Rent Internal Affairs (1990)

Tense cop thriller with erotic overtones - Internal Affairs review by RP

Cast against type, Richard Gere plays baddie cop Dennis Peck - so corrupt that he's almost a caricature. Andy Garcia plays good cop Raymond Avila who has recently joined the Internal Affairs Department and who takes it upon himself to investigate Peck.

But not only is the good cop now despised for working for Internal Affairs but the tentacles of corruption of the bad cop are far reaching, and he's sufficiently manipulative to get good cop believing his wife is unfaithful.

Well directed by British director Mike Figgis, this is a tense cop thriller with erotic overtones and still works well even though it's over 20 years old. I enjoyed it and rate it 4/5 stars - recommended.

Fantastic Cop Thriller - Internal Affairs review by GI

This is one of the two films that are considered Richard Gere's comeback films, the other being Pretty Woman (1990). This is by far the better of the two with Gere first class as the thoroughly corrupt and manipulative cop, Dennis Peck being pursued by Andy Garcia's uptight Internal Affairs officer who has his own personal problems. It's a very stylish and watchable cop thriller with a narrative basically structured around two similar protagonists who stand on opposite sides of a moral landscape. A tale of toxic masculinity and jealously all wrapped up in taut crime thriller. Garcia is Raymond, an Internal Affairs cop who finds he's investigating an old colleague with drug problems but it soon becomes clear to Raymond that a lowly patrolman, Peck, is controlling his precinct through corruption and money laundering. Peck is though a very clever and manipulative cop prepared to do anything to protect his life. Director Mike Figgis directs with confidence although a director like Michael Mann may have had a more subtle approach especially as the central theme is of two main characters battling for their own take on what is right and wrong, a subject that Mann has focussed on in many films. This is perhaps a bit of a picky criticism because Internal Affairs is a first rate film, gritty, great cast including Laurie Metcalf, and with some good plotting. Definitely a film to seek out if you've not seen it.