Andy Garcia is an LAPD Internal Affairs operative investigating crooked cop Richard Gere, who may be an officer but is certainly no gentleman in this violent neo-noir thriller. Gere isn't merely rotten; he's corrupt to the core, and his dangerous charisma is reflected in the seductive visual style of director Mike Figgis, up to a point at any rate. The script goes totally haywire after Garcia's investigation becomes, predictably, a one-on-one duel outside the law, with a resolution better suited to a Chuck Bronson Deathwish scenario. Screenwriter Harry Bean obviously knows his police procedure, but is a little less confident with domestic melodrama, and his motivation for Gere's dirty dealings is anti-climactic, to say the least. It all adds up to a moody but messy and inconclusive bloodbath, with another strictly cosmetic role for its star, who perhaps should invite his agent along on his next soul-searching expedition into the Himalayas.
Review of Internal Affairs
