EvenHand

It's not often we see a cop movie that hits us as being so realistic that we can truly believe in the characters as real people. EvenHand does exactly this. The film follows two very cops in smalltown Texas. Both of them are doing the job to the best of their ability and both have very different approaches – one has a no-nonsense approach and the other tries to be understanding and the people's friend. After seeing the more obvious failings of the first approach we are introduced to the downside of the more people-centred approach and realize, as do the cops in the story, that the answer maybe lies somewhere in between. It's a film not so much about the stories of petty crime they attempt to address but a careful and telling character study and comment on the difficulty of police work and finding the best way of doing the job, and in doing so becomes a moving emotional drama. In a climate where American movies usually spell style over substance, this is a welcome voice in independent filmmaking.

What a terrific movie. We have Comcast cable, and the channel guide includes 1 to 4 star ratings (I think I read somewhere that they're Leonard Maltin's ratings). This film got 3 stars, which is fairly unusual, so we checked it out. I'm not a cop, but I have ridden along on a couple of shifts, and this felt very real to me. I enjoyed the rhythm of it, the pace, the juxtapositions, and the acting of the two Bills. The ending surprised me. The tone was light at times, heavy at others, but never false. It's too bad they didn't get into Sundance - at least I'm assuming they didn't, because this is the kind of movie that needs that kind of b.s. validation before distributors will release it theatrically. So, kudos to the Sundance channel at least for picking it up and putting it out there. I hope Joseph Pierson gets another movie together, he's clearly talented.

Yet another film that would have us believe that bullying, lawbreaking, and the administration of "street" justice are all just the handiwork of unloved, seasoned cops. In this one, as in all of them, the idealistic partner is teamed with the cynical hardnose, with their initial friction creating a clear option of allegiances for the viewer. And, as always, the idealistic one slowly sees the "reality" of the situation, as he slides into tolerating, then approving, then adopting some (albeit not all) of his partner's dubious methods and views.

This is a gritty film, but one with wit and a bit of that indie film feel that some folks really love. The fact that it's about a rather worn theme doesn't diminish its craftsmanly, and sometimes artistic, level of success. As a movie about mis-matched cops, it really works. If you like that sort of thing, you'll like this one.

But... I must say that--as un-PC as it is in this post-9/11 world--I am really tired of movies that want me to believe that a bad cop is really my unsung hero. The makers of this film were so afraid I'd miss that point (and, uh, well... they shouldn't have worried) that it is almost _literally_ stated for us in narration towards the end.

I scored this one an "8," because it's a good film. But the message about nasty police somehow being a necessity of life was more than a little nauseating, partly because it was so heavy-handed. If you prefer your cop stories with a little more ambiguity, you might pass on this otherwise very good movie.

The acting is pretty good in this indie film, while the production value isn't that great. Bill Sage.turns in a good performance, as usual for him, and Mirelly. Taylor is good as well. The other main character is poorly played by. Bill Dawes, who should stick to standup comedy.

This film won't become a cult classic, but it will probably continue to be shown on cable. It's not a bad film at all, and is even memorable in some ways. The scene with the deranged man who is carrying a cinder block with a rope tied to it and to himself is kind of memorable at least. I liked this and gave a dvd of it to a friend who is from San Antonio.

My adolescent son rented this "cop" film "EVENHAND" a couple of days ago, and I reluctantly agreed to watch with him. He got bored with it after thirty minutes, but I was actually intrigued and decided to give it a try. I was, in effect, blown away! I didn't realize that there were "cop" films like this. This was by no means a typical car chase, shootemup -- this was an adult film about troubled people in real situations, dealing with real issues. It kind of reminded me of the early "NYPD Blues" series before it got weird and convoluted. I was very impressed with the two actors, and, since I never seen their work before, I thought perhaps they were two police officers who decided to make a movie about their lifes. That's how realistic it seemed! When I see actors like this who are unknown, and then I see all the mediocre actors on tv, I have to ask...