DIRTY (2005)

Directed by Chris Fisher. Starring Cuba Gooding, Jr., Clifton Collins, Cole Hauser, Keith David, Wood Harris. Drama

Synopsis: Two former gang members turned gang unit cops  come face to face with their past actions as cops in the LAPD. They face off against the general public, their superior in the force, gang bangers, and each other in pursuit of quick money. Where exactly is their loyalty? To the force, to their own, to each other? Action packed thriller.

I thought this movie was an excellent portrayal of the emotions and conflicts that go through the minds of law enforcement officers, particularly those in large urban areas who come from those same areas themselves. This movie, set and shot in Los Angeles, features Cuba Gooding and Christopher Collins as uniform officers who are partners and part of an anti-gang unit. Both are former gang members themselves, though that part of their background is only alluded to, not shown. The movie begins with a flashback of the shooting of a civilian, and then proceeds directly into a day in the aftermath of that shooting. There is a surprising twist on the flashback at the end of the film, which makes us question some assumptions we had during the course of the movie.

In the manner of similarly shot and themed films such as Cellular and Training Day, Dirty unfolds and takes place over the course of a single day. Before anyone thinks it is a simple knock off of those two fine movies, I would hasten to add that it is just elements of those movies that are referenced here.

The heart of the movie is the internal and external struggle that Christopher Collin's character goes through with a pending Internal Affairs investigation into the civilian shooting, the present dilemma of going out on contract for a high powered local dealer, and the wild actions of his partner. Collins is a powerful actor who first caught my eye in the movie 187, and was recently lauded for his portrayal of the condemned killer in Capote. He seems to move effortlessly between unapologetic butt kicking cop and guilt ridden, defeated cop, often in the same scene. 

Cuba Gooding's  character is played almost over the top. In fact, in several scenes, characters ask and/or accuse him of not being a "real cop" due to his gangster like talk, manner, and lawless actions in the performance of his job. To me, the ultimate in evil/boderline deranged police officers was set by Richard Gere in Internal Affairs and taken to a slighly higher level by Denzel Washington in Training Day. Gooding's performance in this one does not quite reach that level, but it is strong, believable, and, for those familiar with some or all of his past leading roles, shocking because this is a stark departure from his wholesome, "good guy" image.

The supporting cast is very strong, and a movie with so many characters central to the flow of the story needs that, it can't be carried by the stars alone. I'll mention three here. Keith David (Platoon, Road House)  plays the Captain in charge of the anti-gang unit that Gooding and Collins serve in and he is wonderful. Its a very similar tough, wise, grizzled cop role as he played in Crash. In this one, he gets a lot more screen time and, although his character is far from likable, you can't help but think that you want someone like him protecting the streets you live on.

Cole Hauser (Higher Learning, Last Shot At Glory)  plays the clean-cut on the surface Lieutenant of the unit who just might be the only true bad cop of the whole bunch. I think Hauser has a chance to become one of those Sean Penn type actors who has the ability to reinvent himself from movie to movie, although I'm not saying he has the ability to carry a movie as the lead like Penn does, although few actors do.

Wood Harris plays a low level drug dealer who thinks he's the Don Corleone of South Central. It is exactly one-hundred eighty degrees from the role that most probably know him for, as the best buddy of the paralyzed team captain in Remember The Titans.

This film is dark, king of ironic as it takes place almost entirely in the sunshine, if gritty and hard, Los Angeles that will be familiar to those who are familiar with the real L.A. There is some graphic violence and am implied sexual assault of a young woman by Cuba's character while on duty, again reminiscent of Crash, only much more vulgar. Again, this scene is not gratuitous, as, in the end we realize that we were made to empathize with one of the cops over the other, but things weren't exactly as we thought them to be in the beginning.

I won't talk more specifically because of my fear of spoiling the ending for anyone who has not seen the movie. And I think that anyone who enjoyed any of the police thrillers I mentioned above, or who wants to see a realistic portrayal of the conflicts that go one within and between cops who work in the toughest areas of our cities, should check this one out. Also, I believe anyone who is former law enforcement, like me, will respect the reality involved in making this film.