Narc (DVD 2003)

The excellent hand-held opening sequence sets the tone of this dark cop thriller from writer/director Joe Carnahan (later to be asked to direct Mission Impossible 3 by Narc executive producer Tom Cruise). Suspended narcotics cop Nick Tellis (Jason Patrick) is persuaded to return to active duty to investigate the murder of another undercover narc officer, and is teamed up with Henry Oak (Ray Liotta), the dead cops ex partner and a bit of a maverick nut job, and yes, Liotta does the buisness!
This is a great thriller, realistic and gritty with fine performances and some nice twists. Both lead actors at one point were working for free because they liked the movie and the director enough to commit totally to the project which was financially unstable, and the commitment shows. However, this is a pretty dark and depressing exploration of the underbelly of drug policing and at times is quite harrowing so be warned if that's not your cup of tea!
It should be noted that the dvd extras give a good insight into the attention to detail and design, for example in when Oak loses his temper with Tellis the background in the different shots of the actors visually reflect their mood. Good stuff.