Then don't be a detective

Rating: 10/10 (2 May 2003)

Spoilers in:
From the word go, there is always something going on. Fights, murders, the action never stops with a big shootout finish. Good screenplay and direction, making sure no scene is dull. Where the film really shines is in its acting. Spacey deserved his best supporting actor win but Kim Basinger's performance, though great, didn't seem enough for her oscar win. Crowe, Cromwell, DeVito, and Pearce give good performances as well. Its interesting watching the character development unfold in all of them. Spacey as a corrupt cop who gets shot trying to be honest on a case, Crowe, who planted evidence and assaulted suspects, softens up after getting shot and abusing his girlfriend. The biggest transformation was Pearce. Asked early on by his chief, he said he could not plant evidence or shoot suspects that could go free. By the end, he pulls a shotgun on the guilty. It is one of those rare films where everything works.