Behold! Another movie about crooked New York cops and the two unorthodox cop and lawyer that gives them the shakedown. The story was alright, but the action scenes were tremendous. In fact, they were too good for a movie that had a very solemn thriller aspect in addition to having trouble picking up the pace at points. Things will go slow and then bam! Some wild action scene occurs. This also makes the ending, ala True Lies, far too ridiculous to really enjoy. Perhaps, if the story was all about Sam Elliots character, the quiet and rugged cop who doesn't ask too many questions, it would seem fitting as an explosive cop shootout kind of movie. But the film is transplanted into the courtroom with subtlies of Peter Weller's character, a lawyer, who is defending the drug dealer accused of killing a cop who is part of a whole line of New York's finest shmoozing the city's notorious drug dealers.
This movie wasn't too bad, and probably enjoyable for those who like cheap, 80s cop thriller movies without too much regard to writing. If they'd have kept up with the action scenes, it'd made a fine action/suspense film. And, without all the action, it'd made a fine thriller. It just changes tempo too often is all.