Brown's Requiem

It is definitely Michael Rooker who carries this film with his likable working-man persona.He really manages to show the heart and humanity under his character's rough exterior and when he needs to be menacing he delivers the goods;the scene where he takes a pair of brass knuckles to a creep in order to beat some information out of him is worth the price of admission alone. He is well-served by a snappy script that captures the gritty funk of Ellroy's writing. Capable direction by Jason Freeland keeps things moving nicely. There are excellent character turns by Will Sasso, Brad Dourif,and Barry Newman. And Harold Gould takes a bow as a slimy mobster.I am surprised this isn't more celebrated. Good show, all around.

I watched this film on DVD and it was just a chance to catch Michael Rooker in the lead role of Fritz Brown, an ex-cop, repo man, and part time detective. Michael plays him with streetwise honesty and toughness but makes it believable and yet shows the weaknesses, and vulnerabilities and flaws of the character. I really enjoyed watching him play these kinds of characters and it's a nice change from seeing him not play a villain or a psychopath. This is an excellent film noir and the best I've ever seen James Freeland has done a brilliant job with this film. The beautiful music score in the opening and closing for the film just fits together with the sad tone of the character. Michael Rooker is one of my favourite actors and I think he did an amazing job in this role he is one of the most underrated actors in Hollywood I hope to see him in more future films.

Michael Rooker is an antihero private investigator, who gets involved with a nasty case revolving around incest and murder. Rooker is excellent as the boozing detective. Selma Blair is more in the background, while Brion James and Brad Dourif have small roles. Although the story is pretty straightforward, there are a couple of minor surprises. The bad guys seem to underestimate Rooker, and that often works to his advantage. The final showdown with Brion James is both exciting and satisfying. Character development is good, the pace is acceptable, and overall, "Brown's Requium" is entertaining, although at times the film is a bit confusing ....... - MERK

Well handled if not particularly memorable neo noir tale, based on the novel by James Ellroy, who'd hit the big time the previous year with the movie adaptation of his story "L.A. Confidential". Written for the screen by its director, Jason Freeland, it guides us through an appropriately twist laden plot, with some commendably dark if also admittedly uncomfortable elements such as incest among its revelations, and its setting is typical noir stuff - the seedy under belly of a city (Los Angeles) that one may not automatically associate with such a place. Michael Rooker is solid and extremely well cast as a flawed but not unlikable protagonist, part time repo man and part time private eye Fritz Brown. Fritz is approached with an assignment by young, corpulent caddie "Fat Dog" Baker ('MADtv''s Will Sasso, delivering an impressive dramatic performance) to watch the man's kid sister Jane (Selma Blair, in fine sultry form). Naturally, Fritz will learn that he's not being told everything, and will uncover, among other things, a link to a former nemesis, an Internal Affairs detective named Cathcart (the late, great screen villain Brion James). "Brown's Requiem" features a wonderfully effective, mournful, sometimes jazzy score by Cynthia Millar, and maintains a true noir feel, with nice widescreen cinematography by Seo Mutarevic. The story is ultimately tinged with tragedy; Fritz's problem with drink will continue to dog him after this story ends, and he won't even be able to truly enjoy an unexpected development that occurs late in the game. What's really cool is seeing this very interesting collection of character actors, familiar faces, and notable veterans that populates the landscape. First off, it's a treat to see Rooker, Brad Dourif, and Tobin Bell all in the same movie, 10 years after "Mississippi Burning". Bell in particular is a hoot in a role that's nothing like the kind of bad guy roles he's often played. Also appearing are Kevin Corrigan, Harold Gould, Barry Newman, William Newman, Jack Wallace, Lee Weaver, Kevin Jackson, Jack Conley, Jennifer Coolidge, and Valerie Perrine. They make this worth sticking with since the pacing is of the deliberate type that may not suit the tastes of some viewers. Overall, the movie is nothing great, but good enough and fun enough to watch. Worth a look for genre fans. Seven out of 10.

I am amazed that, given the reviews of the film (all apart from two rate the film highly), how this film managed to score so poorly. Indeed, I think it's a huge shame that it didn't get a better cinema release in this country. I only saw it on video.

I thought it was excellent thriller in the noir tradition. There are three standout elements. First, the plot and feel of the film. These are faithful to James Ellroy's book, more so than in the case of LA Confidential. I was amazed how much of the detailed plot was included (and believe me Ellroy plots are detailed!) Secondly, Cynthia Millar's haunting piano score was probably largely responsible for my second viewing of the film. Thirdly, Michael Rooker's performance. I had only ever remembered him as the villain in Sea of Love, a part he played well but not outstandingly. Here, though, his hangdog expression served him excellently. He is a modern Robert Mitchum, born to play noir leads. Actually he's better, Mitchum was too smooth.

Highly recommended. Go see it and give it more deserving marks on the board than it has at the moment. I haven't mentioned Jason Freedland's contribution, but I hope to see more from this talented director, given his superb first attempt.