Movie review: "Pride And Glory" (2008)

The gist: Apparently the world did need another New York City cop yarn... When four police officers on a drug bust are ambushed and shot dead, the sole concern of Chief Detective Francis Tierney (John Voight) is to bring in the ringleader. He guilts his troubled, instinctively brilliant younger son Ray (Edward Norton) into joining the investigating task force, but signs soon point to a conspiracy that may involve his heir Francis Jr (Noah Emmerich) and son-in-law Jimmy Egan (Colin Farrell). Needless to say, conflicting loyalties to family and force are tested.

Selling points: Voight, Norton, Emmerich and Farrell are ably supported. Jennifer Ehle is convincing and appropriately upsetting as Francis Jr's cancer-stricken wife Abby, while John Ortiz gives a tragic soul to the disgraced Sandy. Amid the many cliches, such as the outsider living on a boat on the docks, are scenes you definitely haven't seen. The horrific interrogation involving a hot iron will be burnt into your memory.

It's kinda like: What director and writer Gavin O'Connor and producer Greg O'Connor witnessed growing up with an NYC detective for a father - not the internal corruption, but, as Gavin made clear to "Variety" mag, the type of man who rises above it.

Final word: Good cop/wicked cop.

[Australian cinema release date: February 5, 2009]