One Good Cop (1991) User Reviews

Crime pays?

[lost-in-limbo · 5/10 · 9 January 2010]

One thing here is that you'll either get swept up in this delightfully moving family / brutally searing cop drama or think it's manipulative tugging away with its unconvincingly trite plot developments. I would go with the former, but I can see why some might not be entirely taken away by it… especially with its sugar-coated ending.

After the tragic death of his detective partner in their quest to crack down on a new wave drug --- Ice. Artie Lewis and his wife end up looking after the decease's three daughters with the possible intention of adopting them. However they're stretching for money and to keep them they have to find a house than living in their small apartment. Hence the dangerous path Artie decides to take to gain the extra doe to keep everyone together.

The simple minded mixture of two genres is for most part well balanced and organised in not so a black or white fashion, as it bestows a seamy underbelly with the violence packing a punch (plenty of blood and bruises) and the emotional attachment and complexity weight of a couple trying to cope with the responsibility of looking after three children. Hard at first, but it brings them joy. Nevertheless what really lifted this from the standard material were the solid performances. Michael Keaton's likable easy going persona along with a touching Reno Russo was holding it together. Tony Plana held a vicious intensity to his drug-dealer gangster and Kevin Conway was commanding as Lewis' Ltd. Anthony LaPaglia as his former cop partner is affably good and Benjamin Bratt also shows up as one of his fellow officers. Writer / director Heywood Gould (who co-penned the much underrated revenge feature "Rolling Thunder") drills away in what you could say is sturdily workmanlike, building upon the pressures at home and work. Entertaining, if questionable.

Well I dunno about "good"

[Mr-Fusion · 5/10 · 21 June 2023]

Not at all what I was expecting. The title and movie poster suggest a straight NY police procedural -- or at least the one good cop out of the whole corrupt department.

Nope. The movie sees Michael Keaton lose his partner in the line of duty and try to raise the now-orphaned children. This is while he's also trying to take down a drug kingpin, but it's that Mr. Mom angle and split focus that's distracting.

The movie also engineers a reason for him to break bad, which feels forced, as well as the "but wait!" ending in the service of the family drama.

I dunno, maybe I was disappointed that Rachel Ticotin didn't have more to do. It's just that the cop stuff was so much more interesting. They certainly put some real effort into the melee right scenes, there's some nice grit there.

Keaton's fantastic as usual, and the supporting players are all strong, no complaints there. It's just scattered.

Well-intentioned, but not all that plausible.

[Hey_Sweden · 6/10 · 26 November 2018]

Michael Keaton is good, as usual, in the role of Artie Lewis, an NYPD detective who must endure one of the time-honoured cliches of the cop drama: the death of his partner (Anthony LaPaglia). However, LaPaglia was the single dad to three adorable daughters, and in his will he had given custody of the girls to Artie and his wife (Rene Russo). They do prove to be good parental figures (she'd been unable to bear her own children), but all of the problems facing them (inadequate housing for the new family, and a supposed dearth of funds) prompt Artie to do something crooked for once: rob a drug dealer (an effectively smooth and slimy Tony Plana).

The script by veteran screenwriter Heywood Gould ("Rolling Thunder", "Fort Apache, the Bronx") has its share of problems; not only is it predictable and manipulative, but it's scarcely believable. Too many story twists are hard to buy, especially that ridiculous ending. The film is still reasonably entertaining in a visceral way, and Gould maintains an effective forward momentum; Keaton and his excellent supporting cast are so compulsively watchable that they compensate for a fair bit. "One Good Cop" has some decent action, and violence, and makes good use of some NYC locations.

Keaton is compelling in the lead. While you may not always find his character credible, there's no doubt that the star will always be able to do some true heavy lifting, both comedically and dramatically. The rest of the cast plays like a who's who of Hollywood players: Russo, LaPaglia, Kevin Conway, Rachel Ticotin, Plana, Benjamin Bratt, Charlayne Woodard, Victor Rivers, Mike Hagerty, J.E. Freeman, Kevin Corrigan, Vondie Curtis-Hall, etc.

Highly recommended to Michael Keaton fans, even in light of the flaws.

Six out of 10.

A great movie about a good person trying to do good things in a bad world.

