Scott LeBrun Well handled if not particularly memorable neo noir tale, based on the novel by James Ellroy, who'd hit the big time the previous year with the movie adaptation of his story "L.A. Confidential". Written for the screen by its director, Jason Freeland, it guides us through an appropriately twist laden plot, with some commendably dark if also admittedly uncomfortable elements such as incest among its revelations, and its setting is typical noir stuff - the seedy under belly of a city (Los Angeles) that one may not automatically associate with such a place. Michael Rooker is solid and extremely well cast as a flawed but not unlikable protagonist, part time repo man and part time private eye Fritz Brown. Fritz is approached with an assignment by young, corpulent caddie "Fat Dog" Baker ('MADtv''s Will Sasso, delivering an impressive dramatic performance) to watch the man's kid sister Jane (Selma Blair, in fine sultry form). Naturally, Fritz will learn that he's not being told everything, and will uncover, among other things, a link to a former nemesis, an Internal Affairs detective named Cathcart (the late, great screen villain Brion James). "Brown's Requiem" features a wonderfully effective, mournful, sometimes jazzy score by Cynthia Millar, and maintains a true noir feel, with nice widescreen cinematography by Seo Mutarevic. The story is ultimately tinged with tragedy; Fritz's problem with drink will continue to dog him after this story ends, and he won't even be able to truly enjoy an unexpected development that occurs late in the game. What's really cool is seeing this very interesting collection of character actors, familiar faces, and notable veterans that populates the landscape. First off, it's a treat to see Rooker, Brad Dourif, and Tobin Bell all in the same movie, 10 years after "Mississippi Burning". Bell in particular is a hoot in a role that's nothing like the kind of bad guy roles he's often played. Also appearing are Kevin Corrigan, Harold Gould, Barry Newman, William Newman, Jack Wallace, Lee Weaver, Kevin Jackson, Jack Conley, Jennifer Coolidge, and Valerie Perrine. They make this worth sticking with since the pacing is of the deliberate type that may not suit the tastes of some viewers. Overall, the movie is nothing great, but good enough and fun enough to watch. Worth a look for genre fans. Seven out of 10.

Raegan Butcher It is definitely Michael Rooker who carries this film with his likable working-man persona.He really manages to show the heart and humanity under his character's rough exterior and when he needs to be menacing he delivers the goods;the scene where he takes a pair of brass knuckles to a creep in order to beat some information out of him is worth the price of admission alone. He is well-served by a snappy script that captures the gritty funk of Ellroy's writing. Capable direction by Jason Freeland keeps things moving nicely. There are excellent character turns by Will Sasso, Brad Dourif,and Barry Newman. And Harold Gould takes a bow as a slimy mobster.I am surprised this isn't more celebrated. Good show, all around.

moovguy 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.

Gudo First I want to say that I love James Ellroy. You will certainly find L.A. Confidential in my top 10 for best movies of the 90's.So I really looked forward to this movie, but it really disappointed me. The story concentrates the most on the main character, here played by a decent B-movie actor: Michael Rooker. Unfortunately, he just can't handle with his personage. The film could have greater, with a lesser depressing tone, a bit more tempo and a better written adaptation. The actual crime story is hard to follow and is told here on a very uninteresting way.I saw this in the movie theatre, but I think this should have been going directly on video. I can almost certainly say that almost every Ellroy fan will be disappointed. A shame, a pity, just forget about it...hopefully the next Ellroy film will be better. The first thing I wanted to do after seeing this film, was watching L.A. Confidential again...