There are few movies more satisfying than a silly crime drama. We have nearly endless patience for these kinds of showcases, in part because they let actors take big swings. Unfortunately, Bring the Law is a movie where the individual pieces never really come together. Poor design and a weak screenplay lead to a somewhat disastrous flick.
What is Bring the Law about?
Desmond (Brendan Fehr) is transferred to a smaller police department after a detective is murdered. The outsider had his own issues in Los Angeles, but he believes his experience will be an asset to this department. The team, which includes four veterans of the local force (Leah Pipes, Angie Theodora Dick, Zachary Roozen, and Laura Linn), takes aim at the local crime boss Gargos (Mickey Rourke). However, Desmond quickly discovers he has moles in his operation.
Complicating matters further, Desmond grows close to local bar owner Laura (Danielle Harris). Her brother is involved in Gargos’ business and struggles with addiction, putting Desmond in a difficult position in developing a relationship with Laura.
Bring the Law is too derivative of other crime dramas.
At the heart of Bring the Law is the never-ending question of corruption. This is perhaps the most popular angle for crime dramas, which already puts the director, Scout Taylor-Compton, in a bad position. There are too many great movies about dirty cops for us not to keep them in mind while watching Bring the Law. As the tropes begin to pile up, it becomes clear that this movie has nothing original to say about the topic.
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If this opened the door for more of a B-movie feel, with shoot-em-ups throughout Bring the Law, we’d be in a good spot. Instead, many of the sequences that advance the plot occur offscreen. Characters depicted as MacGuffins are relegated to sheet-covered bodies later in the film. It’s an extremely disappointing trend that only highlights the repetitive story beats.
With the presence of so many tropes, including dirty cops, worse bosses, and the funny quips from a street informant, most of Bring the Law becomes predictable. This zaps the movie of any tension, and by the twenty-minute mark, we were able to guess who the moles in the department were. It also means we know how the romance in the B-plot is going to play out, setting up inevitable showdowns that are boring and hackneyed.
Even if it worked, the execution of Bring the Law sinks it.
The Frankenstein nature of Bring the Law hurts the movie even more. The cuts between the storylines often focus on a pair of characters who are obviously shooting all their scenes in a few days. Perhaps the most egregious of this comes around the scenes with Peter Facinelli. The famed Twilight and Nurse Jackie actor shoots every scene in his office, and most cuts are to him sitting in a chair or at his desk, with almost nothing else changing about the shot. These sequences are actually jarring in the context of the movie and do little to help the cohesion of the story.
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The cinematography and lighting do Bring the Law few favors as well. The movie is barely able to surpass soap opera quality, and in many scenes, it does not even reach that level. Whether the lack of budget or using too many lighting rigs is the culprit, we are very aware that these are not hardened criminals. The editing tries to fix some of these issues, but I’m honestly shocked we didn’t hear Taylor-Compton call action before an actor reacts to being shot. The action is not kinetic, which makes it difficult to stay in the movie.
The actors have very little to expand upon in the screenplay. The script is heavy-handed, and many actors barely put in an effort. There are no moments for the audience to come to realizations on their own, and instead, we are spoonfed every reveal through exposition and dialogue. Danielle Harris comes the closest to making it work, but her storyline forces her to keep everyone at arm’s distance.
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One would hope that Mickey Rourke showed up to play as the big bad, but unfortunately, he gives a fairly pedestrian performance. The veteran shows up and delivers his trademark growls, but he can do that in his sleep. There’s almost no commitment beyond that, and it feels like he was more interested in finishing the job than giving a great performance.
Is Bring the Law worth watching?
No, unfortunately, Bring the Law is a messy crime drama that never rises above cliché. With a predictable storyline and poor performances, Bring the Law barely registers dramatic tension. The budget makes it even more difficult to buy into the scenes. This is, sadly, a miss on nearly every level.
Bring the Law releases on February 27, 2026.
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