[Rome3 · 28 May 2004]

This is an excellent movie that surprised me at every turn. It felt like watching someones real life, with up and downs and real decisions. One Good Cop is an uplifting story about a good person with difficult decisions to make. After the death of his partner Keaton and his wife (Rene Russo) are given custody of his three girls. Keaton cannot afford three kids and foster care will split the kids up. The decision that Keaton makes is brutal but for people who are desperate sometimes something brutal is the only solution. I had never heard of this movie before but it has become one of my favorites. Michael Keaton gives a great performance the entire way through. This is a 4 for 4 star movie.

CHEER! - (7 stars out of 10)

[BJG-Reviews · 7/10 · 20 November 2019]

The stage curtains open ...

Before the event of the Quentin Tarantino film, "Jackie Brown", this 1991 movie was Michael Keaton's bid to enter the action arena which was so prevalent at the time. It is also a film with warmth and heart. Though it feels disjointed in places, this is an entertaining entry into Keaton's silver screen work.

When Artie Lewis's (Keaton) partner is killed while on duty, he leaves behind three young girls and not much else. While facing death almost daily, resisting the temptation to be on the take, Artie and his wife decide to fight for the girls and give them a home. This is the story of how one good cop endures the daily struggle of trying to bring justice out on the streets and still make ends meet on the home front. Finally, he is faced with a life changing decision ... one that may force him to do something he doesn't want to so that he can do what is ultimately right.

This is very typical of an early 90's action film with a little over-the-top violence, but nothing too heavy. Keaton does a decent job on the believable scale turning in a good performance. As I mentioned before, there are parts that seem out of place, but overall, this was an entertaining movie. The pacing is decent with some lulls, but I felt those were necessary to the story. I enjoyed Rene Russo in this one as the loyal, yet frustrated wife. And the three girls were perfect for their roles.

I would recommend this one, but not highly. Not necessarily one I would watch a lot, but one I might pull out some time down the road and probably enjoy just as much. I think this would have to be a sentimental favorite - a movie that would take someone back to a good time in their life or to this era of film making, or for a big fan of Michael Keaton. A solid 7 out of 10 stars.

1991 film starring Michael Keaton

[blanche-2 · 6/10 · 1 June 2013]

I've always liked Michael Keaton, and for some reason, he's not around as much as he once was, which is a shame.

"One Good Cop" from 1991 is the story of a cop, Artie Lewis (Keaton) who loses his partner Stevie of eight years (Anthony LaPaglia) during a shootout. He's devastated. Then he learns that in Stevie's will, he made Artie and his wife Rita (Rene Russo) the guardians of his three daughters. They move into Artie's small apartment. As guardian, he is responsible for the children's' well-being, but they can go into foster care and ultimately be adopted. Since Artie and Rita don't have a lot of money, this seems a good solution. But Rita was unable to have children, and now she wants to keep the girls. Artie makes a decision that could have disastrous results.

This movie was okay, with some good performances by the principals, as well as Kevin Conway, Rachel Ticotin, Benjamin Bratt, and Tony Plana.

This easily could have been made for television were it not for Keaton and Russo being attached to it. It's a decent rental.

One big emotional deception - and I'm not just talking about the plot; that goes for the audience, too.

[Howlin Wolf · 4/10 · 24 July 2006]

This could have been a good plot had the screenplay wanted to delve deeply into the terrain of conflicted morals; instead of taking it for granted that we accept that the events that happen are the result of a man following his only logical option. It's utterly manipulative and trite film-making, with everybody concerned thinking that they can just throw us some closeups of big doe eyes, and we'll suddenly forget that this is NOT action taken by those wanting to claim superior motivation.

If you're driven to pursue illegality, then chances are you're desperate, but do you have to be boneheaded about it, too? Why not try to get some of your colleagues onside in the scheme? In for a penny in for a pound, after all... That would of course eliminate your 'lone man in search of justice' angle, but at least it would make more sense, instead of feeling like a dupe, which unfortunately seems to be the practice of the whole tale.

"One Good Cop" is suffocatingly mawkish. Were it not for the violence and improperly used talent involved, it could easily pass for a dreary teledrama instead of a fully-fledged motion picture. It's trying to convince us that it has a singular approach; but the reality is that its type is nothing but bland and needlessly ubiquitous, which is a far more depressing snapshot of how life and the movie business works than any of the faux emotions tossed our way here.

