Admirable film.

A Masterpiece!

It's entirely possible that sending the audience out feeling lousy was intentional

There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

And here we are again, with a director we lost too soon. This fine police drama, beautifully polished, and entertaining as f..k, is just another reason. Fine actor, Ruben Blades's music track, rocks, despite difference of opinions, where too, anybody who knocks this film, must have s..t for brains. From the word "Go", this film has you, as bad apple, hots..t detective Brennan, (Nolte) guns down a drug dealer in a stairwell. A legend, especially, from young ambitious D.A, Hutton's view, he's assigned to investigate the shooting. Brennan is not a guy you want to go up against, and Nolte, splendid, shows you what a great character, and amazingly underrated actor he is, and that's from my view. Dragged into this mess, is a drug dealer, Bobby Tex, a bearded beefy Assante in his best acting performance. Hutton slowly becomes suspicious, from hearsay from an old working lawyer friend, that Brennan is dirty. Yes he's really dirty. Bobby Tex's beautiful Puerto Rican's wife, was once dating Hutton's character, where old history is rekindled. Hutton in one parked car scene with her, I'll always remember, explains, about how his white breed parents weren't understanding and accepting of her. It's great to have a scene like this, unrelated to the plot, as it makes for a tender moment, away from the inanity of Nolte's out of control actions. Hutton's past involvement with her, too, puts the wind up Assante, a much earlier scene, near the start of the film, Hutton sets him straight on a threat he makes by use of Assante's own pen. Paul Caulderon too is great as a transvestite, and Assante's bitch. Like State Of Grace, Q and A, is just one of those, just over two hour films, that's just exciting from start to finish, with the right energy. It too, has quite an ugly twist, involving betrayal, that slaps you in the face with a wet fish, or stings you bad. Nolte and Assante must be commended on their top floor performance, and any fan of either of these actors, this is a must see, but the movie is a must see, regardless of that fact. Hutton is good, but has nothing on the other two. How can a director, who made so many good, entertaining, movies, in constant, leave us. But remember this, his gift he left, was the movies he made. Again with the movie poster out, it was still one of those, that missed a run in Adelaide cinemas.

There is nothing to redeem this movie. Not one single character in this movie is sympathetic, not one action taken by anyone is even remotely justified. From the DA's prejudice to the nasty cop's increasingly sociopathic behavior to the bitter ex-girlfriend's stupid choices of a man to "take care of her". The only person who could even be said to have integrity was Armand Assante, a gangster, and only because he basically stuck to his principles, amoral as they were. Timothy Hutton tries, but the simple fact of the matter is, he's not a nice guy, he's a jerk, and the the girl between them had no self-esteem to start with, so what made her think she could suddenly gain it by behaving like a moron?Gad, what a waste of film.

This movie came out in 1990 and when it was being made in 1989 a hurricane hit the island of Puerto Rico (Hugo).We were recovering and you can see it in one scene where Hutton, Guzmán,and the guy that kills Nolte are entering the Caribe Hilton. They are passing through the lobby being tailed by Nolte and you can see a tree being held by pieces of wood. They saved a very old tree from garden of the lobby. To anyone that questions movies about being fake and unbelievable let me tell you every scene that is shot in Puerto Rico is accurate even to the locations where the characters move and live. The Caribe Hilton is ten minutes from the Cangrejos Yacht Club where Roger the Dodger, Bobby Tex and one of the cuban hit men are blown up. I got to say I learned a lot when I saw this movie. Imagine a movie about a Chinese guy, a Brazilian and an American. And the American is played by a British, south African or an irish actor. You feel a little weird and question Why not hire an American actor to play an American right? Well all that went out the window when I saw Assante play the Puertorican drug lord. I couldn't believe my eyes or my ears. Assante IS one of us in that role. Everything was authentic in that performance. Also Luis Guzman surprised me in this film with his bravura acting confronting Assante in the interrogation scene. I met him in 1993 at the premiere of the movie Carlitos Way which is another movie based on the novels by the Puertorrican Judge and author Edwin Torres. It was a film festival and Guzman and Torres talked a little bit in a podium. Later I spoke with the judge and he was great. I talked to him about Q&A and how I enjoyed his work. Finally I went to Guzman and he behaved like a little ass. Maybe he was in a bad mood or something. I shook his hand and he never spoke and kept looking at the horizon or something behind you. Maybe he thought I was gonna scream and jump on his back yelling "Hollywood". I don't know I still like him and there are few of us out there working with the best to be fighting each other. Back in 1990 i believed there were gonna be a least two nominations in this movie, one for Assante and one for Nolte. Nolte continues to do great things but I get mad when I see Assante working in crap. It is such a shame that nobody uses him for something good. Tarantino should call him. And yes that song is by Ruben Blades and I cant get it out of my head. "Dont double cross the ones you love" HAHAHA. It is so cheesy and yet I cant help it but sing it every time I see the film.

This was an exciting and interesting movie, but I don't understand why the the musical score had such cheesy feel-good rock songs at the beginning and end of the movie...If you want to hear a good musical score in a decrepit NYC, watch Taxi Driver.