As a registered Movie Guy, you know I have no problem with movie stars. Part of it is the comforting familiarity of it all, where you know you’re going to get Harrison Ford pointing and being salty, Ryan Gosling screaming, or Tom Cruise – President Hollywood himself – running. Part of the fun is when stars invert their well-crafted image, such as Dwayne Johnson playing a broken addict in The Smashing Machine or Julia Roberts as an ethically-compromised professor in After The Hunt. 

Movie stars rule, but if I’m being honest with you, my heart goes with character actors any day of the week, and twice on Sunday. There’s more of a sense of unpredictability, and even when those actors play a standard character archetype, their approach is often unique and exciting. One of the best to ever do it, and one who’s never quite gotten the credit he deserves, is Lou Diamond Phillips.

The film that blew Phillips up was 1987’s La Bamba. Audiences liked it a lot, as did critics, and Phillips was on his way. Since then, Phillips has worked steadily in film and television. Whether the projects were solid or shaky, Phillips showed up, did the work, and was a professional. Now, he’s the lead in the crime drama Gangland,* and if there were any justice in this bleak world, he’d be up for major awards consideration.

Speaking of no justice in a bleak world, we’re introduced to the reservation community of Thunderstone. Like most tribal communities, Thunderstone is viewed by most of the United States with disinterest, if not outright hostility. It’s a place that boils with frustration, resentment, and rage that goes back generations.

Teddy Sharpe (Lou Diamond Phillips) does what he can to keep Thunderstone from splintering. He’s in charge of Tribal Police, and he’s seen too much.** He also has to deal with the fact that many of the locals give him the cold shoulder, due to an incident in the past. Teddy can’t fix it, all he can do is move forward.

Part of the way Teddy does that is by training a new partner. This is Sandra Scala (Dana Namerode), and she has her own reasons for transferring to a department in the literal middle of nowhere. Their relationship is not off to a great start when she refers to the locals as “indigenous,” and Teddy shuts her down. He tells her politically correct terminology won’t fly, and that’s the first of his lessons. The second is when they nab a pair of young suspects, Teddy confiscates their weaponry and lets them go. Sandra begins to learn that incarceration won’t solve the problems plaguing Thunderstone.

The community’s problems get worse with the arrival of fugitive Richie Blacklance (Elisha Pratt). He’s got history with Thunderstone’s gangs, and his rep is fearsome. Richie is back in town for two reasons. The first is to settle a few scores. The second is to reconnect with his young nephew Albert (Lane Factor), teach him to be a man, and perhaps take him under his wing. Richie’s arrival horrifies his grandmother Chelsea (Irene Badad), a pillar of the community, and puts him on a collision course with Teddy and Sandra.

In movies, few things make my heart soar more than a gritty crime drama where a) a burned-out cop must b) deal with a dangerous criminal and c) reckon with the fallout of long hidden secrets.*** Gangland director Vincent Grashaw understands the appeal of that kind of story. There aren’t many action sequences, yet when they arrive, Grashaw shoots them with a clean realism. He also understands the gift he has of the wide, rolling Oklahoma landscape. It’s a place that can be consumed by the thunder of a bison herd, or where a gunshot can be swallowed up in the inky blackness. It’s a place where people on the margins can disappear. The end result is filmmaking that’s efficient and tough-minded.

Screenwriter Zach Montague is in sync with Grashaw. He understands the responsibility he has to set a genre piece on the Rez. American history teaches us much, including the fact that reservations were never set up to succeed. His characters understand that, and learn that the biggest part of tribal policing is helping as many people as possible survive by the end of the day. On the flip side, Montague’s perceptive script shows us that when people have almost no hope and no options, gang life begins to look attractive. Why wouldn’t it, when the people involved gain brotherhood, power, and money. The only costs are loyalty and a willingness to do bloody work. 

The cast achieves the kinds of performances I enjoy, where they’re simultaneously playing archetypes and unique individuals. It’s true that, at first glance, Dana Namerode’s Sandra is playing the Rookie Who Learns a Hard Lesson. That’s fine, and Namerode adds a layer of vulnerability and intelligence. She knows she’s in way over her head, and she doesn’t want to just prove she can do the job, she wants to do right by the people of Thunderstone. The same goes for Elisha Pratt as the nearly unstoppable Richie. Pratt plays him as a serious threat, yet he shows us glimpses of his love for his nephew, pride in his heritage, and shame in the road he’s taken. It’s a performance that’s complex and confident, the kind that other filmmakers could learn from while constructing their antagonists. 

That brings us to Lou Diamond Phillips, and if there’s a first among equals in this cast, it’s him. He does more than play the standard issue tough cop, he provides Teddy with three dimensions. Watch his scene where Teddy has Sandra over for dinner. Teddy’s wife Dyani (Kimberly Gerrero) does most of the talking, but watch Phillips’s body language and vocal intonations change. We see him quietly deciding to like and accept Sandra. Then watch his scene where he reveals his secret, and what it means to both him and the community. Phillips’ plays the moment with hollowed-out regret. He knows he won’t get a pass and he’s the first one to agree he doesn’t deserve it. 

Gangland is more than a cop movie, and more than a crime thriller. It’s a genre piece that expertly drills into real-world issues, and shows us that the outskirts of both the country and the law is a dangerous place to be. This is one of the best films of the year, and you can stream it on Fandango and Apple TV now.

*The original and better title of the film was Keep Quiet. 

**The burned-out cop is a cliche in movies, but to be fair, the entire job of a cop is not fun. There aren’t many officers saying, “Hi honey, I’m home! Had a great day working a double homicide!”

***One of the best of this kind of movie is One False Move, and Gangland admirably shares DNA with it.

Tim Brennan Movie Critic

Tim has been alarmingly enthusiastic about movies ever since childhood. He grew up in Boulder and, foolishly, left Colorado to study Communications in Washington State. Making matters worse, he moved to Connecticut after meeting his too-good-for-him wife. Drawn by the Rockies and a mild climate, he triumphantly returned and settled down back in Boulder County. He's written numerous screenplays, loves hiking, and embarrassed himself in front of Samuel L. Jackson. True story.