Curapedi I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

WillSushyMedia This movie was so-so. It had it's moments, but wasn't the greatest.

Lidia Draper Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.

Portia Hilton Blistering performances.

jimbo-53-186511 Raymond Avila (Andy Garcia) works for the Internal Affairs Department with his partner Amy Wallace (Laurie Metcalf). Dennis Peck (Richard Gere) is a police officer who peaks Avila and Wallace's interest when they discover that the lifestyle & money that he has acquired does not seem consistent with those of a regular police officer. Avila and Wallace begin investigating Peck, but Peck is more dangerous than they both envisaged and both Avila and Wallace soon find themselves on a dangerous collision course with Peck.I'm really not sure what director Mike Figgis was doing here, but for the most part Internal Affairs was neither thrilling nor particularly dramatic. I understand that certain films will have a slow-burn approach (which I presume is the approach used by Figgis), but nothing particularly interesting happens. Figgis seems to be content with characters chatting to each other including a couple of rather flat exchanges between Gere and Garcia but that's about all he can seem to muster. Avila and Wallace are supposed to be investigating Peck but it never really feels like much of an investigation to me and for that reason the story unfolds without much tension or intensity. The main problem with this film is that there is no excitement, no spark, and no memorable scenes or dialogue and as a result of all of these things I found the story boring and uninteresting.Oddly though this sort of changed at about the 80 minute mark - the film suddenly kicks into life and it almost felt like Figgis' had suddenly woke up and thought 'S**t I'm supposed to be making a crime thriller here'. There was some intensity in the last 30 minutes which at least made the race to the finish line that little bit more bearable.The cast were another problem here with both Garcia and Gere being in sleep mode here - although strangely enough they both seemed to wake up at about the 80 minute mark as well. Gere is OK throughout the film, but Garcia has never been an actor that I've been able to take to. He only seems to be able to do either quiet and restrained OR all out yelling and overacting - there is a middle ground in between that Garcia never seems to be able to find. The ending is predictable and the story throws up no real surprises along the way.There's nothing really wrong with the script, but this film really needed a director at the helm who understands the genre. Figgis is out of his depth here and pretty much wastes all of the potential on offer by having nearly all of the cast standing round doing nothing. With a more competent director this probably would have been watchable, but as it is it's a bit of a yawner.

Scarecrow-88 Right before Pretty Woman (1990), Gere played smarmy, womanizing, multi-divorced, prick LA street cop, Dennis Peck, taking money from the likes of pimps and drug-dealers in order to provide for his four wives and nine (!) kids. Peck likes to spread the seed around. He's in for a rude awakening when young Hispanic Internal Affairs agent, Raymond Avilla (Andy Garcia) investigates Peck's partner, Van Stretch (William Baldwyn), prone to violent outbursts and other criminal activities. Avilla wants Peck and hopes to get Van to turn on him. Peck not only takes money for prostitution and drugs but also negotiates executions, as is the case with a businessman's parents! Peck isn't about to not only take money and arrange gangbangers to execute the businessman's parents but feels free to bang the guy's wife as well! When Peck realizes the threat to his livelihood, he makes it a mission to torment Avilla, provoking his jealousy in regards to a wife (a smokin' Nancy Travis; I'm telling you, Travis has never been this foxy!) needing some lovin' (knowing Peck's reputation as a womanizer, Avilla does feel a sense of uncertainty because his overworking nature to find evidence against the smart-aleck, no-good cop leaves little time for a wife wanting affection and attention from her husband) and removing anyone that might point a finger at his direction. Considering the possible notoriety behind the scenes between Gere and Garcia's inability to get along, their time on screen benefits significantly from the intensity, animosity, and hostility shared between the two characters, Peck and Avilla. Gere fires on all cylinders in this performance, full of swagger and aggression, with a character that would easily dupe you into believing he's on your side, while all the while setting up your execution. Seemingly no conscience (except when with his children) or compassion exists in this man, and Peck has built enough bad juju for punishment to visit upon him with violent and swift justice. I like how the film establishes that Avilla's obsessions (like getting a cop associated with Peck, Dorian (Michael Beach), on Homicide) are turning him into Peck. There's a really volatile scene where Avilla confronts his wife in a restaurant about her possible involvement with Peck that registers off-the-charts; Avilla even smacks her upside the jaw, dropping panties, stolen by Peck from her room, at her face! Laurie Metcalf (Roseanne; The Big Bang Theory) has a nifty supporting part as Avilla's lesbian partner, Amy Wallace. Where Internal Affairs feels conventional is in the partner getting hurt and the wife being threatened by the villain. The inevitable showdown doesn't quite match the earlier macho exchanges, eliciting plenty of fireworks, between the opposing cops. Gere dominates his scenes—every last one of them—while Garcia can stare down those associates of Avilla with a moral compass blazing a trail from his eyes that leaves them really uncomfortable and on edge (a great example is the wife of Van, played by Faye Grant, who has a disdain for the IA but cannot look Avilla in the eyes; she had been screwing around with Peck behind Van's back). Annabella Sciorra has limited involvement in the film as Peck's newest wife, eventually helping Avilla take down her sleazy husband (it was either her children or Peck, with few options available to her, as Avilla forces her hand). Baldwin's demise thanks to Gere is hard to watch because it is coming and Van doesn't have a clue he's about to take a shotgun blast to the chest. Not quite dying, Peck assists with a choke hold strangling the remaining life from him. This, along with the discovery of the parents under the giant Hollywood sign, just illustrates fully how evil he really is. He, at the end, uses his children's welfare as an excuse for all of his activities; Gere's whole purpose is to make us despise his character and in that he succeeds.

