Vice

This little known police procedural came out in 2008, and it's a keeper! Michael Madsen and Daryl Hannah have perfect chemistry that keeps the dark plot moving along and makes us invest in the characters.

A note on both actors: Madsen has been doing great stuff for years. I recall his incredible dance in Reservoir Dogs, where he holds a pistol, wondering whom to shoot, as he rocks to the song "Stuck in the Middle with You." What a guy! Daryl Hannah, beautiful to this day, made a great splash in the movie by that name, with Tom Hanks, did the original Wall Street with Michael Douglas, and played the ruthless Elle in Kill Bill. What a gal!

Vice offers a solid, believable story. No spoiler, as usual: A bunch of crooked cops make a bust and can't resist stealing 40 million dollars worth of drugs. Problem is, the bad guys not only want it back...but wreak revenge by knocking off the cops one by one.

It's up to our illustrious pair of heroes to solve the mystery. Will they? They have internal demons of their own, so will their hubris bring them down? Oh my, how tense the films gets.

The pace is slow, so for those seeking continuous action, this is not the right flick. For viewers who appreciate a very "noirish" police story, with shady characters who veer to the other side of the law, this film offers a solid night's entertainment.