Ahhh, the film that made Woody Harrelson the most hated man on Reddit (if you don't know what I'm talking about, you have some reading to do my friend -- www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/p9a1v/im_woody_harrelson_ama/). He was slaughtered, teased, provoked and assaulted (all verbally of course) and now he's out to take revenge in 'Rampart.' An engaging tale about a contemptible, rebellious cop whose life takes a continuous downward spiral as he struggles to keep his position on the police force.

David Brown (Woody Harrelson) is articulate, intelligent, sharp, a womanizer, sick, ruthless, racist, misogynistic, brutal and most importantly, heartless. David Brown is many things, but the skill that often triumphs over his other attributes is his ability to hide. Hide his negative personality…

Oren Moverman is obviously someone to watch. I've now bought both of his feature length movies and been impressed by both. "Rampart", his second film to feature both Woody Harrelson and Ben Foster is a controversial look at a LAPD police officer whose about as dirty and corrupt as they come.
Woody Harrelson in the last few years has gone through a bit of a renaissance with some impressive turns in everything from bit parts to headline star. Little roles in the likes of "No Country For Old Men" have elevated his persona as a guy you can rely on. Moverman has obviously got a lot of faith in what Harrelson brings to his roles and with a script here…

Woody Harrelson stars an old-school and corrupt LA police officer who is marginalised and isolated by both his superiors and complicated personal life. In the past ten years we have seen a number of films exploring dirty and misanthropic officers trying to work the system to their own advantage. What separates Rampart is that, whilst he is just as bad and brutal as his cinematic cousins (perhaps even more so), he is fully aware that he is constantly sinking.

Harrelson delivers his best performance in years. He is a chain smoking, articulate and volatile figure that is on the brink of blowing at any moment. He consumes the film because he is the film. He is in every scene to…

After feeling like respecting police officers, post-“End of Watch,” in “Rampart,” the tables turn to a familiar foe, the corrupt cop. As mentioned in my piece about “End of Watch,” a large portion of the population has a distaste for policing, and corruption is a big reason. There’s fear that because one enforces the law, it makes them feel they’re above it. It’s a certainly a psychological game and it’s been documented many times in film. In some, the corrupt cop is the figurehead (“Bad Lieutenant”), in others, it’s the cop fighting against the corruption (“Serpico”) and others are two-handers, covering both sides of the coin (“Training Day”). It’s hard to escape the notion that police are on the take…

This is a very bleak, gritty movie, featuring lots of very strong language, so if your not keen on that then isn't for you. It also features some sex scenes and sex references, so bare that in mind too. Dave comes across as a typical (if there is such a thing) renegade cop, someone who doesn't care at all about 'playing it by the book' and has his own agenda. Being a classic rebel character I suppose, he's seen smoking in almost every scene, which I thought supposedly led to an automatic 18 rating for films but perhaps that was just an urban myth?.

This movie is another one which is very much dialogue based, with some clever lines, such…

I remember that when this film came out it caught my eye. It never played near me and I forgot about it. It popped back up while browsing for something to watch. The many of the reviews on IMDB and online I expected this film to be absolutely horrible. I’m glad I decided to give it a shot.

Woody Harrelson gives a powerful performance as a man sliding into a breakdown. A man who until recently was given virtual Carte Blanche by the LAPD to interpret the law however he feels and shoot first. 

Dramatic weight begins to fall into his shoulders, as his family instability, his drug use, an internal affairs investigation and financial problems all seem to come…