Tweekums 'Internal Affairs' has two protagonists; Dennis Peck, an LA street cop who is highly regarded and has opted to stay on the streets rather than climb the promotion ladder and Raymond Avilla and cop who has just joined the Internal Affairs Division. Avilla's first case involves Peck's partner Van Stretch, a man accused of planting drugs on a suspect... and an old friend of Avilla's. After a run in with Peck, Avilla has a feeling that he may be dirty too, the more he hears the more convinced he is but he will need far more evidence if he is to go up against the force's poster boy. With plenty of evidence against Stretch he offers him a deal if he will name other dirty cops. He says no but later tells his wife he is going to take the deal; a mistake since she was with Peck at the time. Peck arranges for Stretch to be killed; there is still no evidence against him though. As the investigation continues Peck starts to goad Avilla, insinuating that he has slept with his wife... a suggestion that gets just the reaction Peck wanted. The closer the investigation gets to Peck the more dangerous it gets for Avilla and his partner as Peck is owed favours by a lot of people.This was a fine thriller; Richard Gere did a fine job playing against type as the corrupt cop Peck; the more we got to know the character the more evil he seemed; playing opposite him Andy Garcia is as good playing honest cop Avilla; a character who could self destruct if he continues to let Peck get under his skin. Other notable performances come from Laurie Metcalf, who plays Avilla's partner Amy Wallace and William Baldwin as Van Stretch. Director Mike Figgis did a fine job keeping things tense throughout the film; I also liked how some questions remained unanswered; notably whether or not a key character would survive after being seriously wounded. I'd certainly recommend this film to fans of Gere and Garcia as well as to anybody who likes a decent crime thriller.

Rockwell_Cronenberg I've long been a fan of Richard Gere, with his strong jaw, gorgeous eyes and winning smile, so watching him play the dirty cop Dennis Peck was a startling experience. I love when actors like him play against type, taking their incredibly likable charm and turning it on it's head, making you regret falling for them when they turn out to be as bad as the dirtiest villain. Internal Affairs is a tight crime thriller that pits him against IAD officer Raymond Avilla (Andy Garcia), as the two engage in a roller coaster of hits and misses to bring the other down.Avilla goes after Peck's finances and the cops he takes care of, trying to turn them against their intimidating leader, while Peck goes after Avilla's wife to try to rip him apart from the inside. Peck is one of those guy who is always in control, or always appears to be even when his house of cards is crumbling down. Gere gives one of his finest performances, making Peck the kind of man who draws you in and then throws you out when he doesn't need you. He's a slick, calculated, incredibly intelligent villain in blue and he utilizes every skill he has an actor. Garcia counters perfectly as the more emotional Avilla, a man whose pride won't allow him to let Peck get off clean and whose temper often gets the better of him.Mike Figgis directs Internal Affairs with a solid vision, knowing when to key up the dramatics and when to slow things down properly. There's nothing particularly new about this cop thriller, but it does all of the old tricks right. The showdown between the two of them is intense, building to a great climax, and there are several action sequences throughout that get the blood pumping. This is a solid thriller in every way, highlighted by two very fine performances.