A grim, disheartening view of the underside of city life, Q & A is a legal drama with a disturbing twist. Not exactly a whodunit--the guilt of policeman Nick Nolte is established early on--the plot follows the closing of the circle around him. Leading the murder investigation is Timothy Huttons young, idealistic district attorney Al Reilly, who finds himself battling a fraudulent and cynical culture. Racism, corruption and political machinations are all added to the mix, resulting in a film that is just a little too dense and slow moving to capture the imagination.... Director Sidney Lumet creates a feeling of enveloping darkness around Hutton, who slowly manages to let the light in and bring the truth to the surface. With an obviously small budget, the film has more of a made-for-television feel than that of a big blockbuster and some of the performances err too much on the side of cliché. The concept of the New York melting pot is fairly effectively dismissed by the film, painting a picture of distrust between communities that often spills into verbal and physical violence. Not quite as unremittingly bleak as Harvey Kietels Bad Lieutenant, Q & A is still a tough, dark piece of cinema. On the DVD: Q & A is very much a film of the night, with much of the action taking place either in the shadows or in rooms with harsh, artificial light. The picture on the DVD reflects that perfectly, although the lack of budget is hard to disguise. The soundtrack quality is good, if not startling, but there are no extras aside from the movies theatrical trailer. All in all, its a fairly average package. --Phil Udell [show more]
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Brennan (Nick Nolte) is a respected New York City cop who shoots a small-time hood in cold blood and claims self defence. However, he has not counted for the young Assistant D.A. (Timothy Hutton) who is assigned to investigate the shooting and in the process, sheds some light on the seedy side of a police department riddled with corruption, drug dealing and racism. To try and cover his tracks, witnesses against Brennan begin to turn up murdered until there is only one potential witness left; gangster and drug-runner Bobby Texador (Armand Asante). But can he be kept alive in time to testify?
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