Brown's Requiem

All of these reviews worth their salt catch on to the fact that this is a great adaption of the book. What they fail to mention is that the locations in this movie really give it that dark, haunting feel that is the underbelly of Los Angeles. LA is not all bright, blaring sunlight and perfectly straight rows of palm trees. The city's most interesting aspect is hidden in its shadows and the film captures that look perfectly.

The film succeeds at the most basic level: it creates a vivid lead character, and portrays a specific time and place accurately and memorably.

Fans of noir should not miss this undeservedly obscure rendering of Ellroy's first (and most autobiographical) novel.

I am amazed that, given the reviews of the film (all apart from two rate the film highly), how this film managed to score so poorly. Indeed, I think it's a huge shame that it didn't get a better cinema release in this country. I only saw it on video.

I thought it was excellent thriller in the noir tradition. There are three standout elements. First, the plot and feel of the film. These are faithful to James Ellroy's book, more so than in the case of LA Confidential. I was amazed how much of the detailed plot was included (and believe me Ellroy plots are detailed!) Secondly, Cynthia Millar's haunting piano score was probably largely responsible for my second viewing of the film. Thirdly, Michael Rooker's performance. I had only ever remembered him as the villain in Sea of Love, a part he played well but not outstandingly. Here, though, his hangdog expression served him excellently. He is a modern Robert Mitchum, born to play noir leads. Actually he's better, Mitchum was too smooth.

Highly recommended. Go see it and give it more deserving marks on the board than it has at the moment. I haven't mentioned Jason Freedland's contribution, but I hope to see more from this talented director, given his superb first attempt.

Brown's Requiem is a neat little slice of Los Angeles film noir in the tradition of L.A. Confidential and Mulholland Falls. It's based on a book of the same name that's written by James Ellroy, who actually wrote L.A. Confidential as well, so the crime vibe here is thick, rich and genuine. Michael Rooker is flat out fantastic as Fritz Brown, a world weary, hard bitten private investigator who is hired by a rotund caddie named Fat Dog (Will Sasso) to find his kid sister (Selma Blair) a wayward girl who has apparently run off with a her sugar daddy, and may be in danger. Brown noses around and before he knows it he's neck deep in police corruption, violence and murder. It's convoluted, but film noir always is, and when the plot is left to bake in the California sun, it's going to be nicely sinewy and labyrinthine to please all the filmgoers put there who fancy themselves gumshoes and like to decipher the happenings along with the protagonist. The trail leads Brown to sinister police captain Cathcart (the late Brion James), brutal thug Richard Ralston (Jack Conley) and many other bottom dwelling nasties. This is a rare lead role for Rooker and he's riveting, fitting this genre protagonist like a glove. His innate menace and gruff whisper of a voice are put to good use as the hangdog tough guy takes care of business in style. Watch out for Kevin Corrigan, Tobin Bell, Christopher Meloni and a brief but darkly funny cameo from Brad Dourif. Where L.A. Confidential hid it's grit beneath a sheen of glamour, Brown's Requiem wears it proudly on its seedy sleeve, a scrappy little cousin to Confidential, and a sturdy little noir mystery boosted by Rooker's work.

Michael Rooker is an antihero private investigator, who gets involved with a nasty case revolving around incest and murder. Rooker is excellent as the boozing detective. Selma Blair is more in the background, while Brion James and Brad Dourif have small roles. Although the story is pretty straightforward, there are a couple of minor surprises. The bad guys seem to underestimate Rooker, and that often works to his advantage. The final showdown with Brion James is both exciting and satisfying. Character development is good, the pace is acceptable, and overall, "Brown's Requium" is entertaining, although at times the film is a bit confusing ....... - MERK