This is a pretty average thriller lifted by having the ever-watchable James Woods in the starring role. The elements of the story may be familiar by now - a cop breaking the rules, ignoring his superiors, battling against the odds to solve a case which has become personal - but with Woods as the driving force behind it, this becomes interesting viewing. As is the case with most of his films, Woods is the best thing about this film. He brings a touch of dynamism to his role and seems to be a man with a ton of pent up rage and anger bubbling just under the surface.
A solid supporting cast help Woods out, especially Charles Durning as his laid-back partner and Lesley Ann Warren as his love interest. Although there is a definite lull in the middle of the film, with far too much talk and not enough dialogue, things pick up for the tense finale which sees Woods hunting the killer through a school at night. The sudden ending works wonders, giving Woods a great DIRTY HARRY-type line to the bad guy and ending with an eruption of violence. On the downside, the identity of the killer is a contrived one, and when the plot hinges on events happening at a high school twenty years previously, it all begins to get a bit confusing. Thankfully Woods wins out in the end, with his own special brand of acting making this a film to savour.
A solid supporting cast help Woods out, especially Charles Durning as his laid-back partner and Lesley Ann Warren as his love interest. Although there is a definite lull in the middle of the film, with far too much talk and not enough dialogue, things pick up for the tense finale which sees Woods hunting the killer through a school at night. The sudden ending works wonders, giving Woods a great DIRTY HARRY-type line to the bad guy and ending with an eruption of violence. On the downside, the identity of the killer is a contrived one, and when the plot hinges on events happening at a high school twenty years previously, it all begins to get a bit confusing. Thankfully Woods wins out in the end, with his own special brand of acting making this a film to savour.