Officer Down (2013) Reviews

• Unexpected Finish

  johnboyblues2013-01-15

  When I started watching this film I was trying to figure out where it was going for the first hour. And with a film that approximately 1hr37mins that's pushing my limits on clarity (or as the politicians call it, transparency). On the other hand what fun would it be it we could figure out what was going to happen next (but I do like to know what's happening now). All the actors do a good job. James Woods is always great and he maintains his standing in this film. Dorff is believable as the alcohol/drug abusing detective, although I don't know if many police departments would allow his attire, demeanor and foul odor to continue for very long. I like Walton Goggins in this although I don't think there was enough of him. That broad toothy smile of his is a trademark but we did not see any of that in this flick. Even after the film discloses part of the overall plot and what you think is the missing piece there is still a finish that surprises. Otherwise, this would be a humdrum movie. One concept that was used extensively were flashbacks, especially at the beginning, that left me confused about what the actual storyline was or which storyline I was suppose to follow. But I got past it and enjoyed the movie. This film is worth a watch.

• A good police drama that would have been better as a TV show. Acting & cast is great, just a little too slow in parts. I say B

  cosmo_tiger2013-01-22

  "Today is the day I die." Detective Callahan (Dorff) is a good cop with a checkered past. While out protecting someone he gives chase and does what he has to do, when the person he is chasing turns out to be a cop he wonders what is going on. Things begin to become confusing to him and he is struggling to do his job and fall back into his old ways. This movie starts off very exciting and gripping and stays that way for about half the movie. Then it starts to slow down a little. I think the problem with this is that it is a really good idea for a TV show but when stretched out into a full length movie they have to drag some things out and that really hurts the pace of the movie. This is still worth watching though and keeps you interested for most of it. While not amazing this is still better then most of the movies like this that have come out. Overall, worth seeing but would have been better as a TV show like "Blue Bloods" or "NYPD Blue". I give it a B.

• Bad Cop Gone Good

  LeonLouisRicci2013-02-03

  Deep in Characters this is quite an Engaging, but Bleak and Cold, look at another Tortured Cop who seeks a Second Chance. It is a Rich Story-Line that Requires the Viewer to pay Attention with Twists and Turns and multiple Flashbacks. It has a Crisp and Clear Look and the Performances are (except for the ever intense and intemperate Dorff) Stiff, but Credible. Police Cover-Ups and Stripper's Uncovered are Nothing New but this, based on a True Case, Fine at a Bad Cop Gone Good Story. This Barely Released Movie is Worth a Watch for its Rich and Layered Production that Demands some Respect Despite some Indifference from the Money-Men and Critics.

• Movie can be confusing

  richcarter19622013-01-24

  As I mentioned in the summary, this movie can be very confusing. One thing that makes it very confusing is the flashback sequences that you don't realize are flashbacks. Using flashbacks to flesh out the back stories for characters is certainly nothing new, most directors will change the character in some way,(glasses, different hairstyle, etc ...)if the character looks the same then they may use an effect so the scene looks different, letting the viewer know that this is a flashback, failing those 2 methods, some directors will put a specific piece of music to flashbacks in OD however the main character looks exactly the same, unshaven, wrinkled clothes, he is without a doubt the least hygienic movie detective I have ever seen. I could see why he would have looked that way when he was drinking on the job, hanging out in a strip club, sleeping with strippers but at the start of the movie he is supposed to have been clean for 2 1/2 years. I mean c'mon clean yourself up. Once you get by the very confusing time line and the problem with flashbacks this is not a horrible movie. The acting in fact was really quite good. I had never heard of Stephen Dorff but he did well as the protagonist, James Woods is always great, especially at being the bad guy, in fact he seems like he's the bad guy even when he plays a good guy. I gave this movie a 6 because I thought it was worth the 90 minutes that it runs. As you would expect it has to move pretty fast to get the plot fleshed out, this probably accounts for some of confusing shifts and characters that are involved but you have no idea who they are. I didn't feel like I wanted my 90 minutes back, but it is not a movie I will see again.

• Pull the Strings, Watch Them Dance

  claudio_carvalho2014-03-29

  In Bridgeport, Connecticut, Detective David 'Cal' Callahan (Stephen Dorff) is a family man, married with Alexandra (Elisabeth Röhm) with the teenage daughter Lanie (Beatrice Miller). Cal has an unscrupulous past, drug and alcohol addicted, and he has reborn when he was shot by a drug dealer and saved by a stranger. When a stranger meets Cal in a bar, he tells that he was the one who saved him and gives the journal of his deceased daughter to Cal. He tells to Cal that she committed suicide after Angel (Walton Goggins), a regular of a night-club owned by the drug dealer Royce Walker (Dominic Purcell) where she danced, beaten up on her and raped her in the parking area. Cal investigates Angel and when he sees the man in his car in front of the school where Lanie studies, he believes that Angel is a pedophile and Cal decides to take an attitude. But he finds that he is a marionette and someone is pulling the strings and watching him dance. "Officer Down" is a good police story with a non-linear screenplay developed like a puzzle with flashbacks and plot points that keeps the truth hidden until the conclusion. Detective David 'Cal' Callahan is tailored to Stephen Dorff that has good performance and James Woods is great as usual. The conclusion with the redemption of Cal is a little disappointing and unbelievable especially considering that Cal has a family to support and certainly mortgage to pay, and spending five years in prison does not seem to be a second chance in life. He could have accepted the report offered by Captain Verona and turned into a good cop. My vote is seven. Title (Brazil): "Rastros de Violência" ("Violence Tracks")