First Hit: I was not only surprised by the acting I really enjoyed the ride.
Confession: Keanu Reeves is not my favorite actor.
However, in this film as Detective Tom Ludlow, Keanu shows his acting experience and maturity by playing a gritty veteran LA cop who finds life hard after the death of his wife. He takes to drinking airplane size bottles of vodka while driving to his next scene.
The set up of his personality comes right at the start of the film in which he wakes up, throws up, buys some mini bottles of Vodka and goes after some guys who are looking to buy some guns. From here the story takes off while ensuring you get a full dose of why he works alone, why he is dangerous, how he continues to stay on the force, and his hair trigger.
Forest Whitaker plays Captain Jack Wander who is steadily rising through the department on the back and collars of Detective Ludlow. He covers for him when needed because the outcomes of the events are only supporting his growth through the department. As you might guess there is someone in the department working against Ludlow and this provides the fuel for this interesting adventure full of twists and turns all of which make sense as you go along for the ride.
Overall: The acting was very good, the script excellent, and the subtle directing wasn’t in the way of a good story.