Phoenix (1998) User Reviews

Superstitious

[jotix100 · 7/10 · 29 May 2004]

This film was a complete surprise. One of those rarities that come out out of nowhere and knock your socks off without much effort. Danny Cannon, it's director must be given credit for bringing this story to the screen, or video, as probably was the case.

Any film where Ray Liotta appears, is worth a look. Now, if one adds the great Anthony LaPaglia, one of the best actors around, it has to be outstanding. Mr. LaPaglia has never struck a wrong note in whatever I've seen him do. He shines here playing against type and almost stealing the film from Ray Liotta.

The story about bad cops in Phoenix is presented with a total sense of honesty, no pun intended. There are a bunch of these guys in every police department in large cities. The director packs a lot of action into this movie. It will keep the viewer glued to the screen.

In addition to Ray Liotta and Anthony LaPaglia, there are brief glances at Anjelica Houston, Brittany Murphy, Jeremy Piven, Giancarlo Esposito and others that make this film a delight for fans of thrillers.

Either catch it on cable, or run to the video store and rent it. You won't regret it!

Cool little film

[refinedsugar · 7/10 · 9 September 2001]

Sometimes I question why one movie gets theatrical distribution while another does not. To be fair, I think things generally swing the right way. Movies that call video their home do it for sometimes a much deserved reason: they stink. This is not the case with Phoenix however.

It's a breath of fresh air to take a chance on a direct-to-video quickie and have it turn out this good. The story is tight and look at all the recognizable faces in the cast. That helps me out. The whole police officer-gambling junky angle is different - Liotta as the lead carries it off well and Phoenix is just all around better than most cop boilers I've seen in the last six months. It sure ain't lacking in clichés of the genre, but that has come to be expected. Phoenix is just a well filmed, nicely acted piece of work from director Danny Cannon who makes amends for the theatrical bomb Judge Dredd. Worth a look on a slow night or for Liotta fans.

Decent crime flick

[The_Void · 7/10 · 28 December 2007]

There was no shortage of 'cool' crime thrillers released on the success of Goodfellas in the nineties, and while I wouldn't say that this is one of the very best of them; it's certainly one of the better ones. Phoenix benefits from Scorsese's leading man Ray Liotta, who takes the lead role in this film as a gambling addicted copper. The plot focuses on crime as you would expect, but the gambling side of the plot is what really makes and sets it apart from most of the other nineties crime flicks. Ray Liotta is Harry Collins, a cop with a gambling addiction; and, like most gamblers, a money problem resulting from it. He owes money he doesn't have to his bookie, a man who calls himself "Chicago", and after being given a few days to pay; he soon realises that he's going to have to take steps to raise the money. This prompts him to set up a plan with his fellow coppers Mike, James and Fred to rip off local pimp and all round bad guy Louie. Naturally, the plan goes tits up and pretty soon all four of them are forced to pay the consequences...

The film is never really brilliant (though in fairness, this sort of film doesn't usually turn me on all that much), but it manages to keep a fairly good pace going throughout and doesn't get boring. Ray Liotta has played this sort of role many times before and since, and as you would expect he is well at home with the leading role in this film. British director Danny Cannon (also director of rubbish such as Judge Dredd and I Know What You Did Last Summer) has recruited a decent cast of below a-list stars, which includes Anthony LaPaglia, Daniel Baldwin, Jeremy Piven and Xander Berkeley, as well as one of my favourite B-movie actresses, Kari Wuhrer. Anjelica Huston also appears, but is horribly miscast as Liotta's love interest. There's plenty of what most people will have come to expect from modern crime flicks; we have car chases, shootouts, sharp dialogue and all the rest of it. I'd have preferred the film if we'd have got a bit more of the gambling theme thrown in, but that's not too important as overall, this is a more than passable effort and I'm sure crime fans will enjoy it.

At last - a good Danny Cannon film

[bob the moo · 24 October 2001]

Harry is a police officer - he is also a degenerate gambler in debt to bookie Chicago for $32K. That's basically the plot, it seems simple but it is enough to drive the film's core once it has been surrounded by plot twists, tension, strong performances, interesting characters and good dialogue.

