WATCH THE TRAILER HERE
First, the Recap:
The politics of corruption. At first, this would seem a redundancy, as the two terms are usually in conjunction with one another, sadly often proven true as well. But, despite the potential consequences involved, there are those who would still aim to cross the line for the sake of any number of “benefits” it brings. However, what happens when the conscious begins to win out over illicit gain? For one big city cop named Brenda Hoggins (Audrey Noone), it will be this sudden change in stance when it comes to an unfolding dilemma involved with a shooting gone wrong involving her partner Michael Brooks (Justin Thibault), local drug dealer Reuben Jones (Anthony Gaudette), and Jones’ girlfriend Lacy (Sheri Lee).
Reeling more from the incident than she would have originally anticipated, Brenda soon finds herself on the radar of Inspector John Camp (Marc Powers) and an unscrupulous, hard-nosed IA investigator Earl Duke (Kris Salvi). Attempting to find some form of assurance from Michael that all will be well and the payday will be worth them compromising the truth, Brenda starts to question the validity of his arguments will being under pressure from Duke to rat out her partner. With a final thought in reaching out to her commander, L.T. Carmichael (Chris Fisher), for assistance and guidance, it becomes startlingly evident that there may either be few she can trust–or possibly no one at all.
Next, my Mind:
Uncomplicated filmmaking paired with a solid narrative that is tense, contemporary crime drama mixed with an underlying tone that heralds back to hard-boiled, old-style noir, this newest 21-minute short film effort from director/co-producer Chris Esper once again delivers the goods with smooth production quality, crisp visuals, and candid storytelling. Now, this being said, this reviewer finds it very hard to witness total originality when it comes to genre pieces, as the notions presented here about corrupt cops and the one who is having second thoughts about their ways are certainly not fresh or new. But, as Esper is so adept at accomplishing, the tale here of one officer’s heightened doubts in the wake of an incident gone bad carries with it an inherent and total believability thanks to the film not really trying to be anything else than what it is–straightforward, honest in its intent, raw in its execution, and the final kicker–presenting scenarios that could very much be true-to-life when it comes to law enforcement corruption actually existing, which it does, like it or not. It’s this perception of even possible realities that give thematic explorations like this their weight, at least for me, and that’s perhaps why I don’t grow weary of it. It illustrates a larger state of desperation that we as human beings can find ourselves in, even if not in the literal same ways as depicted here, and the means by which we choose to escape it all may yield freedom, or could end up revealing that even that which we thought we could trust may not be as it seems, much less working for our benefit. So, in view of these concepts, the film carries itself with quickly-paced momentum, the always clearly shot cinematography following the action with precision and ease, and ultimately gives the viewer a finale that leaves much to conjecture, but not frustratingly so, rather quite effectively and evocatively so.
Noone brings that aforementioned sense of realism plus tangible vulnerability and hesitantly steadfast resolve in portraying Brenda, a veteran cop who we cannot help but get the feeling used to be honest before being brought down by her partner and the illegal activities he has her involved in. Then, when an unanticipated shooting incident occurs on what should have been a routine drug bust, Brenda’s life and choices begin to unravel further, to the point of finally realizing she needs to get out. Yet, the more she considers these steps, the consequences of it start coming to mind, all the while being surrounded by other unprincipled officers and inspectors who only want to protect their own interests. Reaching the breaking point, Brenda makes a critical choice that will make or break her, and Noone enacts this chaos with unrestrained poise.
Thibault delivers a equally solid performance as Brenda’s partner Michael, a cop so far into his bad deals that he’s truly forgotten which way is up. Choosing to do anything to cover up what happened during the bust, his love of a quick payday and sweeping things under the rug gets potentially upended, leading to a heated and panicked confrontation with someone he believed had his back. Thibault portrays this tension and unbridled criminality wonderfully here. Salvi gives an engaging performance as the unethical IA investigator Earl Duke, a man we can immediately surmise wants someone’s head on a plate when it comes to corruption in the police ranks, though we soon realize he might be so squeaky clean himself. There’s a shadiness to his every word and action, and Salvi milks that demeanor for all it’s worth, to great and intended effect. Fisher shines as yet another highly questionable police officer, a commander much less, as Carmichael, one of the few people Brenda believes she can trust to help her out of the mess she’s in–until she discovers it might not be the case. Fisher embodies this character with an understated intensity.
Additional supporting turns are present from Powers as Camp, an Inspector in cahoots with Duke and the scheming they both undertake to fish out the corruption for what will most likely be to their gain, Gaudette as Jones, the drug dealer who ends up on the wrong side of an officer’s gun, and Lee as his girlfriend Lacy whose plight is no less fatal. Appearances are also made by Christie Devine, Hope Bohannon, Matt Brown, Kayla Caufield, Reed Dougherty, Christopher Fernandez, Anita Mazzaferno, Logan Raposo, Mindy Britto, Angel Connell, James J. Labonte, Bill Lee, Shannon Mercer, Scott Sangster, Stephen Trouskie, Alex D’Agostino, and J.R. Fortin. In total, “Bent” is another winning feather in the cap for Esper and Company, a sincere effort about insincere people, where dubious choices may end up wrecking the life of one of their own who’s been awakened to the fact that being corrupt doesn’t actually have its advantages—at least not as many as they originally thought.
As always, this is all for your consideration and comment. Until next time, thank you for reading!