The ridiculous plot twist ruined a potentially great story

[SimonJack · 6/10 · 17 September 2021]

"One Good Cop" had potential, especially from the dramatic side with Artie and Rita Lewis taking the three young daughters of his partner, Steve, after he is killed. But the stretch that Michael Keaton's Lewis would even try the heist that he does in the film - for any reason, is overboard ridiculous. I can accept the forgiveness for one bad judgment at the end by his boss and colleagues - especially when he didn't take most of the loot from the drug gang robbery he pulls - and then most of it is returned. He knew right from wrong, and wasn't about to get hooked on crime.

But that's also the point about the problem with that ridiculous twist in this film. If he was thinking he was doing this for his wife and the kids, what if he failed? What if he got killed or the deal failed and he gets disgraced or jailed? Where are his wife and the three girls then? And, as super a cop as he might have thought he was, how could be he so dumb as to think he could actually pull the job off and get away with it?

Well, of course, he does pull the job and make it away. But he's so bright as a cop to give the direct clues that everyone in the audience watching this film knew he was doing the minute he threw money out the window and wadded a C-note up and tossed it in the face of the drug leader, Beniamino? No, he wasn't thinking. No, it wasn't carefully planned. No, it wasn't likely to succeed at all. And, yes, it was just plain dumb.

It's too bad the screen writers couldn't have had Artie and Felix finally help bring down the drug gang, while finding a way to get the house for his new family. I thought the offer by the former policeman was fantastic. The scene when Artie tells the oldest girl that her dad had an accident is a real tearjerker. It had this one-time paratrooper weeping. With those three young girls, and Artie and Rita as a couple who would adopt them, there was a very good story and movie here. It's too bad they ruined it with the good cop gone bad twist.

All the wild and bizarre shootout and action toward the end didn't compensate for the bad taste that foul twist in the story created. It's nothing against the cast. Keaton was good, Rene Russo was very good, LaPaglia was good as Stevie Diroma, Kevin Conway was good as Lt. Danny Quin, and all the rest were fine. It was the plot twist that kept this film from being very good. My six stars are for the three girls and the good story and acting up until Artie's dopey raid on the dope gang.

I don't buy him stealing

[SnoopyStyle · 5/10 · 3 June 2015]

NYPD detective Artie Lewis (Michael Keaton) has a loving wife Rita (Rene Russo) and trusted partner in Stevie Diroma (Anthony LaPaglia). Stevie is a widow with three kids but he is killed during a domestic hostage situation. Artie is made legal guardian and tries to adopt them. Felix (Benjamin Bratt) is his new partner. Artie is looking to buy a house to satisfy Child Welfare Services but he needs a $25k down payment. He decides to rob drug lord Beniamino Rios (Tony Plana) but Beniamino's girlfriend Grace De Feliz (Rachel Ticotin) is actually an undercover narcotics cop.

There are a lot of little problems that kind of adds up. The cop stories seems a bit old. I do like the kids and Russo. If this is simply about them struggling to make it, I think it would be quite a good movie. The money problem has a lot of little questions. There should be a large payout for Stevie since he died on the job. If they had no money after the payout, then Stevie was really deep in the hole before. It's also questionable why a small apartment in NYC would keep them from adopting. It is New York City. He's a cop and they both work. Why wouldn't the bank lend them money? He's getting a great deal on the house anyways and the bank should easily lend him that much. It's really questionable that Artie would resort to stealing from Rios.

One Good Cop is One Boring Movie (spoilers)

[vertigo_14 · 2/10 · 6 July 2004]

'One Good Cop' is the story of a New York narcotics agent (Michael Keaton) who takes revenge on the city's most powerful drug dealer after his partner of eight years (Anthony LaPaglia) was shot and killed by some goon who was high on the dealer's supply. Unforunately, what may've been a remotely engaging idea turned out to be one hell of a boring cop drama.