Hats off to Danny Cannon - he was the great British hope once after making Young Americans and going to the US he then messed up with Judge Dredd. But here he shows that he does have talent to lead a dark thriller successfully - albeit he is helped greatly by the plot and his actors. The film follows Harry and his 3 colleagues as they revolve around several loan sharks and bookies whilst also trying to have lives and relationships. The main focus is Harry's addiction to gambling in all areas of his life. There is also a subplot involving Angelica Huston which is meant to represent Harry's potential redemption, but this is not well developed and is secondary to the main story. The story eventually turns into a heist-gone-wrong movie but even then has enough twists to keep the interest.

The main strength of the film lies in the actors that are assembled together here. Liotta plays the role well, making it possible to like this person but also making his gambling side believable - it's hard not to feel for him and his bad luck as the film progresses. Anthony Lapaglia, Daniel Baldwin, Jeremy Piven are all excellent for different reasons as his colleagues. Piven good as the cop drawn into things he doesn't want to do and Baldwin and Lapaglia are as solid as every in corrupt roles. Both Ribisi and Huston are capable of great performances but neither have a lot to work with here in terms of time or plot involvement. Giancarlo Esposito is as good as ever in a small role as Louie the loanshark - but then I've never seen him put in a bad performance, even in a bad film.

Overall the plot is similar to many other crime thrillers out there. What makes this rise above the normal TV material is a dark atmosphere from Danny Cannon, a strong lead in Liotta with uniformly great support from the rest of the cast and tension an twists throughout.

good job

[milosz_m · 7/10 · 9 September 2005]

I came into this movie as it was added on DVD to Playboy magazine. At first I didn't know what to expect. There were two options: 1) that it will suck tremendously 2) that it will be one of those movies that no one has heard yet they come out as little pearls waiting to be discovered. Frotunately #2 was the case of this one.Of course I was drawn into it by the cast. I mean Liotta, LaPaglia and Houston couldn't be that mad. Then as the subtitles at the beginning revealed the following cast: Murphy, Ribbisi, Esposito I was sure that "Phoenix" couldn't have been the wrong choice. And it wasn't. I know it's not bringing much new to the topic of dirty cops theme, but it gives a great look at gambling addict. The plot is basically combination of three: 1) addiction (gambling) 2) dirty cops 3) heist

and it is a well crafted combination. There is action, humour, beautiful women:). There are turning points. The screenplay is good so is the cast and it makes one wonder why it didn't get better fate (worldwide cinema distribution etc). Well no need in complaining. We can be happy it just IS. Because it is intelligent and highly entertaining movie.

Best regards

"You're bad luck, Veronica. I'm taking you home."

[smatysia · 7/10 · 14 April 2010]

I've known gamblers like the Ray Liotta character in this film, those who crave action more than they like winning. Harry Collins at least realizes this about himself, whereas my acquaintances do not. There is some real humor to be dredged in this movie, among all of the truly evil conduct. It had reasonable production values, and a well-known cast, as if no one knew going in that it would end up direct-to-video. Kudos to much of the cast for making it all at least semi-believable. This includes Liotta, Anthony LaPaglia, whichever minor Baldwin brother this was, Brittany Murphy, and Angelica Huston. I will say one thing for it, I was almost never bored with it, and did want to find out what happened. Check it out.

A Gamble That Doesn't Quite Pay Off

[rmc129-1 · 7/10 · 20 October 2001]

Ray Liotta ought to be one of the BIG stars of cinema. He's got the looks, charm and talent to bury the opposition, but somehow it hasn't worked out for him

Phoenix is a case in point. Excellent cast - even in the minor roles - and a sound plot that grips the attention but somehow it doesn't quite make the grade.

I suppose the problem is that it is a derivative movie which the viewrer mentally compares (unfavourably) with what has gone before

All the same it is quite a good film with Liotta making a sympathetic figure out of the gambling addicted cop-gone-wrong and Anthony LaPaglia dominating the action every time the corrupt being that is his character 'Henshaw' ouzes across the screen. There is sharp, sometimes Tarantinoesque, dialogue but we've been here before and even the excellent performances on screen don't quite compensate.

Nevertheless, a watchable movie and well worth 7 out of 10

A Gambler Implodes!

