“Who is a good cop?” asks Lt. Carmichael.
“Bent,” the twenty-something-minute short by director/producer Chris Esper is a film that blends, somewhat successfully, the intricate details of cop procedurals, internal affairs investigations, corruption, and film noir. Its style is unmistakable, its score and ambiance apropos, and it watches easily. Its acting is hit or miss. The film’s Internal Affairs (IA) officers bring dynamism to their roles; however, the film’s leads and intended victims leave less to be desired.
“Bent” is less concerned about cops than about corruption, yet instead as offered as moral fiber, this corruption is offered as a probable fatality. Bringing down a dirty cop is not the point, but rather bringing down the right dirty cop. As one IA officer runs down a list of things cops are allowed to get away with – but not this thing, not this time – its mirror to a society that is daily calling for more police transparency is not lost on “Bent’s” viewing audience.
The basic plot here is two officers, Brenda and Michael (Audrey Noone, Justin Thibault) are involved in a fatal shooting of two perpetrators gone wrong. Yes, the officers are guilty of misconduct, but no, I won’t give away the details for those who have yet to see this indie production. Suffice to say, an Internal Affairs investigation targets Brenda – asking her to make hard choices in the matter. She must either save herself or her partner; she can’t have it both ways.
The film skips along in this way, from Brenda and Michael as they negotiate their bizarre situation, to the Internal Affairs cops, played by the aforementioned Lt. Carmichael (Chris Fisher) and Inspector John Camp (Marc Powers). The IA officers could be seen as conscience and consequence; Brenda and Michael as victims of their own circumstance. The whole thing is reminiscent of the relationship between Llewelyn Moss and Anton Chigurh in the award-winning “No Country for Old Men,” though lacking the intricate character detail that movie offered. “Bent” is a short, and finishes just shy of the 20-minute mark.
The production value of the film is astounding, from the sound to the ambience to the cinematography. Most of the film is photographed at night, adding an eerie ambiance to the whole thing that basks it in noir filmmaking, highlighted by its droning score. You really feel like you’re part of the proceedings, and, at least from the IA officers’ point of view, these characters’ lives.
Problems exist in the character development and acting for the two leads, who are likely intended to be the driving force of the film’s crisis, but who come across as often feckless and unconvincing. A murder at the film’s opening seems flimsy and too sudden. As do the characters’ reactions. It’s as though the act itself was supposed to impart the immediacy that only thorough character development can achieve. Esper and writer Kris Salvi clearly poured time into penning a noir script and engaging scenes. It’s too bad that they didn’t build Brenda and Michael in a way fitting to the success of the film’s cinematography. As the script progresses, and Brenda is forced with increasingly touch decisions, you do start to feel for her. But we never get to know her on a real level due to her thinly painted interior. Justin Thibault does little to fill out Michael; but wether this is an acting misstep or the fact that Michael is painted even thinner remains to be seen.
Esper is no stranger to shorts nor directing (with 28 credits to his name) and it shows with this film, especially in the areas of production and stage setting, Mise-en-scéne, etc. With “Bent” he has produced a project that will entertain, one that watches easily, and, pieced together on a budget of $5,000 is quite impressive. All-in-all it is a solid effort that should find easy footing in the indie community. A little more time in the oven, and some further character development may have helped it to achieve its vision better. But it’s certainly a valiant effort that will at least entertain.
– by Mark Ziobro
