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Woody Harrelson, Sigourney Weaver, Robin Wright, Ned Beatty, Ben Foster ... see more see more... , Ice Cube , Anne Heche , Cynthia Nixon , Jon Bernthal , Stella Schnabel , Jon Foster , Ruben Garfias , Deadlee , Dominic Flores , Matt McTighe , Brie Larson , Samantha Boyarsky , Billy Hough , Audra McDonald , Keith Woulard , Steve Buscemi , Harriet Harris , Robert Wisdom , Leonard Kelly-Young , Ashley Thompson , Don Creech , Chuti Tiu , Sophie Kargman , Angelita Macias , Assieh Ghassemi , Mike Deldicobo , Borislov Solakov , Francis Capra , Jim O'Hagen , Tim Russ , Bryan Rasmussen , William Paul Clark

Los Angeles, 1999 - Officer Dave Brown (Harrelson) is a Vietnam vet and a Rampart Precinct cop, dedicated to doing "the people's dirty work" and asserting his own code of justice, often blurring the l... read more read more...ines between right and wrong to maintain his action-hero state of mind. When he gets caught on tape beating a suspect, he finds himself in a personal and emotional downward spiral as the consequences of his past sins and his refusal to change his ways in light of a department-wide corruption scandal seal his fate. -- (C) Official Site

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126 critics

R, 1 hr. 47 min.

Directed by: Oren Moverman

Release Date: February 10, 2012

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DVD Release Date: May 15, 2012

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Flixster Reviews (570)

  • allan913
    May 26, 2012
    allan913
    A memerizing, vivid, tense and utterly shocking piece of film. A compelling, complex and terrific movie. A triumph, it`s a pure knockout of a thriller that will have you engaged till the very last frame. An unforgettable and breakingtaking picture with a career defining perfroman... read morece from Harrelson. Woodly Harrelson gives commanding and powerful performance, a real tour de force. He plays the most corrupt cop you have ever seen on the screem and gives it his all. Harrelson give his most Oscar worthy work ever. Director, Oren Moverman crafts an intense, stylish and utterly hard-boiled portrait. The all-star cast deliver huge in this film no matter how small the roles are. It`s more realistic, intense and compelling than Training Day. One of the most eye-opening police drama`s ever made.
  • MrMarakai
    May 23, 2012
    MrMarakai
    "L.A. Confidential" was an exceptional adaptation of hard-boiled, crime writer James Ellroy's novel. Most other adaptations tend to be flawed. "Dark Blue", "The Black Dahlia" and "Street Kings" had decent material but didn't grip as well as they should have. This is another that ... read moresuffers from a similar problem.
    In 1999, the Rampart division of the Los Angeles Police Force is rife with corruption. Amongst, the main culprits is 'Date Rape' Dave Brown (Woody Harrelson). He's a cop that plays by his own rules and lives by an old-school code. His reputation precedes him and is heightened even further when he's caught on video assaulting a driver who crashes into him. To try and thwart the attention of the media and ever increasing public frustration, his superiors suggest retirement. Dave refuses and attempts a legal case but it only draws him deeper into his murky past.
    Three years previously, Woody Harrelson, Ben Foster and Steve Buscemi were all involved in Oren Moverman's brilliant directorial debut "The Messenger". They all assemble again for this but where Moverman showed a skilful subtlety in his debut, he decides to get a bit flashy with this one. That's his first mistake. He teases a powerful performance from Harrelson - like he did before - but he doesn't utilise Foster or Buscemi the way he should. That's his second mistake. And as if that's not enough, he has James Ellroy himself, co-writing the screenplay with him, yet the focus is on one character - rather than tapping into Ellroy's abilities in convoluted narrative arcs. Three strikes and you're out Oren. That being said though, the character of Dave Brown and Harrelson's strong central performance provide enough powerful material to hold your interest. There's a real intensity to the man and Harrelson delivers the perfect balance of a man teetering on the brink of the immorality. He received an Oscar nomination for "The Messenger" but I actually think this is a better performance. Moverman doesn't do him any favours though. He employs a flamboyant handheld approach that's so distracting that is verges on awful and it detracts from the drama. A good director shouldn't be noticed before his performers. Speaking of which, the supporting cast is impressively assembled but few get any substantial screen time, leaving the descent of Dave Brown the film's main focus, much in the same way as Harvey Keitel's "Bad Lieutenant". Where that film succeeded though was in having the courage of it's convictions. This threatens to but draws to a less than satisfactory conclusion.
    If it wasn't for Harrelson, this film wouldn't have worked as well as it does. Moverman rightly received plaudits for his debut but he has gotten a bit ahead of himself here. Hopefully he'll learn his lesson for next time.
  • hobster1
    May 9, 2012
    hobster1
    I guess there was a time when the country bumpkin Woody Boyd on the TV show Cheers seemed like just an extension of the actor's own persona. I mean c'mon, they even had the same first name! However since leaving that role in 1993 he's played a serial killer (Natural Born Killers)... read more, a pornographer (The People vs. Larry Flynt ) and a bounty hunter (No Country for Old Men). As that naïve but lovable portrayal fades from memory, each miscreant seems less and less like a stretch. Depressing, oppressive and bleak, there's little point to the film other than as a character study. But what a character study! Harrelson's quietly vicious portrayal really gets under your skin. He is the movie and without him, this virtually plotless account would've been meaningless. Drama masquerading as art, arbitrarily ends with an ambiguous non-ending. The whole seemingly improvised production adds up to very little. It's a testament to Harrelson's memorably unlikable portrayal that we remain interested in his story. Unfortunately without a point of view, commentary or resolution, the production remains a fascinating disappointment.
  • xXGiNoBiLiPRXx
    April 24, 2012
    xXGiNoBiLiPRXx
    The most corrupt cop you've ever seen on screen.

