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In 2009, Oren Moverman made his directorial debut with The Messenger, a moving war-themed drama that some (myself included) felt was significantly more powerful than Kathryn Bigelow’s eventual Oscar winner, The Hurt Locker. Since then, fans of the film have been eagerly awaiting Moverman’s follow-up—but while his cop drama, Rampart, boasts a brilliant star, it lacks the depth and power of the director’s debut.
In Rampart, The Messenger’s Woody Harrelson stars as Dave Brown, a tough-as-nails LA cop who loves the power that comes with his badge. He isn’t above bending the rules—and he’s known to take things a bit too far—but at least he gets the job done.
After Dave is caught on film beating a man who crashed into his cruiser, he’s temporarily suspended from duty. Some even suggest that it might be time for him to retire—but, with more than his share of problems at home, he needs the job. And after another mission turns into yet another reprimand, he begins to suspect that he’s being used to take some heat off the department’s latest scandal.
While most cop movies strive to tell a thrilling story, filled with shoot-outs and high-speed chases, Rampart focuses, instead, on the character—his thoughts, his personality, his moral code, his life outside the force. And, in Dave Brown, Moverman has created a strange and fascinating character—an incurable ladies’ man who lives with his two ex-wives (who happen to be sisters) and their two understandably troubled daughters. On the job, he’s the kind of no-nonsense cop that both bad guys and rookies fear—for plenty of good reasons. He has his own set of rules and beliefs, and he’ll do anything to see that they’re followed—even if that means killing a known date rapist instead of allowing a flawed court system to set him free.
Fortunately, Woody Harrelson makes quite a character—and, on his own, he generally carries the film. His Dave is smug and almost entirely self-centered, believing that he’s above the law—yet, at the same time, he has a kind of strange charm that will keep audiences from checking out. He’s smart and well-spoken—and he’s just so good at being a jerk that he’s simply fun to watch.
The main problem with the film, then, is that nothing really happens. Since the focus is on the character, the promising plot gets lost in the background. Worst of all, in this character-driven drama, the main character doesn’t really go anywhere. Over the course of the film, he doesn’t really grow or change or even learn from his mistakes. Sure, he loses some of his swagger, but that’s about it. And, as his story gets increasingly darker and heavier, his unchecked anger becomes exhausting.
With a dynamic star in a complex starring role, Rampart could have had the same award-worthy depth and drama as The Messenger. Instead, it’s a brilliantly acted but otherwise unremarkable follow-up.
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