The sort of stylish thiller....

I enjoy it too.

I haven't seen Rampart yet, but Internal Affairs has always struck me as a very James Ellroy type of film. Unremittingly grim, populated by unsympathetic (yet charismatic) characters, and a very...ah..."pragmatic" view of police work generally.

I've got to wonder if Figgis was reading any Ellroy prior to making this movie.

I'd say Gere has never given a better performance. Few have.

It went ten steps too far. The story of Peck could have been terrific if they just stuck with the homes, wifes, laundered money, irs, kids, informants et al. Keep it real in other words. This stuff --really-- happens.

Where they went wrong are the murders, the killing for hire, clueless dept. heads: it was all too much. Figgas was one the right track he just should have done half-as-much and forgot about the clichied violence
"No Jews, or Negroes and very few Catholics and that's because I'm Catholic."