    Not a horrible movie at all but nothing really original either. It is slow and never builds up to anything. When you think it is going to get good it falls flat and just drags on. The movie needed some better editing and sharper d... read moreirection. Watch it if your a fan of Woody, if you aren't don't waste your time.

    Dave Brown is a Los Angeles police officer who works out of the Rampart Division. Dave is misogynistic, racist, brutally violent, egotistical and a womanizer, although he defends himself against many of these accusations as he says that his hate is equal opportunity. However unlawful, he uses intimidation and brutal force to defend his ideals. The most notorious of his actions is purportedly murdering a suspected serial date rapist, which is why he has been given the nickname "Date Rape Dave". He lives with two of his ex-wives - sisters Barbara and Catherine - in an effort to keep family together, namely his two daughters, Helen and Margaret, who each have a different sister as their mother. Dave still maintains a sexual relationship with both sisters - whenever the mood suits any of them - while he openly has other sexual relationships. His life is put under a microscope after he is caught on video brutally beating a person with who he got into an automobile crash. This situation is made all the more difficult for the police department because of the Rampart scandal. This microscope shows a further potentially scandalous incident involving Dave and a grocery store hold-up. Although he secretly has his defenders within the police department highers-up, Dave, who is unrepentant regarding his actions, has to figure out who he can and cannot trust among his colleagues and new associates as he goes about his business and tries to protect his ideals from being taken away by these scandals.
  • LorenzoVonMatterhorn
    April 14, 2012
    LorenzoVonMatterhorn
    "The most corrupt cop you've ever seen on screen."

    Set in 1999 Los Angeles, veteran police officer Dave Brown, the last of the renegade cops, works to take care of his family, and struggles for his own survival.

    REVI
    ... read moreEW
    Dirty cops happen in real life sometimes and in the movies quite often. It can be an intriguing subject to explore ... psychological demons, ego, power-mongering, etc. Typically we see it presented as a cop torn between doing the right thing and feeling like he is owed something. Rarely do we see a cop portrayed as beyond hope ... so far gone morally that redemption is no longer even a possibility. Writer James Ellroy (LA Confidential) and director Oren Moverman (The Messenger) present to us Officer Dave Brown, known to his fellow cops (and even his daughter) as "Date Rape" Dave. The moniker stems from a vice incident where Brown dished out street justice to a serial date rapist. With no proof of his guilt, Brown remained on the force and his rogue manner has escalated to the point where he is a constant danger to himself and others. This guy has no moral filter for everyday living.

    Officer Brown is played with searing intensity by a Woody Harrelson you have never before seen. As loathsome a character as you will ever find, you cannot take your eyes off of him. Somehow he has daughters by two sisters and they all live together in a messed up commune where hate is the secret word of the day, every day. Most of the time no one speaks to Dave except to tell him to "get out". He spends his off hours drinking, smoking, doing drugs and having meaningless sex. Heck, that's just about how he spends his time while on duty as well. Still, as terrific as Harrelson is, and as deep as the cast is, the film is just too one note and downbeat and hopeless to captivate a viewer. I also found some of Moverman's camera work to be quite distracting and the sex club scene was pure overkill. Downward spiral is much too neutral a term to describe this character and ultimately, that prevents the film from delivering any type of message.
  • fb100001048934982
    March 19, 2012
    fb100001048934982
    I don't know much about 'Rampart', but i do know that Woody Harrelson's explosive performance scared the hell out of me. He was volatile, moody, and almost psychotic. Aside from all the assured performances, 'Rampart's script lacked enough substance to keep me intrigued and misse... read mored a steady directional hand. It may have been executed well, but it lacks too many key elements to be considered a great film.
  • katykern8261
    March 6, 2012
    katykern8261
    Courtesy of Millennium Entertainment
    Question: If someone told you a film wasn't very "Hollywood", would you think that was a good thing or a bad thing? My answer is, immediately, it's a great thing! I just finished watching Rampart and it definitely was not a "Hollywood" film a... read moret all. I live for these independent films because they are not usually bound by any box or restriction. Independent films breathe new life into us film-lovers because original ideas are put forth to allow the audience to experience different, authentic and artistic views.

