Officer Down

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.

It's always nice and refreshing to watch Stephen Dorff. He's one of the better actors, but does not have a really big blockbuster under his belt (Blade maybe, but that was a Wesley Snipes vehicle). This movie is also just a B-movie. But that doesn't mean it's bad! Quite the contrary, the story was so appealing, that quite a few good actors did sign up to make the movie.

Of course quite a few things are convenient and wouldn't stand the scrutiny of the viewer thinking too much about them. There is a morality issue at hand, but there is also or at least could be an issue with the ending. The actors involved have the charisma to just pull it off, but it still may feel cheap to some.

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.

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.

Stars stephen dorff as detective callahan, a man with a past. When a bystander helps him after a shooting, he decides to return the favor. He reads the journal of a dead girl, and decides to do something about it. The whole film is a flashback, showing what led up to the opening scene. James woods is his police captain. It has some issues... the volume keeps jumping up and down. The script needed tightening up. Some editing mistakes. Some verrrry interesting tidbits in the trivia section, which may explain some things. And since callahan and logue look so similar, it's easy to get them confused. The basic story is pretty good, once we figure out what's going on, but it takes a while. ( the time lapse where we watch the night turn into day was actually pretty cool, at the halfway mark) its okay... with a little work, could have been better. Directed by brian miller. He seems to like stories about cops and killers. Story by john chase.