A New York at odds with Woody Allen's, albeit also filled with angst; where Allen dissects the middle class in the throes of its own insecurities, Lumet cruises the underbelly
Q & A (1990)
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Reviews Counted:18
Fresh:15
Rotten:3
Average Rating:6.6/10
Synopsis: Taking its title from the stenographer's record in a criminal investigation, Sidney Lumet's brutal look at police corruption peers at the rotten center of crime-fighting institutions and spotlights... Taking its title from the stenographer's record in a criminal investigation, Sidney Lumet's brutal look at police corruption peers at the rotten center of crime-fighting institutions and spotlights one man's naïve attempt to intervene. Timothy Hutton is young District Attorney Al Reilly, called in on a cut and dry case. In the seemingly simple investigation of the shooting of a Puerto Rican drug lord by supposed model cop Brennan (Nick Nolte), Reilly discovers telling inconsistencies and delves further. Despite the stern advice from Chief of Homicide Quinn to resolve the case and quickly clear Brennan, the older cop's suspicious behavior and conflicting stories spur Reilly to delve further. Reilly's former fiancée, Nancy, complicates matters because she is now involved with the prime witness, Bobby Texador (Armand Assanté). With this emotional baggage, Reilly uncovers a vast web of corruption stretching from Manhattan to Puerto Rico that leads all the way to Quinn. Brennan realizes that Reilly is on to him, and he becomes ruthless, stopping at nothing to prevent the truth from surfacing. The gritty and poisonous world of hardened urban cops surfaces as Lumet illustrates the crusading Reilly's uncompromising honesty against the landscape of racism, lies, and illicit allegiances that lurk below every surface of the city. [More]
Starring: Nick Nolte, Timothy Hutton, Armand Assante, Patrick O'Neal
Starring: Nick Nolte, Timothy Hutton, Armand Assante, Patrick O'Neal, Paul Calderon, Lee Richardson, Luis Guzman, Charles Dutton, Dominic Chianese
Director: Sidney Lumet
Director: Sidney Lumet
Screenwriter: Sidney Lumet
Producer: Arnon Milchan, Burtt Harris
Reviews for Q & A
Lumet pulls no punches showing a contemporary NYC plagued by racism, violence, crime, tribalism, cronyism, and corruption.
Sidney Lumet's third film about corruption in the NYC police department is a gritty, gripping and profane thriller with a powerhouse performance by an intimidating Nick Nolte.
The type of film that wastes a good afternoon with delicious performances and weak writing.
A gritty and morally complex cop thriller featuring a haymaker of a performance from Nolte.
Unsettling film about the racial bigotry which permeates every facet of urban living.
A ramshackle police drama that resides in the upper-tier of Lumet's ouevre.
Latest News for Q & A
March 09, 2006:
Trailer Bulletin: Find Me Guilty
Wondering what Vin Diesel's been up to lately? Well, he's been off making a fact-based courtroom flick with ... legendary director Sidney Lumet, that's who. Entitled "Find... More...
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