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RAMPART (2011)Movie Reviews
Drama about a dirty cop who becomes involved in an LAPD corruption scandal. Cast:Woody Harrelson, Sigourney Weaver, Robin Wright, Ned BeattyDirector:Oren MovermanRelease Date:February 10, 2012DVD Release:May 15, 2012From:Millenium EntertainmentRating:RLength:1 hr 45 min
Rampart (2011) played in key cities to good reviews. • Stephen Whitty wrote in the New Jersey Star-Ledger, "...has nothing but great performances.... But Oren Moverman's overdone direction adds more flash than flesh to the script's bare outlines." • And Bilge Ebiri wrote in New York Magazine, "Harrelson is a force of nature here, and watching him takes your breath away." More Reviews Below...
Richard Corliss, Time: GOOD "As grimy visually as it is gritty in its narrative.... Harrelson rewards watching; he's no less potent at rest than when he explodes in calculated rage."(See all of Richard Corliss's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,310 words, 09/14/11
Jake Coyle, Associated Press: WEAK(cg) "Harrelson's intense and committed performance keeps Oren Moverman's film moving, even while the grim and overdone story wallows affectedly."(See all of Jake Coyle's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 530 words, 02/09/12
Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...a terrific film: tense, shocking, complex, mesmerizing.... it seethes with ugly insider knowledge of what goes on in the minds of cops.... It's a thriller on fire."(See all of Owen Gleiberman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 229 words, 11/25/11
Peter Travers, Rolling Stone: OUTSTANDING(cg) "Woody Harrelson climbs to the top of the acting mountain. It's a monumental portrayal of a cop in meltdown -- bruisingly brilliant and coiled to spring."(See all of Peter Travers's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 487 words, 02/03/12
Claudia Puig, USA Today: VERY GOOD(cg) "Harrelson's casually malevolent performance as Dave Brown, an officer in the scandal-plagued Rampart division, is the actor's most impressive portrayal."(See all of Claudia Puig's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 501 words, 02/10/12
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...co-written by the unsurpassed crime writer James Ellroy... a stand-alone character study, isolated within himself.... Harrelson is an ideal actor for the role."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 829 words, 02/17/12
Glenn Kenny, MSN Movies: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...while the stellar cast is entirely on board and does terrific work throughout, Moverman's direction is sometimes on the showy side..."(See all of Glenn Kenny's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 687 words, 02/06/12
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NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES/CHICAGO/TORONTO (13 Reviews)
Manohla Dargis, New York Times: EXCELLENT "...a vivid, often mesmerizing portrait... Mr. Harrelson brings both a raw intensity and a necessary lightness of touch to his unsentimental performance."(See all of Manohla Dargis's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 823 words, 11/23/11
Joe Neumaier, New York Daily News: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "Harrelson makes Dave Brown fascinating even as writer-director Oren Moverman allows the film, from a James Ellroy screenplay, to become a sprawl."(See all of Joe Neumaier's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 335 words, 11/23/11
Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: GOOD "It is a credit to the actor that you feel anything -- much less compassion -- for a man his older daughter describes as homophobic, chauvinistic, racist and violent."(See all of Betsy Sharkey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 668 words, 11/23/11
Kyle Smith, New York Post: MODERATE(cg) " 'I'm not just a cop.' (Dramatic pause.) 'I'm a cop on the edge!' For two hours of the same, spattered with unclean language and bad nastiness, see 'Rampart.' "(See all of Kyle Smith's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 526 words, 11/23/11
Bilge Ebiri, New York Magazine: VERY GOOD "...keeps threatening to spin out of control; don't look for easy resolutions or clear narrative lines... Harrelson is a force of nature here, and watching him takes your breath away."(See all of Bilge Ebiri's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 520 words, 11/30/11
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...co-written by the unsurpassed crime writer James Ellroy... a stand-alone character study, isolated within himself.... Harrelson is an ideal actor for the role."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 829 words, 02/17/12
