Bad cops Bad cops! What you gonna do??

Rating: 10/10 (25 December 2007)

Good cop? Bad cop? Initially; the only good man of the law is Lt. Ed Auxley (Guy Pierce); but we are treated to an assorted cast of characters from the violent anti-woman beater Bud White (Crowe), superstar turned demoted officer Jack Vencence (Spacey) and there's always the senior and commanding James Cromwell who initially acts as a father figure to Guy Pierce. Every element has its exposition and its payoffs; and even good Lt. Auxley is unable to resist temptation in one scene.
The movie is shot exquisitely c/o Dante Spinotti but minimalistically and without over-the-top visuals that you find in Depalma; all the players in the ensemble never fail including the seductive performance that earned Kim Basinger her Oscar; which surprisingly is devoid of overwrought and unnecessary hysterics that appeal to many nerds of "heavy drama." In the end there is a team-up with whom you will discover to be the 2 main characters of this drama; one of which indeed makes a choice that James Cromwell quizzes him about early on. That; and the resolution of the story has its irony and is slightly comical when there are certain things that indeed have to be kept... confidential.
P.S. The score has Jerry Goldsmith written all over it; what movie scored by the man doesn't? But amazingly it works. Bravo to Curtis Hanson and crew!