tamasi"!