i saw this movie on the shelf at blockbuster and think it look cool . the dvd case tout so many great actor and i wonder to myself and why have i never heard of this movie . then i turn over the case and saw the director and lee tamahori and and thus the answer begin to explain itself . first of all i want to defeat the idea that a great cast equal a great movie and but more importantly and i think i should explain why this movie be so terrible . okay and the script be awful and full of one dimensional character . this be the bad role i have ever see chazz palminteri play and i be surprise he would do something this ridiculous . however and under appreciate yet talented actor must earn their money . palminteri play a one dimensional police detective who come off about as dumb a a c movie mob henchman . him and along with the lead detective ( the poorly direct nolte ) and the great but simple michael madsen and and the late chris penn ( whose role along with madsen be completely thrown away ) make up an elite squad of la detective task to rid the city of mobster sometime in the late 30 or 40 . the movie introduce this squad a cop who will break every law to make sure those who think theyre above the law do not operate in their city . at the beginning of the film the cop rough up a local restaurant and grab an allege mobster ( william peterson ) and take him to a place they call the mulholland fall . they toss him off one of the cliff on mullholland drive and this be suppose to demonstrate how serious these guy be about rid the city of crime . whatever . this be nothing more than a cheap excuse to use a crappy title that design to make you think of la and it famous site . somewhere later on they find the dead body of jennifer connelly and the plot begin . on to the direction which be nothing short of amateur and weak . aside from the fact that the character be b movie quality and the overacting by those such a treat williams and the guy who play the chief of police and and the awful daniel baldwin be just a few highlight that make this movie seem like it be lee tamhori first film . there not one good performance in the movie aside from maybe melanie griffith and who some might argue be the bad in the movie ( she win a razzie for this film ) . in the end and it be her character that be not that great and she really do not have much to work with . a with any bad movie and it all begin with the writing and and this script be no gem . plot be formulate simply on the basis of set up the next scene and never take into consideration character motivation . the way the character behave be unbelievable . cop take the law into their own hand be believable within the right circumstance ( see la confidential ) but in this case it look like these guy could get away with anything and include murder and and never bat an eye about clean anything up . i guess we a an audience be just suppose to assume that no one saw anything and that people would not ask question . everything about the story be predictable and be spoon fed so well that we understand everything that go to happen a good while before the character do . however and it doesn not make u feel smart and but rather make u angry at how stupid the hero be and despite the fact that there aren not any hero in this movie . in the end and the best component of the movie be the great score by david grusin . from the beginning and it invoke a since of chinatown and which quickly fade when i realize how unbelievable just about everything in the film be . it do not surprise me to learn that it make a whopping eleven million in the box office . what i will say be that this film be worth watch for a few laugh . nick nolte acting be like an unsuccessfully domesticated junkyard dog and i laugh every time he try to be serious . i also nearly fell on the floor at each of the slow motion shot use in the film ( i think there be three with one during a key fight scene ) . when you have to use slow motion in the heat of a dramatic moment and you clearly have some problem . so and even with my negative criticism and i will recommend this movie solely for the purpose of entice laughter and that be and if you appreciate the good movie like la confidential .