RAMPART

RAMPART

Director:  Oren Moverman

Writers: James Ellroy and Oren Moverman

Starring: woody Harrelson, Sigourney Weaver, Ned Beatty, Ice Cube, Robin Wright, Cynthia Nixon, Anne Heche.

Set in 1999 in the Rampart division of the Los Angeles police department, Rampart centres around veteran police officer David Brown who is caught on camera brutally beating a suspect. This act of brutality sets in motion the professional and emotional downward spiral of David Brown and in light of the current department corruption scandals combined with his past sins, his struggle to pull himself from swamp of his own creation seems immense even his nickname has the stench of corruption DATE RAPE DAVE.

Brown attempts to conceal his work life from his family life soon start to unravel. Which in its self is a usual living arrangement between himself and his two ex-wife’s’ who happen to be sisters (Ann Hech and Cynthia Nixon) and his two daughters. Internalizing his growing paranoia, anguish and fear of the on coming tidal wave of excrement about hit the fan he turns to aging mentor Hartshorne (Ned Beatty) who regularly dispensing him bad advice while relieving him of his cash which he is hemorrhaging at rapid rate, in his search for escapism he turns to drugs, alcohol and random sexual encounters, and its on one of his many cruising expedition he meets Linda Fentress (Robin Wright) the lawyer sent to entrap him, Joan Confrey (Sigourney Weaver) sits and waits holding the rope as his life starts to spin out of control and the rope starts to tightens Browns grip starts to loosen. Woody Harrelson portal of David Brown an aggressive chauvinist misanthrope exhibiting sexist, homophobic and racist tendencies somewhat clashes with his attraction to black women and his sometime hedonistic outings’ and the emotional support he gains from his gay daughter. Brown is an un-sympathetic and brutal character on the surface but thanks to Ellroy’s writing he leaves an open window into the complexity of Browns so even though you hate what he represents you may find yourself sympathising with his predicament.

I can’t leave this review without mentioning the cinematography of Bobby Bukoski the tight claustrophobic camera angles the intense use of colour. A prime example was his drug fuelled bender the vivid colour saturation the intoxicating lighting and ripping sound design layered with the visual intensity of the club scene managed to translate his emotional state of mind to the audience and that is what any great cinematographer should be able to do, not forgetting the amazing editing skills Jay Rabinowitz.

RATE: TWO THUMBS AND A FINGER

 

                                

SCREENINGS AT CORNERHOUSE AND AMC




WOODY'S TOP FIVE


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2. NATURAL BORN KILLERS - MICKEY KNOX
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3. WELCOME TO SARAJEVO - FLYNN
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4. THIN REDLINE - SGT KECK
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5. THE PEOPLE VS LARRY FLINT - LARRY FLINT
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