[georgewilliamnoble · 7/10 · 20 August 2018]

Few play flawed good guys who are bad guy's better than Ray Liotta and he is in his element in this movie about bad cops going down. All the elements of classic "film Noir" are here, even though this is a film in which the result is less than the sum of it's parts. None the less it is all very watchable even though the plot comes over rather stilted as a compendium of many other similar and largely better movies. Still for Ray Liotta's performance alone this 20 year old movie is worth watching, one more time.

An Outstanding Film!

[Tiger_Mark · 10/10 · 3 July 2002]

I was somewhat shocked at just how good this film was. I should not have been, the cast is outstanding! Moreover, when you have Ray Liotta in the lead role, you are going to be pretty good. However, this film goes way beyond pretty good and close to perfection.

The Movie tells the story of four Phoenix detectives, each of which is somewhat less than perfect (to say the least). In fact, a couple of them are criminals (Anthony LaPaglia is great). The story centers around that of Ray Liotta's character, a hopeless gambler. However, to Liotta, gambling is somewhat of an honorable tradition (one carried down from his father). He speaks of gambling as if it was his religion. He bets on everything. He starts conversations with people he considers lucky, in attempts to get some kind of a hidden tip on a horse. He sees a cute little girl and asks her her name, she says Betsy. So he looks for a horse named Betsy. However, like he tells one of his partners, "I don't gamble to make money." His partner's response, "no s**t." The more bets Liotta makes, the more he loses. Pretty soon, he is in pretty heavy to a loan shark named Chicago (played brilliantly by Tom Noonan). When his fellow partners suggest arresting or killing the loan shark (that is starting to lean heavy on Liotta), Liotta is shocked, there is no honor in welshing on a bet. From here, we see the downward spiral of all people involved in the story.

I mentioned the cast in this film and it is an incredible group. What is greater, is that each is given a real character to play, with unique flaws and traits. Each scene is wonderful to look at, visually. Be it a rainy night, a heist with animal masks, or a brutal Arizona desert. The dialog is sharp and very witty. The images are gritty and slick. Symbolism abounds in every scene. This is really a tremendous film! **** out of ****.

Phoenix Arizona: A case by case study of police corruption

[sol-kay · 6/10 · 20 July 2004]

****SPOILERS**** Really off-the-wall movie about police corruption, professional as well as personal, in the Phoenix PD with more double-crosses in the movie then in a cemetery. As your watching the film "Phoenix" your tempted to call your local police precinct and report a crime in progress, the movie, only to put down the phone feeling the police that your calling are the same police in the film.

Ray Liotta, Officer Harry Collins, is about the most normal of the bunch of cops focused on in the movie; Officers Mike Henshaw James Nutter Fred Shuster & Let. Clyde Webber, Anthony Lapaglia Daniel Baldwin Jeremy Priven & Xander Berkely. Collins lives by a code that he follows in that being a sick and degenerate gambler he doesn't welsh on a bet that he made, which is the movies main storyline. Collins wants to pay off his lone shark bookie Chicago, Tom Noonan, $32,000.00 that he owes him in betting action and he doesn't want to kill anybody. Which is something that Collins seems to have a lot of trouble keeping from doing in the movie.

Besides Chicago there's also Louie,Glancario Esposito, a pimp drug dealer and loan shark, who has Officer Henshaw working for him as a collector and enforcer. Incredibly the cops in "Phoenix" are even worse then the aforementioned gangsters, that's just how bad they are.

The police in the movie are made to look so bad that even their boss Let. Webber, Xander Berkley, who at first we see trying to set them up and have them arrested for their crimes is really only interested in ripping them off of their ill gotten gains and keeping them for himself. Collins is always betting in the movie from horses to cards even to cockroaches and raindrops rolling down his car windshield that makes you wonder how he can find time to do his job as a Phoenix policeman?

"Phoenix" is so anti-police that it makes you dislike the cops on the screen even if you want to find a reason to like them which it gives you none. Besides being corrupt the cops,Collins Henshaw Nutter &Shuster, are also very stupid as well. They end up wiping themselves out in some of the most ridicules shoot-outs that I've ever seen in a cop movie. There's a rip-off of Louie's joint later in the film to get his weekly, or was it monthly , take of some $250,000.00 that was so funny as well as bloody and brutal that it looked like a scene out of a Marks Brothers comedy.

