[yasr_overall_rating]
Two dirty cops find themselves relieved of over two million dollars in stolen drugs and money, forcing them into a bizarre and mysterious investigation to recover it.
With Police violence such a hot topic at the moment, especially in the US, director Daniel Ringey (“Family Physician”) makes his feature film directorial debut with the gritty cop drama “Dirty.” Better know for his Assistant Director and Producer roles, Ringey and writer Benjamin J Alexander, both of whom worked together on “Family Physician,” collaborate to bring you an admirable attempt at highlighting police corruption in the LAPD. Centering around two LAPD detectives, Berg, played by Rodger Guenveur Smith (“He Got Game,” “American Gangster,” “Final Destination”), and his partner Jackson played by Paul Elia (“Mentor,” “The Finalist”), we follow them on a journey of corruption, lies, greed and ultimately justice. Ringey also added to the mix fan favourite Tony Denison (“The Closer,” “Major Crimes”) as Commander Rocco, utilizing the award winners huge fan base.
Two detectives stake out a dilapidated warehouse from across the street, observing the overly-suspicious character guarding the front entrance. The two detectives, Berg and Jackson, chat about their lives and issues like close partners do. Discussing the power of knowledge and how it could get you killed, as you naturally would on any stakeout, Berg immediately shows his true character telling Jackson “I don’t want knowledge, I want ignorance” and “what is this Philosophy crap.” From the first few minutes you can already tell Berg is the aggressor in the relationship with Jackson appearing to be his submissive follower. From here we jump to a bar where we are introduced to Christopher, played by Adrian Gaeta (“Inner Demons,” “The Acid Brotherhood”), a down-on-his-luck bar tender who is embroiled in a custody battle for his son. Missing maintenance payments and being treated like dirt by his boss we get the impression Christopher’s life couldn’t get much worse. Or could it? Meanwhile Berg and Jackson observe more and more shady characters entering the warehouse, something is obviously going down inside. I mean any member of the general public could tell something illegal was happening, are criminals really that stupid? As the two detectives force their way inside, guns drawn and badges raised they interrupt a multi-million dollar drug deal.
Now here is where I have a slight issue. Berg and Jackson manage to get all ten or so drug dealers, all carrying shotguns and a multitude of other weapons, to just put down their weapons and hand over the cash and drugs. It just doesn’t make any sense. Berg is confident and cold in his approach, whereas Jackson appears nervous and edgy. As it starts to dawn on the dealers that they are not being arrested but in fact robbed, they start to protest. Berg shoots them with help from a nervous Jackson leaving no one alive. Berg is cool and calculated, the complete opposite to Jackson who is clearly shaken and asks, “What the fuck, why did we do that?” Berg simply replies “No witnesses, let’s not be sentimental here.” It is worth noting that Rodger Guenveur Smith sounds exactly like Steven Seagal, just without the pony tail and rosary beads. It’s something I just couldn’t get out of my mind, I kept expecting him to throw someone through a window using just his little finger or roundhouse kick someone in the throat. But maybe that’s just me. As the two try and decide what to do with the bodies, an unlucky Christopher stumbles into the warehouse and receives a bullet to the chest for his trouble. Berg just shoots him without thinking, sending Jackson into an even more hysterical state. “My bad, you want to show him your badge?” say Berg sarcastically. As the sirens grow ever closer they must make a decision, do they kill him, or as Berg would prefer, frame him for the whole thing and steal all the money and drugs. All this happens before the opening credits even roll. Director Daniel Ringey sets the scene, gives you an idea of the protagonists’ character flaws and sets up the journey they will embark on. They chose the latter, framing Christopher with the crime and sending him down for the crimes they committed. Here we jump ahead one year, Berg and Jackson are living the high life, entertaining women and eating at expensive restaurants. Crime appears to pay! As police corruption hits the headlines and the LAPD falls under a microscope, someone appears to be targeting the two corrupt detectives, turning their once easy carefree and corrupt life into meltdown. But who could be the culprit? If you have at least one brain cell its pretty easy to figure out and you find yourself shouting at the screen as the hapless Berg and Jackson just cant seem to figure it out.
In my opinion, it is clear that the opening scene is a homage to “Training Day,” the experienced older detective taking the young green kid under his wing, corrupting him and introducing him to a life beyond his means. Rodger Guenveur Smith plays Berg with the cool detachment required of the role, the steely-eyed gaze of a man who has been there and done it all. Nothing seems to surprise him and he appears to always be in control. However, that changes as things start to unravel, and while he may appear to be cool on the outside, on the inside, he is in turmoil. As someone starts to play mind games with them and push all the right buttons, Berg’s cool calm exterior starts to crack. Jackson’s confidence remains fragile throughout, always fidgety and nervous. Paul Elia does well to give the character a constant sense of unease. Even when you feel the character may have found a bit of confidence, control or poise, he keeps getting slapped back down deeper into anxiety. Tony Denison adds a bit of experience and class to the cast. Although not featured for very long, he adds a touch of stability to the move instead of taking away the focus from the two less experienced lead actors. All in all, this is a decent attempt at a subject matter that has been flogged to death over the years. Corruption and law enforcement have unfortunately been bedfellows for many years. However, what “Dirty” teaches you, is that it is always wrong to judge the many by the actions of the few and that cops can be bad, like anyone else and even they must face justice like the rest of us.
For more information about the movie, please visit the Official Website at www.dirty-themovie.com
In select theaters, Digital and VOD July 12th