    On the flip-side, when a film isn't set in the typical cadence of the formulaic system we see day in and day out cranked out by Hollywood studios there can be an uneasiness to the storytelling. Again, is that a good thing or a bad thing? I think you might know my answer on that one. However, it can turn mass audiences away or the film finds a hard time getting decent marketing. Many big studios produce movies just to make money and I don't blame them for wanting that, but it leaves a sort of disingenuous haze all over the story. But studios want to make money; filmmakers want to put their vision on film; and as movie-goers we want to see a good story told in different and adventurous ways. Therefore, the non-Hollywood movies are the type of films that people need to see more of because life simply doesn't have a formula and neither should all films.

    In the case of Rampart, the filmmakers took a chance and thought outside the Hollywood movie-making realm, and the approach they took to tell the story worked. The uneasiness I mentioned earlier was present in this film and it worked here because what the filmmaker was trying to achieve wasn't an easy or pretty story - it was about a dark, morally corrupt man who must face his demons but refuses to due to hubris.

    Rampart stars Woody Harrleson in probably his least likable character ever but probably why I enjoyed this film. It's very difficult to create a character so layered that you aren't sure what your exact opinion is of him. Although you love to hate Dave Brown (Woody Harrelson) because he is a racist, womanizer, power-fueled LA police officer who abuses the system for his gain, there were actually qualities, small nuances, to his character that made you like him as well. It was disconcerting but, again, that is why I enjoyed this film.

    For the rest of the movie, the other characters were incidental and you just view them as obstacles that get pummeled by Dave Brown as he passes through the world. There wasn't enough time to get to know them but I think that was done on purpose. Even the part about Dave Brown and his actions that initially gets himself in trouble is secondary. Rampart is about the main character's impenetrable defenses that don't allow him to see his faults and in turn causes him to spiral down into an abyss of self-destruction; which, to me, represented a closer reflection of real people and their flaws than other movies have attempted in a longtime. It isn't pretty but it is authentic.

    There are enough films that get us from point A to point B and wrap it up in a nice pretty bow by the end that we are happy when we leave the theatre. But film is an art form, and in all art forms there are artists that push the envelope, make you think and leaving you pondering what you just witnessed. These are the films that more people should see. Rampart is one of those films that pushes the envelope open and doesn't close it tight for you - especially with Woody Harrelson's character and the consequences surrounding him. See this film for that alone. Well done.

    My favorite thing: The dialogue Dave Brown had when he was defending himself - some brilliant writing there.

    My least favorite thing: Got a little dizzy during one scene but I think that was the point - Merry-go-round camera work.

    Directed (and co-written) by Oren Moverman, Lightstream Pictures, 2011

    Starring: Woody Harrelson, Ben Foster , Robin Wright, Sigourney Weaver, Cynthia Nixon, Anne Heche, Ice Cube, Steve Buscemi, and Ned Beatty.

    Genre: Crime, Drama.

    Rating: R

    Length: 108 minutes

    Review: 6 out of 10

    Note: Check out Lightstream Pictures philosophy - perfectly put!
  • phubbs1
    March 2, 2012
    phubbs1
    Possibly one of Woody Harrelson's best performances for some time, maybe ever, as a dirty excessive cop whose actions are caught on tape and must face the consequences. The main theme behind the plot is its setting just after or during the 'Rampart scandal' of the late 1990's.

    D... read moreon't know much about the Rampart scandal accept it involved lots of dirty crooked cops in LA who were also connected with gangsters, drugs, robbery etc...all the good stuff. I was slightly wrong in my assumption about the film at first, I expected lots of hood beatings and evidence planting amidst crack downs and underground gang warfare etc...not much of that, nothing in fact.

    This isn't a huge issue though as the film is actually a very strong emotional rollercoaster for Harrelson's character as his job comes under threat for his wayward actions, his family lose faith in him and start to see him as a brutal cop whilst all the time things get worse as he continues with his shady actions to try and get money to pay for lawyers to save his job.

