I loved this movie when I first saw it in 1997 in the theaters, and I have recently bought the DVD. I still love this movie. This is definitely one of the most underrated movies of the 1990's. Stallone puts in a really understated and sympathetic yet still powerful performance as an out-of-shape, half-deaf sheriff of a sleepy New Jersey town populated almost entirely of corrupt NYPD cops. The cast is magnificent, with such powerhouses as Harvey Keitel, Robert DeNiro and Ray Liotta. Liotta, especially, is superb as a coked-out, morally ambiguous former right-hand man to Keitel who is trying to get out of this circle of corruption.
I realize that many people have found the shoot-out ending to be a tad distasteful, but I argue that it actually fits the movie quite well. Stallone's Heflin character is by no means a Sherlock Holmes. He is a simple man with a heart of gold caught in a very tough situation. He doesn't have the brains nor the resources to solve his problem with a brilliant plan -- but he's got balls, and most importantly he's got heart. His solution is direct, and unfortunately, dangerous. The fact that he is going to butt heads directly with the corrupt cops in his town is inevitable. Much like Billy Bob Thornton's character in the movie Sling Blade, we are expecting it. We are hoping for it.
Absolutely powerful and thrilling. I heartily recommend it to everyone who also enjoyed movies like Goodfellas, and Serpico, if just to catch the top-knotch performances by Stallone, DeNiro and Liotta.
I realize that many people have found the shoot-out ending to be a tad distasteful, but I argue that it actually fits the movie quite well. Stallone's Heflin character is by no means a Sherlock Holmes. He is a simple man with a heart of gold caught in a very tough situation. He doesn't have the brains nor the resources to solve his problem with a brilliant plan -- but he's got balls, and most importantly he's got heart. His solution is direct, and unfortunately, dangerous. The fact that he is going to butt heads directly with the corrupt cops in his town is inevitable. Much like Billy Bob Thornton's character in the movie Sling Blade, we are expecting it. We are hoping for it.
Absolutely powerful and thrilling. I heartily recommend it to everyone who also enjoyed movies like Goodfellas, and Serpico, if just to catch the top-knotch performances by Stallone, DeNiro and Liotta.