Music, Style & Culture

Rampart

In a career littered with great turns, this genuinely may be Woody Harrelson’s best.

Released in cinemas 24th February 2012.

Gaining a decent critical buzz at last year’s London Film Festival, Rampart is a compelling character study of a corrupt cop (Woody Harrelson), whose pragmatic approach to keeping the peace and protecting his family sees him in danger of being left behind in the transitional Los Angeles of 1999.

Harrelson is in terrific form as the tightly-coiled Dave “Date Rape” Brown, a man who seems perpetually on the edge of fury, and his downward spiral could not have been portrayed with more intensity. The star-studded supporting cast features cameos from Sigourney Weaver, Steve Buscemi and a remarkably dishevelled Ben Foster among others, as well as some very fleeting appearances for The Walking Dead favourite Jon Bernthal and Ned Beatty. There really are too many actors featured to mention here, but this is very much Harrelson’s show.

In a career littered with great turns, this genuinely may be Harrelson’s best as he balances a spectrum of emotions, putting across a feeling of tangible desperation as Brown’s world threatens to implode. It is one of those performances where you often forget you are watching a big-name star, and accept the character fully, such is the skill on show here. Even the moments which come closest to tenderness are tinged with an intensity which makes for uncomfortable viewing, including a memorable scene as Brown attempts to reconcile with his rebellious teenage daughter (Brie Larson, also excellent). It is no understatement to say that this really would have been good value for an Oscar nod this year – if only the film around it had been as impressive, we may have seen some recognition here.

The problem the film runs into is in director Oren Moverman’s handling of the story. The whole film feels over-directed, with needless moving cameras disorienting the audience, and a few ill-advised sequences take an almost psychedelic turn. The effect is confusing, and smacks of an attempt to inject too much visual flair into a plot which could have happily been driven by its characters, and the skilful cast behind them.

It’s a shame that the film is almost derailed by these creative choices, and a rather baggy third act does cause interest to wane. There are perhaps too many cameos and story strands to really keep the attention focused, with new characters being introduced in the final third of the film having a particularly exhausting effect on the audience. Nevertheless, as a character study the story cannot be faulted, and Rampart features a central performance worthy of all the plaudits it has been receiving.

Rating: 6/10