    The film does become quite depressing as his downbeat situation gets worse, you do feel for the guy especially if you work in the same kind of role as Harrelson's character for real, its very close to reality as 'the company' take the citizens side and try to load everything on the single cop. You know he has bad judgement or over reaction but you also feel he doesn't do it maliciously.

    I think the term 'hidden gem' covers this film for sure, find it and watch.
  • dunmyer
    February 26, 2012
    dunmyer
    "Rampart," the second film directed by Oren Moverman (his first, "The Messenger"), has an extraordinary first half but peters out in the second. As often is the case with American indie films, "Rampart" lacks a substantial story arc. But the first half is so good, so well-acted, ... read moreand filmed with such panache and artistry that "Rampart" is still recommended. It is the best film of 2012 so far.

    Like Moverman's previous film, "The Messenger," "Rampart" stars Woody Harrelson. It's nice to see Harrelson turning into something of a muse for Moverman. Harrelson isn't as transcendent here as he was in "The Messenger," but he is very good.

    He plays a 1980s-style LAPD officer weirdly lingering on in an unreconstructed way well into the 1990s. He even has his own Rodney King-style controversy on his hands, when a brutal beating he perpetrates on a Mexican man is caught on video tape.

    The interesting thing is that gradually it starts to appear that the entire thing was a set-up. Harrelson's character may have been in a sense entrapped. Who would have the motive and the ability to orchestrate something so elaborate? Questions like this are never answered, which is a bit disappointing. But they are posed in interesting, evocative ways.

    The screenplay was co-written by Moverman and novelist James Ellroy ("L.A. Confidential"). I appreciate that Ellroy wanted to be less straightforward with this project, hinting at things more than spelling everything out. But it doesn't work that well. The sketchiness of the story mixed with Moverman's somewhat meandering directorial approach makes for a cinematic experience that isn't completely fulfilling.

    But so much about "Rampart" works beautifully, including the phenomenally talented supporting cast that includes Robin Wright, Sigourney Weaver, and Ned Beatty. "Rampart" is not quite a must-see, but it's damn close.
  • CreedsDelight
    January 20, 2012
    CreedsDelight
    Even though Woody Harrelson gives a pitch-perfect performance, Rampart has a story so bland you will want to rip your eyes out.

View All Rampart Reviews

Critic Reviews

Tom Long
March 9, 2012
Tom Long, Detroit News

Where's it all go? Nowhere, really, just down a dirty, disappointing hole. Harrelson deserved better. Full Review

Bill Goodykoontz
March 1, 2012
Bill Goodykoontz, Arizona Republic

Brown is a sick man, but Harrelson makes him so interesting, so charismatic, so ... watchable, that you can't look away, even if his actions make you want to (and they will). Full Review

Ann Hornaday
February 23, 2012
Ann Hornaday, Washington Post

"Rampart" doesn't tell a coherent story as much as swirl the drain with Dave, as his increasingly desperate efforts to save himself simply result in a cascade of self-inflicted wounds. Full Review

Peter Howell
February 23, 2012
Peter Howell, Toronto Star

This isn't your average out-of-control character, and Harrelson has to work against a narrowly defined screenplay that is short on specifics. Full Review

Mick LaSalle
February 16, 2012
Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle

Director Oren Moverman understands that Woody Harrelson is a real actor and makes movies to prove it. Full Review

Ty Burr
February 16, 2012
Ty Burr, Boston Globe

Something to see and little to remember, an acrid character study undone by narrative implausibilities and its own lack of purpose. Full Review

Michael Phillips
February 16, 2012
Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune

"Rampart" patrols some familiar streets, but this jarringly intimate study of a dirty Los Angeles cop sliding, crazily, down the drain has a distinctive new-cliche smell, pungent and alive. Full Review

Roger Ebert
February 16, 2012
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

Harrelson is an ideal actor for the role. Especially in tensely wound-up movies like this, he implies that he's looking at everything and then watching himself looking. Full Review

J. R. Jones
February 16, 2012
J. R. Jones, Chicago Reader

He insists on "keeping the family together" with the same irrational devotion he applies to his job. Full Review

Stephen Cole
February 10, 2012
Stephen Cole, Globe and Mail

Hallucinatory, elliptical, with dialogue as rich as chocolate cake, this is the self-proclaimed Demon Dog of American crime fiction at his fevered best. Full Review

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    • Dave Brown: But while you're playing gum shoe, bear in mind that I am not a racist. Fact is, I have all people equally. And if it helps, I've slept with some of your people. you want to be mad at someone, try Edgar J. Hoover. He was a racist. Or the Founding Fathers, all slave owners. Me, I'm just doing my job.
    • Dave Brown: You are the most beautiful woman I've ever seen... in this bar.
    • Dave Brown: The fact is, I hate all people... equally.
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