ParamountThe Bad Cop: Henry Oak (Ray Liotta) is a dedicated lawman with an extremely short fuse. A man with a history of police brutality, Oak is even less pleasant as he investigates his latest murder, which is that of his friend and fellow cop. From the outset, Oak tells his new partner, Nick Tellis (Jason Patric), that hell break any rules to find the murderer, and its not hard to believe him. Most Corrupt Act: When we first meet Oak, he beats a handcuffed suspect with a billiards ball and that's just an introduction to what he's capable of. As the investigation goes on, it becomes clear that Oak is more involved with his friends death than he lets on. He finally tracks down two suspects and mercilessly beats a confession out of them. Once they've given him what he needs he plans to execute them in cold blood. Is Justice Served? The movie makes it difficult to decide what justice is in this situation. Tellis shoots Oak before he can kill the suspects, but then the truth comes out; Oaks friend was a drug addict who killed himself, and was also married to Oaks adopted daughter. Oak was looking for someone to pin the murders on because a suicide would mean Oaks daughter would get no financial compensation for her husband's death. Corruption for noble reasons, but massive corruption nonetheless.