On the one hand, you have this story of a ballsy cop who is willing to single-handedly take on this dangerous drug dealer and his top level goons. But this plot, which offers incentives for some intense action sequences or at least thriller appeal, is muddled by the other part of the plot which tries to compete for equal, if not more attention. That is, the when the agent's partner was killed, he and his wife (Rene Russo) suddenly find themselves to be the foster parents of that guy's three little girls. So, we have the family bonding sentimental moments, which tend to drag much longer than they should, and really get in the way of anything in the major story (the revenge on the drug dealer) getting accomplished. It takes about fifty minutes for the movie to even get remotely interesting, as they finally show you were the heck this dumb story is going and why the hell you should even watch it. Viewers starting the movie at this point, won't have missed much. Prior to that, there's nothing in the movie to really command your attention.

You'd think once a powerful drug dealer felt even the least bit threatened by one narcotic agent working alone (he didn't even seem to be a cop with heavy connections and influence), then he would immediately send out his goons after this guy and family. That would've made an intense story, but no. We have to sit through fifty minutes of one couple trying to bond with three little girls. Who cares?

Plenty of Action, but not just a Guy Film!

[VideoJoeD · 8/10 · 18 October 2006]

In my opinion, this film is one of the most underrated action films of the nineties. Although it received some fairly good reviews by the critics, it was not very well publicized considering the quality cast. I would rate it as one of my top 100 all-time action films. The majority of IMDb voters appear to disagree with that evaluation. I believe this is related to two major factors. The first factor being the lack of hype for the film, as demonstrated by the fact that there were less than 1,000 IMDb votes cast for this film as compared with two other action films released the same year. Backdraft and Point Break each had in excess of 16,000 IMDb votes cast and received significantly higher evaluations. I believe that both of these films are excellent action movies, but I also believe that this film is every bit as exciting as those films and contains some intriguing elements that the others do not posses. The second factor is that many younger male viewers are turned on by non-stop action films with multiple shoot outs or demolition derby type car chase scenes. This film has a few action packed scenes but also takes the time to present a tender family oriented story. The IMDb voting demographics indicate the lowest rating for this film was provided by male voters in the 18 to 29 age group which appears to validate this theory.

The film tells an emotional police story and explores the personal life of a police detective who struggles to provide a family life for the young daughters of his slain ex-partner. Although primarily an action movie, the film has several heart warming moments as it explores why individuals sometimes do the wrong things when motivated by the right reasons. Michael Keaton as the detective, Renee Ruso as his wife and Anthony LaPaglia as his partner all give strong performances which draw viewers into the emotional drama. Rachel Ticotin's character development is also key to the presentation.

In my opinion an IMDb rating of between 5 and 9 would be justified for this intense police drama. I personally gave it an 8 out of 10 and would recommend it for male viewers looking for a rental to view with their wife or date. This date night type film, contains elements which should entertain both genders.

Keaton Captures

[caroledelm · 31 January 2004]

As usual, Michael Keaton delivers an excellent performance. Whether the scene calls for humor, pathos or action, he's your man every time. I watch his face and body language closely in every one of his films, and he is always up to the demands of every role. He is as good an actor as any of the most celebrated stars, past or present, but is underappreciated. Also note his loyalty (or that of others to him), in employing the same people for assistance in many or most films. This is a guy who will bring you to tears with laughter or sadness, just in the way he portrays the character. His scene in his superior's office when he thought his career (and life as he'd known it) were over, was excellent - subtle, but he brought out how a person in the position would feel. Yes, this is a light movie, but heavy on quality, because of Michael Keaton. I'll continue to watch, enjoy and be amazed at his work, time after time.

Good mix of action, drama and family. It asks, what would you do in their shoes?

[frankcamp266 · 10/10 · 23 January 2016]

