Q&A (1990)

Sidney Lumet is well versed in crafting corrupt cop thrillers, he's the man behind Serpico (1973) and Prince Of The City (1981). While this never hits the heights of the former, Q&A is an intricately designed police procedural, with pretty damning conclusions to take from it. When dirty cop Mike shoots a man and plants a gun on him, rookie assistant DA Al gets the case. Something in Mike's 'Q&A' doesn't sit right, and this launches a journey through a sewer of racism, corruption and violence. Nick Nolte is impressively despicable as Mike, and the crux of the film really has rotten heart. It's not an easy watch listening to some of the cops talking trash, but it is chillingly relevant today, despite being thirty years old this year. Q&A is, in the end, middling Lumet, but even when Lumet's not on the absolute top of his game, he remains better at this sort of thing than many of his peers. 7.0/10