Peter Howell, Toronto Star: VERY GOOD(cg) "Harrelson has never done a character at once so vile and so pitiable as this; nor has he invested so much into a performance."(See all of Peter Howell's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 577 words, 02/24/12
Stephen Cole, Toronto Globe & Mail: OUTSTANDING(cg) "Noir connoisseurs will receive Moverman's latest like a double bourbon from heaven.... the best crime-movie fix from Hollywood since 'Gone Baby Gone.' "(See all of Stephen Cole's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 569 words, 02/10/12
Susan G. Cole, Toronto Now: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...so confusing that it's hard to know if Dave is sinking into the depths of paranoia or the higher ups (Sigourney Weaver, Steve Buscemi) are just trying to get him under control."(See all of Susan G. Cole's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 156 words, 02/09/12
KEY CITIES (10 Reviews)
Ann Hornaday, Washington Post: MODERATE(cg) "Woody Harrelson brings the heat... The problem is that writer/director Oren Moverman ('The Messenger') and co-screenwriter James Ellroy don't bring much light..."(See all of Ann Hornaday's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 477 words, 02/24/12
Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star-Tribune: VERY GOOD(cg) "Plot shortcomings aside (like, there isn't one), 'Rampart' is a riveting portrait of a Tyrannosaur unaware that he's waist-deep in the La Brea Tar Pits."(See all of Colin Covert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 460 words, 02/24/12
Bill Goodykoontz, Arizona Republic: EXCELLENT(cg) "Moverman's trying too hard sometimes, but no matter how far out he goes, he's got Harrelson's amazing performance to reel him back in."(See all of Bill Goodykoontz's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 571 words, 03/02/12
Ty Burr, Boston Globe: MODERATE(cg) "It's beguilingly busy on the surface, with colorful supporting characters filing in and out and a hot visual scheme of yellows and oranges... But the overdone details can't disguise an underwritten core."(See all of Ty Burr's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 629 words, 02/17/12
Stephen Whitty, New Jersey Star-Ledger: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...has nothing but great performances.... But Oren Moverman's overdone direction adds more flash than flesh to the script's bare outlines."(See all of Stephen Whitty's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 528 words, 11/23/11
Moira Macdonald, Seattle Times: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...remarkably compelling.... Harrelson's not afraid to show us the emptiness of a terrible man, while revealing the tiniest hints of a different person buried deep within."(See all of Moira Macdonald's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 425 words, 03/02/12
Shawn Levy, Portland Oregonian: GOOD(cg) "Harrelson delivers a searing performance... But Ellroy's bully-boy schtick is getting stale, and Moverman is overly beholden to it."(See all of Shawn Levy's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 250 words, 03/02/12
Peter Keough, Boston Phoenix: VERY GOOD(cg) "Moverman employs a deceptively episodic narrative in unfolding his morality tale, the tragic arc suggested by mood and atmosphere, underscored by the searing sunshine..."(See all of Peter Keough's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 325 words, 02/16/12
Noel Murray, AV Club: VERY GOOD(cg) "...set in the '90s, but the type at its center is timeless: the kind of man who grins like a mischievous little boy while he destroys everything he touches."(See all of Noel Murray's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 453 words, 02/09/12
Alison Willmore, Movieline: GOOD(cg) "While it provides a watchable, nuanced portrait of man in crisis, it's an insistently one-note affair, repeated until it induces a splitting headache."(See all of Alison Willmore's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 866 words, 11/22/11
Susan G. Cole, Toronto Now: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...so confusing that it's hard to know if Dave is sinking into the depths of paranoia or the higher ups (Sigourney Weaver, Steve Buscemi) are just trying to get him under control."(See all of Susan G. Cole's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 156 words, 02/09/12
John Anderson, Wall Street Journal: VERY GOOD "With Mr. Harrelson, Mr. Moverman has created an antihero of epic proportions and indiscretions.... a fresh spin on Old West-style rugged individualism, and it isn't pretty."(See all of John Anderson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 274 words, 02/10/12
