This will be an open and shut case he said. Detective Mike Brennan (Nick Nolte) is a good cop he said. Well why in the world am I trudging through waist deep muck to get to this "good cop?"
Al Reilly (Timothy Hutton) was on his very first case as an Assistant DA in New York and his first case was anything but open and shut. He was to do a quick Q & A of the accused and the witnesses, present it to the grand jury, the grand jury would dismiss it, and everyone would go on living their lives. The Q & A with Brennan was very quick and easy. He had all the answers, and as he told it he should've been awarded a medal of honor. The truth of the matter was far different. He was dirty and he was a killer.
I'm not spoiling anything by informing you that Brennan was dirty, he shot a guy in cold blood the very first scene. Reilly, at the behest of the chief of homicide Kevin Quinn (Patrick O'Neal), was tasked with doing an investigation of the shooting. The movie was in whether or not Reilly would find out the truth, and if he did find out the truth what he would do with it.
The primary colors of this painting were those of a rogue cop thinking he was above the law. The secondary colors and highlights were about racism and bigotry within the police department and without the police department. New York may be a multicultural place, but that's not to say they all live harmoniously together. There are overt acts of racism and the subtle acts, such as a glance or a look. Sidney Lumet attempts to capture all of that in this film based upon the book "Q & A" by Edwin Torres. It is a jarring movie rife with cruel insults and characterizations all carefully placed to illustrate a point. It's a challenging, interesting, and controversial work Lumet chose to put on film, but he was never one to shy away from challenges.
Al Reilly (Timothy Hutton) was on his very first case as an Assistant DA in New York and his first case was anything but open and shut. He was to do a quick Q & A of the accused and the witnesses, present it to the grand jury, the grand jury would dismiss it, and everyone would go on living their lives. The Q & A with Brennan was very quick and easy. He had all the answers, and as he told it he should've been awarded a medal of honor. The truth of the matter was far different. He was dirty and he was a killer.
I'm not spoiling anything by informing you that Brennan was dirty, he shot a guy in cold blood the very first scene. Reilly, at the behest of the chief of homicide Kevin Quinn (Patrick O'Neal), was tasked with doing an investigation of the shooting. The movie was in whether or not Reilly would find out the truth, and if he did find out the truth what he would do with it.
The primary colors of this painting were those of a rogue cop thinking he was above the law. The secondary colors and highlights were about racism and bigotry within the police department and without the police department. New York may be a multicultural place, but that's not to say they all live harmoniously together. There are overt acts of racism and the subtle acts, such as a glance or a look. Sidney Lumet attempts to capture all of that in this film based upon the book "Q & A" by Edwin Torres. It is a jarring movie rife with cruel insults and characterizations all carefully placed to illustrate a point. It's a challenging, interesting, and controversial work Lumet chose to put on film, but he was never one to shy away from challenges.