Internal Affairs
2/4
Starring: Andy Garcia, Richard Gere, Laurie Metcalf, Nancy Travis, William Baldwin, Michael Beach
Rated R for Strong Sexuality, Nudity, Language and Some Violence
"Internal Affairs" has a promising idea at its core: a psychological mano-a-mano between a corrupt cop and the Internal Affairs officer intent on bringing him down. What's interesting about this movie is that this is about the mind games they play with each other. Or more specifically, the corrupt cop plays on the man tailing him. The line between predator and prey quickly becomes blurred.
Raymond Avila (Garcia) has just started his job at Internal Affairs at the LAPD. His first assignment is to investigate a beat cop named Van Stretch (Baldwin), whom Avila knows from the police academy. Stretch is your typical nightmare cop: he's a cokehead with a habit of excessive force and beating up his girlfriend. But just as he and his partner Amy Wallace (Metcalf) make headway, Avila soon realizes that the real bad guy is Stretch's partner, Dennis Peck (Gere). But getting him off the streets won't be easy. Peck has a flawless reputation and the respect of everyone at the precinct. But Avila doggedly pursues him, which Peck will make him regret in the most painful ways possible.
It goes without saying that this is all about Garcia and Gere. The tension between the two is palpable, perhaps because the actors hated working with each other on set. As characters, they're evenly matched: Avila is an incorruptible man on and off duty while Peck is a pure psychopath. The problem is that this doesn't translate well on film. The screenplay doesn't flesh out the characters well enough for this to work, the editing is shoddy and one of the lead performers isn't able to deliver what is required of him.
Gere is surprisingly good. Known primarily as a pretty boy in romantic comedies during the 90's, Gere can actually act, and he's quite effective as a conscienceless monster. Peck is only looking out for himself and will manipulate anyone to make sure he gets away with whatever unsavory activity he is involved in. His co-star is less impressive. By design, Avila is less colorful and more low-key since he's a stand-in for the audience. But Garcia brings so little to the role that he blends into the background. The actor doesn't have great range, and putting him up against a stronger performer like Gere is a mistake. Had his role been switched with Laurie Metcalf, who is quite good as his partner, the film would have been on firmer ground. The rest of the cast, which includes William Baldwin (also cast against type), Nancy Travis, and Michael Beach.
I suspect that the screenplay was unfinished. The set-up is effective, if uninspired, but the longer it goes on, the less sense it makes. The mental jousting between Avila and Peck is not effectively realized; because their characters are so flat, we can see their moves and motivations. Compounding the error is the editing, which is so bad that the film has become completely incoherent by the 90-minute mark. The ending, which should have crackled with tension, is lifeless.
People frequently ask why all the good movies are remade rather than the bad ones. Sure, there are movies that were never going to be any good ("Neighbors 2" and "Belly" come to mind). But there are those like "Internal Affairs" that have a lot of potential and with the right treatment it could be a real winner. The pieces are there.
Starring: Andy Garcia, Richard Gere, Laurie Metcalf, Nancy Travis, William Baldwin, Michael Beach
Rated R for Strong Sexuality, Nudity, Language and Some Violence
"Internal Affairs" has a promising idea at its core: a psychological mano-a-mano between a corrupt cop and the Internal Affairs officer intent on bringing him down. What's interesting about this movie is that this is about the mind games they play with each other. Or more specifically, the corrupt cop plays on the man tailing him. The line between predator and prey quickly becomes blurred.
Raymond Avila (Garcia) has just started his job at Internal Affairs at the LAPD. His first assignment is to investigate a beat cop named Van Stretch (Baldwin), whom Avila knows from the police academy. Stretch is your typical nightmare cop: he's a cokehead with a habit of excessive force and beating up his girlfriend. But just as he and his partner Amy Wallace (Metcalf) make headway, Avila soon realizes that the real bad guy is Stretch's partner, Dennis Peck (Gere). But getting him off the streets won't be easy. Peck has a flawless reputation and the respect of everyone at the precinct. But Avila doggedly pursues him, which Peck will make him regret in the most painful ways possible.
It goes without saying that this is all about Garcia and Gere. The tension between the two is palpable, perhaps because the actors hated working with each other on set. As characters, they're evenly matched: Avila is an incorruptible man on and off duty while Peck is a pure psychopath. The problem is that this doesn't translate well on film. The screenplay doesn't flesh out the characters well enough for this to work, the editing is shoddy and one of the lead performers isn't able to deliver what is required of him.
Gere is surprisingly good. Known primarily as a pretty boy in romantic comedies during the 90's, Gere can actually act, and he's quite effective as a conscienceless monster. Peck is only looking out for himself and will manipulate anyone to make sure he gets away with whatever unsavory activity he is involved in. His co-star is less impressive. By design, Avila is less colorful and more low-key since he's a stand-in for the audience. But Garcia brings so little to the role that he blends into the background. The actor doesn't have great range, and putting him up against a stronger performer like Gere is a mistake. Had his role been switched with Laurie Metcalf, who is quite good as his partner, the film would have been on firmer ground. The rest of the cast, which includes William Baldwin (also cast against type), Nancy Travis, and Michael Beach.
I suspect that the screenplay was unfinished. The set-up is effective, if uninspired, but the longer it goes on, the less sense it makes. The mental jousting between Avila and Peck is not effectively realized; because their characters are so flat, we can see their moves and motivations. Compounding the error is the editing, which is so bad that the film has become completely incoherent by the 90-minute mark. The ending, which should have crackled with tension, is lifeless.
People frequently ask why all the good movies are remade rather than the bad ones. Sure, there are movies that were never going to be any good ("Neighbors 2" and "Belly" come to mind). But there are those like "Internal Affairs" that have a lot of potential and with the right treatment it could be a real winner. The pieces are there.
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