I saw this first in the theater and a dozen times since. It's ONE OF BEST MOVIES I'VE EVER SEE. It should have won the Oscar for BEST PICTURE. It should have at least been Nominated because it is far more interesting than AWAKENINGS and it rivaled GHOST for the most sentimental offering but without the mushy fantasy. Michael Keaton and Rene Russo are at their best as Artie and Rita Lewis. Artie is a NYC cop whose long-time partner Stevie, played by Anthony Lapaglia, is killed in action. Since their mother had already passed away some time ago, Stevie had been raising his three little girls on his own. Artie and Rita had never been able to have children of their own and the girls have already bonded to their father's closest friends, "Uncle" Artie and "Aunt" Rita. Emotionally, it seems like a match made in heaven, but in the real world things are never that easy. SOCIAL SERVICES steps in does what government does best, screw everything up. Despite Stevie being like a brother to his partner, Artie and Rita are not relatives and their apartment is far too small and deemed "unsuitable" both of which prohibit any chance of gaining custody of the girls. Therefore, the three girls, who are precious even though the oldest one is sassy, cynical and overprotective of her two little sisters (I'm just guessing their ages 10, 8, and 4) will go into foster care and be split up. So Keaton comes up with a desperate plan to keep the girls and take down some bad guys at the same time. This puts Artie in the cross-hairs of both the bad guys and the cops. He risks his freedom and his life to make a better life for those little girls. Does he go too far? Is doing something illegal, even for a good cause, ever OK? Decide for yourself. To ME, Artie Lewis is ONE GOOD COP.

Keaton good cop good bat

[chevelle_ss420 · 10/10 · 10 June 2007]

Micheal Keaton is one of my favorite actors for a few reasons, Batman, Batman Returns, one good cop , & johnny dangerously kinda gives u the impression that hes cool, calm & collective, but under the surface hes a razor sharp bad-ass. Keaton delivers a heart warming story about a good cop who is faced with putting food on the table for his family and has had enough with bad guys shooting at cops. Keaton does whats right to obtain justice , i mean hey we gave cops a badge to do the right things above the rest of us didn't we? so why waste another tax dollar on your ordinary fat cat cop eating donuts doing Dilly squat, next time just hire........ " one good cop"

Amazing Film... Keaton is outstanding!

[namashi_1 · 8/10 · 1 October 2009]

'One Good Cop' is an amazing film in all respects. Written & Directed by Heywood Gould, 'One Good Cop' opens beautifully & ends the same.

A underrated film, it deserved to be 1991's Top Grossing film. Apart from being an amazing film, one gets to see our-now-legend Michael Keaton in an outstanding performance. It's sad to know that people watch a film like 'Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen' more than watching an honest attempt like this which released way back, and didn't get it's due.

The drama, the action, the emotional quotient... everything has been balanced beautifully. A complete film!

'One Good Cop' is not to be missed. An outstanding film! Two Thumbs Up!

Excellent movie.

[wkozak221 · 10/10 · 29 March 2022]

I have always liked Michael Keaton. The cast and story are top notch. It moves along well. My favorite thing is you have Rachel Ticotin. A very talented and attractive actress.

anyone who did not like this movie or gave it a bad review slap yourself repeatedly until the end of your life & when you get tired or have to sleep have someone else slap you

[sosaykaiser24 · 8/10 · 3 July 2011]

MICHAEL KEATON is a great actor hes one of them actors you forget you are watching a movie & think its real life video footage. kinda like NICK NOLTE - GARY OLDMAN - PETER STORMARE but anyways KEATON plays a COP who when his partner is killed in the line of duty who had 3 kids he doesn't want them to be in an orphanage but his house is too small by SOCIAL SERVICES standards to house 3 kids so he robs a drug kingpin who indirectly had something to do with his partners murder so he can buy a bigger house so he can adopt his partners 3 kids & he gives the rest of the money to the orphanage he didn't want his partners 3 kids to go to in order to help the other kids their. they say even criminals have right & a COP is supposed to go by the book but sometimes you gotta just say what the F#@k & do what you gotta do

Total Cop-Out.

[tfrizzell · 27 July 2002]

Michael Keaton and wife Rene Russo want to adopt Anthony LaPaglia's three young daughters after he is killed on duty with partner Keaton by his side in this dull, slow-moving and uninteresting little film. The typical problems arise as the couple need money to move to a larger place before they can legally claim guardianship of the girls. Could this mean that Keaton will get involved in crooked dealings to get the cash they so desperately need? Predictable and amazingly cheap-looking film that just never does generate any drama or real intrigue. 2 stars out of 5.

One Good Cop

[kjeffers-50542 · 10/10 · 6 May 2022]

I came across this movie today. Bought it for 5 bucks, I was born the year after it came out. Extremely underrated, Micheal Keaton gives a hell of a performance, the story is good and emotional, action is engaging, and it's something I think we as humans can relate to on a emotional level. Highly recommend.