Manohla Dargis, New York Times: EXCELLENT "...a vivid, often mesmerizing portrait... Mr. Harrelson brings both a raw intensity and a necessary lightness of touch to his unsentimental performance."(See all of Manohla Dargis's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 823 words, 11/23/11
Ian Buckwalter, NPR: VERY GOOD "...fascinating if deeply disturbing... Moverman gets away with a protagonist who it's impossible to root for by making sure we care about the fallout of his meltdown."(See all of Ian Buckwalter's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 678 words, 11/24/11
Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: GOOD "It is a credit to the actor that you feel anything -- much less compassion -- for a man his older daughter describes as homophobic, chauvinistic, racist and violent."(See all of Betsy Sharkey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 668 words, 11/23/11
Dana Stevens, Slate: GOOD "Moverman is a gifted director of actors... Harrelson is as good as he's ever been.... The last third of 'Rampart' founders in disappointingly standard-issue abjection..."(See all of Dana Stevens's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 845 words, 02/09/12
Andrew O'Hehir, Salon: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "Harrelson gives a moving, terrifying, titanic performance... But what 'Rampart' doesn't really offer is a story worthy of its tremendous antihero..."(See all of Andrew O'Hehir's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 900 words, 02/08/12
MOVIE INDUSTRY (6 Reviews)
Justin Chang, Daily Variety: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "...well-wrought but dramatically narrow... its relentless downward spiral makes for an overdetermined, not entirely satisfying character study..."(See all of Justin Chang's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 902 words, 09/11/11
Kirk Honeycutt, Hollywood Reporter: WEAK "...director Oren Moverman comes up with a creature that is neither credible nor interesting.... a movie that fails to acknowledge any truly good person can possibly exist."(See all of Kirk Honeycutt's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 885 words, 09/11/11
Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: GOOD "It is a credit to the actor that you feel anything -- much less compassion -- for a man his older daughter describes as homophobic, chauvinistic, racist and violent."(See all of Betsy Sharkey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 668 words, 11/23/11
Emanuel Levy, Cinema 24/7: OUTSTANDING(cg) "Though different from 'The Messenger' in many significant ways, 'Rampart' certainly reaffirms Oren Moverman as a gifted filmmaker to watch."(See all of Emanuel Levy's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,108 words, 11/22/11
Manohla Dargis, New York Times: EXCELLENT "...a vivid, often mesmerizing portrait... Mr. Harrelson brings both a raw intensity and a necessary lightness of touch to his unsentimental performance."(See all of Manohla Dargis's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 823 words, 11/23/11
John Anderson, Wall Street Journal: VERY GOOD "With Mr. Harrelson, Mr. Moverman has created an antihero of epic proportions and indiscretions.... a fresh spin on Old West-style rugged individualism, and it isn't pretty."(See all of John Anderson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 274 words, 02/10/12
18.1 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
Rampart (2011)'s reviews are separated by an average 18.1 percentage points. The norm for this measure is 18.4 percentage points. Less than 18.4 indicates more consistent reviews; greater than 18.4 indicates more mixed reviews. In the chart below, each dot represents a review, with the dots at the top more positive than the dots at the bottom. From left to right, the dots represent reviews in big, bigger and biggest publications. Roll over each dot for more detail.
Rampart (2011) (44 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:Rampart (2011)'s reviews cover 87.2% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 25,252 words involume (average is 20,194 words). Length:The film's reviews average 574 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
Reviews Broke 40 Days Before Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
Rampart (2011)'s reviews on average broke 40 days before opening. Norm for this measure is 1.2 hours before. The chart below shows reviews on opening day and the days before and after opening; the left side is earlier and the right side is later. The red bars extending above the horizontal mid-line represent more positive reviews, and the red bars extending below represent more negative reviews. The white space/red bar in the middle is Rampart (2011)'s opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
Rampart (2011) (44 reviews, click on bars for reviews)
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