Robert J. Maxwell It doesn't sound too promising -- Woody Harrelson as a veteran of the LAPD who once shot a date rapist and now, years later, seems to be scapegoated by the division because of an unfolding scandal. Somebody has to go and Internal Affairs is out to see that somebody does.It sounds like another LAPD shoot-'em-up with a bloodbath every ten minutes but it's not. No shots have been fired, and no explosions have occurred. There's not even a high speed pursuit by cars, planes, boats, trains, or bicycles.Instead Harrelson, in a very nicely textured performance, his head stylishly shaved bald, is presented as a tough and embittered cop whose social life is a fetid swamp of pathos. He appears to have two wives (or girl friends or sisters) or maybe three. Each makes an occasional appearance in his life but he screws up the bond one way or another.One of the ways is that he extorts over-the-counter leapers and sleepers from a pharmacist. Another way is that he seems to sip from a pint of booze as he drives around the city alone in his black-and-white. He makes absurd demands of people and when they don't play his game he becomes furious.All of the performances are good, particularly those whose relationship with Harrelson is ambivalent, and who find themselves trapped in an approach/avoidance conflict.But Harrelson, hung over, sweaty, falling down drunk, could probably carry the film by himself.He's given a great deal of help by the director Oren Moverman who lends the images a slightly arty effect, sometimes a little too arty. Woody drives in despair through the night and the camera gives us a nice close up of his ear, silhouetted by the headlights of the cars behind him. Oh, yes -- his left ear. But at other time he trusts the viewer enough to figure out what's happening off screen. The location shooting is fine too, capturing the shimmering heat of Los Angeles' streets, the sunshine and smog.There is no redemption at the end, either, and I kind of liked that. It's a good evocation of despair. The screenplay originated with James Ellroy, whose values you may or may not like. I don't. He's said in interviews that the police should be given free rein on the streets and not interfered with by the suits. His sympathies probably lay with this Dirty Harry character rather than with the division's attempt to clean itself up.

Wizard-8 I decided to take a chance on this movie after I found a brand new DVD of it for sale at my local dollar store. Did I like the movie? For the most part, yes. There are some very good things to be found here. The acting by everybody is top notch; these actors really sell their characters. Also, the direction is very interesting, because most scenes are directed in a way that the audience feels like they are a fly on the wall, hearing secrets and other bad things that the participants don't want anyone else to hear.The movie is not perfect, however. Some viewers might object to the very slow pace. I'm not asking for a rapid pace - that would be wrong for this kind of character and dialogue-driven film - but things could have been sped up slightly. Also, I'm pretty sure that many viewers will object to the ending - that is, if it can be called an ending, because it leaves the fate of the main character (and other characters) uncertain.Still, there is some really good stuff here. If you are in a patient mood, and can accept that you won't get a cut and dried ending, you'll probably find enough to interest you.

doug_park2001 Well-acted and well-filmed, "Rampart" is an interesting character study of a corrupt scumbag cop. Its strongest point is that Brown (Harrelson)is far from being a totally stereotypical scumbag cop. I really enjoyed hating him at the beginning, and never exactly came to like him, but this film truly shows how Brown means well, or at least thinks he does, and allows the audience to empathize and maybe even sympathize with him enough to keep "Rampart" from being totally forgettable.Otherwise, I concur with many of the other reviews here. Despite a compelling opening scene, the so-called plot of this film meanders and is very unfulfilling. It might have worked better if Brown had not been placed in semi-suspension from the police force so early in the film and we could see him in action a little more before all the politics and soap operas begin.

cmoyton What is it with contemporary film makers. To disguise a lack of coherent script they try to mask this with jumps cuts, fancy camera work and contrived ie unnatural colour palettes. Through in whatever todays hip music is for the score and hey presto you have Drive - well almost. Rampart in terms of shallowness the baby bother of Drive.Set at a time when the LAPD was embroiled in controversy Harrelsons cop is a one man public relations disaster the force could do without. Thus the film title is a misnomer as it has nothing to do at all with the Rampart division. His character is an ugly amalgamation of Keitels Bad Lieutenent and Geres Dennnis Peck. Good characters to plagiarise. But what is lacking is tension , excitement or any cutting edge evident in Internal Affairs or Bad Lieutenant. Rampart is snail paced, dreary and fails to hold the viewers attention. A real struggle to stay alert until the end only to be infuriated by yet another non ending.