"One Good Cop" had potential, especially from the dramatic side with Artie and Rita Lewis taking the three young daughters of his partner, Steve, after he is killed. But the stretch that Michael Keaton's Lewis would even try the heist that he does in the film - for any reason, is overboard ridiculous. I can accept the forgiveness for one bad judgment at the end by his boss and colleagues - especially when he didn't take most of the loot from the drug gang robbery he pulls - and then most of it is returned. He knew right from wrong, and wasn't about to get hooked on crime.
But that's also the point about the problem with that ridiculous twist in this film. If he was thinking he was doing this for his wife and the kids, what if he failed? What if he got killed or the deal failed and he gets disgraced or jailed? Where are his wife and the three girls then? And, as super a cop as he might have thought he was, how could be he so dumb as to think he could actually pull the job off and get away with it?
Well, of course, he does pull the job and make it away. But he's so bright as a cop to give the direct clues that everyone in the audience watching this film knew he was doing the minute he threw money out the window and wadded a C-note up and tossed it in the face of the drug leader, Beniamino? No, he wasn't thinking. No, it wasn't carefully planned. No, it wasn't likely to succeed at all. And, yes, it was just plain dumb.
It's too bad the screen writers couldn't have had Artie and Felix finally help bring down the drug gang, while finding a way to get the house for his new family. I thought the offer by the former policeman was fantastic. The scene when Artie tells the oldest girl that her dad had an accident is a real tearjerker. It had this one-time paratrooper weeping. With those three young girls, and Artie and Rita as a couple who would adopt them, there was a very good story and movie here. It's too bad they ruined it with the good cop gone bad twist.
All the wild and bizarre shootout and action toward the end didn't compensate for the bad taste that foul twist in the story created. It's nothing against the cast. Keaton was good, Rene Russo was very good, LaPaglia was good as Stevie Diroma, Kevin Conway was good as Lt. Danny Quin, and all the rest were fine. It was the plot twist that kept this film from being very good. My six stars are for the three girls and the good story and acting up until Artie's dopey raid on the dope gang.
But that's also the point about the problem with that ridiculous twist in this film. If he was thinking he was doing this for his wife and the kids, what if he failed? What if he got killed or the deal failed and he gets disgraced or jailed? Where are his wife and the three girls then? And, as super a cop as he might have thought he was, how could be he so dumb as to think he could actually pull the job off and get away with it?
Well, of course, he does pull the job and make it away. But he's so bright as a cop to give the direct clues that everyone in the audience watching this film knew he was doing the minute he threw money out the window and wadded a C-note up and tossed it in the face of the drug leader, Beniamino? No, he wasn't thinking. No, it wasn't carefully planned. No, it wasn't likely to succeed at all. And, yes, it was just plain dumb.
It's too bad the screen writers couldn't have had Artie and Felix finally help bring down the drug gang, while finding a way to get the house for his new family. I thought the offer by the former policeman was fantastic. The scene when Artie tells the oldest girl that her dad had an accident is a real tearjerker. It had this one-time paratrooper weeping. With those three young girls, and Artie and Rita as a couple who would adopt them, there was a very good story and movie here. It's too bad they ruined it with the good cop gone bad twist.
All the wild and bizarre shootout and action toward the end didn't compensate for the bad taste that foul twist in the story created. It's nothing against the cast. Keaton was good, Rene Russo was very good, LaPaglia was good as Stevie Diroma, Kevin Conway was good as Lt. Danny Quin, and all the rest were fine. It was the plot twist that kept this film from being very good. My six stars are for the three girls and the good story and acting up until Artie's dopey raid on the dope gang.