Officer Down

In Bridgeport, Connecticut, Detective David 'Cal' Callahan (Stephen Dorff) is a family man, married with Alexandra (Elisabeth Röhm) with the teenage daughter Lanie (Beatrice Miller). Cal has an unscrupulous past, drug and alcohol addicted, and he has reborn when he was shot by a drug dealer and saved by a stranger.

When a stranger meets Cal in a bar, he tells that he was the one who saved him and gives the journal of his deceased daughter to Cal. He tells to Cal that she committed suicide after Angel (Walton Goggins), a regular of a night-club owned by the drug dealer Royce Walker (Dominic Purcell) where she danced, beaten up on her and raped her in the parking area. Cal investigates Angel and when he sees the man in his car in front of the school where Lanie studies, he believes that Angel is a pedophile and Cal decides to take an attitude. But he finds that he is a marionette and someone is pulling the strings and watching him dance.

"Officer Down" is a good police story with a non-linear screenplay developed like a puzzle with flashbacks and plot points that keeps the truth hidden until the conclusion. Detective David 'Cal' Callahan is tailored to Stephen Dorff that has good performance and James Woods is great as usual. The conclusion with the redemption of Cal is a little disappointing and unbelievable especially considering that Cal has a family to support and certainly mortgage to pay, and spending five years in prison does not seem to be a second chance in life. He could have accepted the report offered by Captain Verona and turned into a good cop. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Rastros de Violência" ("Violence Tracks")

When I started watching this film I was trying to figure out where it was going for the first hour. And with a film that approximately 1hr37mins that's pushing my limits on clarity (or as the politicians call it, transparency). On the other hand what fun would it be it we could figure out what was going to happen next (but I do like to know what's happening now).

All the actors do a good job. James Woods is always great and he maintains his standing in this film. Dorff is believable as the alcohol/drug abusing detective, although I don't know if many police departments would allow his attire, demeanor and foul odor to continue for very long. I like Walton Goggins in this although I don't think there was enough of him. That broad toothy smile of his is a trademark but we did not see any of that in this flick.

Even after the film discloses part of the overall plot and what you think is the missing piece there is still a finish that surprises. Otherwise, this would be a humdrum movie.

One concept that was used extensively were flashbacks, especially at the beginning, that left me confused about what the actual storyline was or which storyline I was suppose to follow. But I got past it and enjoyed the movie.

This film is worth a watch.

Brian A Miller's 'Officer Down' is A Dark Cop-Drama. Its an impressive film, that delivers a gritty story convincingly along-with good performances.

'Officer Down' Synopsis: A corrupt, guilty police officer goes in search for redemption.

'Officer Down' is dark, gritty & violent. Its certainly not meant for the faint-hearted. Brian A Miller's Direction is focused. John Chase's Screenplay is convincing & the second-hour, in particular, has meaty sequences.

Performance-Wise: Stephen Dorff is remarkable in the lead role. Dominic Purcell is very good. AnnaLynne McCord is a complete natural. Walton Goggins is in decent form, while David Boreanaz & Stephen Lang are routine. James Woods is fantastic in a strong supporting role.

On the whole, 'Officer Down' deserves a watch.

A fabulous combo of gritty cop drama and action, with just the right amount of 'who dunnit' (or rather, 'who is it?') thrown in. There is a lot of ambiguity amongst the characters and their intentions, heightened by the use of flashback/dream sequences... which could annoy the less attentive but completely captivate problem-solving film viewers. It made it all the more enjoyable for me - putting all the pieces of the puzzle together.

Superb acting and an original story never short of a twist. I knew little about this film before going in, and I'm thankful as I was fully immersed throughout all the confusion and plot arcs. I think the title was the only thing that didn't do it justice - it is more than just another police-action-drama story.

Police detective David 'Cal' Callahan (Stephen Dorff) takes down a rapist cop but his boss Captain Verona (James Woods) cuts a deal to sweep the embarrassing situation under the rug. Cal is still haunted by a traffic stop where he was almost killed. One night, a man, claiming to be his unknown savior, comes to him with his dead daughter's diary. Zhanna Dronov (AnnaLynne McCord) was a stripper who started dating a client called Angel (Walton Goggins).

I like the dark tone, Dorff's performance, and big revelation. On the other hand, the first half is too complicated, there are too many flashbacks, and there are too many characters to focus on. This movie should focus on Cal and his Captain, Zhanna and Angel. Cal may not even need a family. It should explain more clearly Cal's investigation of Angel. He should probably assume that Angel is Zhanna's pimp to start. The overall story just needs more clarity. While this is by no means great, it is good enough with that reveal.