One of the best cop movies ever.

Rating: 9/10 (2 August 2004)

I'm a little surprised about the number of negative reactions to this movie. I was expecting a heavy-hitting, emotional, character-based drama, and was pleasantly-surprised to find it to be more than that: it's probably the best cop movie I've seen since "L.A. Confidential". I was more than able to put up with the little plot holes that so many comments have been quick to point out, until the very end. After a long afternoon of drinking with the Savage boys, and drinking alone all night on the street, Jimmy (Sean Penn), seemed quite sober after confessing to his wife, then making-out with her on the bed. I think the last thing any human would consider doing after what he had just gone through was making love. I also wondered why we never saw the face of Sean's(Kevin Bacon) wife until she finally spoke at the end. I thought it would turn out to be Beth, because I wasn't sure if Sean and Beth (as Jimmy's wife) ever had a scene together. It was a little odd that she was a part of the movie at all. I most certainly agree with most of the comments that this was an all-around great cast, and that Tim Robbins was as much deserving of Oscar honors as was Sean Penn.