Who doesn’t love Michael Keaton?

I remember when this one came out, the videocassettes lined the shelves of my video store but I never took it home, though I did like the look of the cover art. Anyway.

I finally got around to it, and I quite enjoyed it. Alongside Keaton is Rene Russo, Benjamin Bratt, Rachel Ticotin and Anthony LaPaglia. Before we get further along lets acknowledge that yes, the film goes for a Hollywood ending, but the ethics at the heart of the film, and the story itself is pretty solid and entertaining.

Artie Lewis (Keaton) and Stevie (LaPaglia) are partners, New York Police Detectives. During a hostage call in which the suspect, Clifford (Kevin Corrigan) is holding his girlfriend and children hostage, Stevie is shot and killed.

He was a single parent, and he’s named Artie as the guardian for his three young daughters. Artie and Rita (Russo) take the girls in, which upsets their own lives, but soon they become a family. But there’s no way they can afford to raise all three in the tiny little apartment they have in the city.

This pushes Artie to make some unwise decisions even as he continues to investigate a notorious drug dealer, Beniamino (Tony Plana).

The film is predominantly a drama, with moments of humor and action, and Keaton, between Batmans at the moment, turns in a solid performance. In pairing him with Russo, who is talented and lovely… they make a great couple.

In fact, the entire cast is great. Artie’s boss, Lieutenant Danny Quinn is brought to life by Kevin Conway, and he looks exactly the way you imagined a rumpled detective would look.

I did think the main set for the police precinct was a little too stereotypical – a pair of offices, an open area filled with shoddy desks, and even a holding cell with a streetwalker pacing back and forth.

Still, the growing family pieces of the film are nicely executed and Keaton and Russo are wonderfully charming in their interactions with the child actors.

The film is also very 90s, there are lots of vests, and the film is pretty clean and bright-looking.

This was Keaton’s second feature film after Batman. Before this he was primarily known for his comedic work, so it’s great to see that after Batman he did a thriller in which he was the villain, Pacific Heights, and this, a straightforward dramatic role. The Caped Crusader seemed to have opened a number of doors for Keaton and he dove into everything full-bore showing what he can do.

Keaton is always phenomenal, so this one, for him alone, is worth a look.