When a 1975 New York Times cover story charged the NYPD with widespread graft and thuggery, we got Al Pacino as Serpico, one lone idealist who exposes the department and lives — just barely — to tell the tale. When the RAMPART report in the '90s likened the LAPD to a gang with badges, we got Training Day, where rookie Ethan Hawk manages to take out the corrupted veteran Denzel. It's nice to think that one good cop is all it takes to crack the bad eggs, and Hollywood keeps that hope alive.
But his week's report from the Department of Justice on the Ferguson Police Department is so visceral, so appallingly detailed, that it's hard to imagine blockbuster crowds cheering on a gritty but feel-good adaptation starring Michael B. Jordan as the rookie cop who mops up racism in St. Louis County.
Sadly, you can't montage away the type of top-down cultural sludge on display here.
[For more of this story, written by Jason Johnson, go to http://www.npr.org/blogs/codes...to-change-their-ways]
Comments (0)