SnoopyStyle Brash and corrupt NYPD detective Mike Brennan (Nick Nolte) tracks down and executes petty criminal Tony Vasquez. Rookie ADA and former cop Al Reilly (Timothy Hutton) is picked by Kevin Quinn for the case. Detectives Luis Valentin (Luis Guzmán) and Sam Chapman (Charles S. Dutton) are the investigators. Brennan claims an open-and-shut self-defense case and Quinn expects a quick exoneration. There are various witnesses including criminal Bobby Tex Texador (Armand Assante) and his wife Nancy Bosch. Nancy is Al's ex who broke up after he didn't react well when introduced to her black father. The self-defense case doesn't add up and Quinn ramps up for a political run.Everybody is doing their best hard-boiled New Yorker. That and the labyrithium story can overwhelm the movie. Nolte is going for the full Nolte and it's arguably good. Armand Assante and Luis Guzmán doing a song and dance seems unnecessary. Jenny Lumet is possibly the squeaky wheel. Part of that is her character's convenient relationship with Al. I do like the idea but the situation is too convenient. The movie would improve with some simplification. Lumet is jamming so much into the movie that the flow becomes jagged. In addition, the music score is too light. The recurring song 'The Hit' is a bad 80's pop mix. Rubén Blades is infinitely better as an actor. It simply doesn't work for a gritty New York crime drama. Overall, the good stuff outweights the less good stuff. It kinda works for the most part.

utdman4 all in all i have to say this is a pretty impressive movie,great performance from nick nolte,and good performances from timothy hutton and armand assante, i watched this about 20 years ago and it still holds up today compared to any bent cop movies. Nolte gives and electrifying performance as dirty cop mike brennan, up against the younger asst district att, (hutton) who is given a clear cut case of self defence starts to dig deeper and finds out that hes up against a legend on the force, and a possible cover up that goes right to the top, throw in an ex-girlfriend who has taken up with a possible witness and you,ve got a great movie from the late great sydney lumet.

agsconnolly Q & A is one of the most enigmatic films I've seen. It veers drastically between exceptionally good and oddly clunky and sometimes threatens to be pretty poor – and not necessarily in that order. It follows an investigation into a shooting by Michael Brennan, an experienced and ferociously tough police officer played magnificently by Nick Nolte in his pomp. The investigation is conducted by Timothy Hutton, who is a true revelation (to me, at least) as an almost equally tough, but mostly non-violent, lawyer. The situation is muddied by a shady drug-runner (Armand Assante) and a manipulative senior officer (Patrick O'Neal).The introduction to Nolte's character is fabulous scene-setting, as he holds court with fellow officers regarding some previous rough-housing of a suspect. The Brennan profile is deep and somewhat mysterious – we like him, we hate him, we are disgusted by him….and we want to see more of him. Speaking of which, the film could have benefited from more interplay between Nolte and Hutton. Hutton's brilliantly understated resilience to the aggression of Nolte and Assante, is a surprise and adds a true edginess to the film. Unfortunately, the same can't be said of the very clunky love interest Hutton has with Assante's mistress – we discover they are former lovers who split up over some fairly tenuous business about her father being black. The continued revisiting of this strained relationship is weak and uses time that one feels could be better served building the Brennan character or at least promoting the Nolte/Hutton feud.Other questionable points in the film concern the various plot turns that are almost casually thrown in and, whilst we don't lose track of proceedings, one feels we could have been given a better idea of how the characters arrive in certain situations. In short, by occasionally rushing things, Q & A often has you wondering if it's a bad film.But there are some moments that are truly great – various scenes with Nolte, and a short office tantrum by Hutton towards the end. You certainly feel that if this film featured more high profile actors it would be considered much more significant than it is currently. I would recommend Q & A to anyone simply for the performances of Nolte and Hutton – and obviously to fans of gritty cop dramas, who will love it anyway.

ereinion Whats not to like about this movie? Well, the violent and the dark, at times manic context which prevails in a good share of the scenes, together with the perversity thats being thrown at you in the most unsubtle way. Nick Nolte's Brennan must be the most foul,intimidating and maniacal cop figure ever portrayed since Orson Welles' Captain Quinlan in "Touch of evil". He pulls off a great performance, although not very pleasant to watch (nor listen, for that matter).Whats there to like about this movie? For one thing, there is Armand Assante and what most likely is the role of his career, even if its a supporting one and he gets only a couple scene stealers. He demonstrates how great he can be if given the right part. And his role is very interesting, an archcriminal with feelings, brought out by a woman who may not even love him.Jenny Lumet was also good in her role, although I missed more interaction between her and Assante's character. Timothy Hutton, although overshadowed by Nolte and Assante in turns (inevitable really), proves again that he is a solid actor.His performance is not spectacular(as the role doesn't allow it), but its worthwhile. Another great presence by Patrick O'Neal as the sly and cunning district attorney with a criminal past and ties to Bobby Texador(Assante).Sidney Lumet is the master of socio-political drama/comedy/thriller. Here he mixes all three into an enjoyable, intriguing and satisfactory work. This film deserves more attention than I believe it got. But again, looking at its "walk on the wild side" perspective, it really couldn't have become a blockbuster hit an average person chooses to watch on video or DVD on a Saturday night.