It's 1950's New York. Private detective Lionel Essrog (Edward Norton) has Tourette's Syndrome. His boss and best friend is murdered while on a case. He intends to solve it and find his killers. It leads him to a series of urban gentrification efforts against the black and Latino population. A mystery man (Willem Dafoe) directs him to all powerful developer Moses Randolph (Alec Baldwin) who controls everything including the politics. He falls for Laura Rose (Gugu Mbatha-Raw) who is fighting for the minorities in the city.
I really like the story of corruption and power in city politics. It's Chinatown all over again. I wish that Edward Norton played it straight with a little more clarity in the beginning. Mostly I wish that he could get out the Tourette's. I haven't read the book and I'm not saying that he's doing it wrong. The story is so dense that more than anything, the Tourette's is distracting. It's unnecessary and it doesn't serve much. There are obvious mistakes that Lionel makes but I buy them for his character. He's smart but this is not Sherlock. All in all, I really like the crime noir story but I still want some changes.
I really like the story of corruption and power in city politics. It's Chinatown all over again. I wish that Edward Norton played it straight with a little more clarity in the beginning. Mostly I wish that he could get out the Tourette's. I haven't read the book and I'm not saying that he's doing it wrong. The story is so dense that more than anything, the Tourette's is distracting. It's unnecessary and it doesn't serve much. There are obvious mistakes that Lionel makes but I buy them for his character. He's smart but this is not Sherlock. All in all, I really like the crime noir story but I still want some changes.