Anjelica Huston & Brittany Murphy as Leila and her daughter Veronica were totally wasted in the film and I have the feeling that they had much bigger parts in the movie but most of their scenes were left on the cutting room floor, lucky for them. Ray Liotta was at his best playing the sick and unstable Officer Collins which seen to be the kinds of roles that he been playing in movies over the last ten years or so.

The cops in the movie were co corrupt and horrid in their actions that they made the corrupt cops in the film "Serpico" look like boy scouts stealing cookies from girl scouts. In one real nauseating episode Officer Henshaw has the terrified wife, Sibel Ergener, of Carl, Murphy Dunne, put out for him as her helpless husband is handcuffed to a pipe in their home. The next day Carl kills himself and Henshaw on the scene with Carl's wife present calmly puts his finger to his mouth as if to tell her to shut her mouth about what happened between him and her and Carl if she knows what's good for her.

The most sympathetic cop in the movie, next to Collins, Officer Shuster had his wife Katie, Kari Wuhrer,having affairs with almost all the cops in the precinct, except Shuster's partner Collins. Still Shuster thought that Collins was also involved with Katie and sets his partner together with Henshaw and Nutter up to get caught by Let. Webber; who unknown to Shuster is also having an affair with Katie.

Let. Webber was only interested in getting the $250,000.00 that the corrupt cops ripped off from Louie and after getting his hands on the cash shot both Shuster who died and Collins who survived and got away. Collins ends the movie by killing Chicago and his mobsters for murdering a witness who Collins refused to kill! Thats because killing is not what Officer Collins is all about! that makes a lot of sense doesn't it?

Anjelica Huston in the small part that she had in the movie was about the most positive person in the film. That doesn't say much were everyone in it, the cops and gangsters, were about as sympathetic as Charles "Sweet Charlie" Manson.

Heads we call 911, tails we don't

[tomsview · 3/10 · 18 September 2020]

Did the Phoenix Police Department sue the makers of this film for defamation? They should have.

Where is the entertainment value in this story? Corrupt cops with puerile senses of humour, driven by greed, poor decisions and a fixation on gambling.

The observation was once made that people go to the movies not so much to see things, but to feel things.

We can identify with characters on the wrong side of the law if they have some appeal. Look at "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid", "The Asphalt Jungle", "The Grifters" and any number of others. But to get us in they need a lightness of touch or characters with some charisma. Who has charisma in this movie?

"Phoenix" misses none of the clichés of the second-rate bad-cop movie. We have bookies and gangsters that seem like characters out of a "Batman" movie, we get inevitable pole dancers, inevitable shootouts, and finally, the twist that everyone, but everyone in the story is corrupt.

The team of detectives, Harry Collins, Mike Henshaw and James Nutter played by Ray Liotta, Anthony LaPaglia and Daniel Baldwin, decide to rob a wealthy pimp/loan shark. They reveal themselves to be totally inept robbers, but not in a fun way. There seems little point to their incompetence other than that the filmmakers didn't know how to sustain a consistent mood. Harry Collin's virtual flip of the coin in making every decision is stretched to the max.

Ray Liotta has been in better things, even as a crooked cop. For Anthony LaPaglia, this was a warm-up for his bad cop in "The Salton Sea", however that was superior in every way. Angelica Huston has so little to do it's as though the filmmakers didn't know what to do with her.

I feel the themes in "Phoenix" have been handled with greater skill elsewhere. The main character here seems a loser in the worst sense of the word; any redeeming traits he has appear to have been grafted on to try and redeem the movie.

A Hidden Gem

[tarbosh22000 · 8/10 · 12 May 2010]

"Phoenix" is a hidden gem. I've seen it over five times. For some reason, it never gets old.

Harry (Liotta) is a cop with a gambling problem. He can't stop. He owes money to "Chicago" (Tom Noonan) and he if he doesn't pay up, he dies. Harry's partners Henshaw (LaPaglia) and Nutter (Baldwin) are dirty and are becoming "collectors" to bookie Louie (Giancarlo Esposito). Harry needs money fast and the only way is to rob Louie. Everybody goes along with the plan until there's a double cross.

There's not a lot of action in the movie until the end, but it's not needed. Ray Liotta is excellent in the movie. But the supporting cast steals it from him. LaPaglia is fantastic as Henshaw. He makes the character come alive. Baldwin, Esposito, Kari Wuhrer, and Anjelica Huston all get their time to shine.

"Phoenix" is a gritty crime movie that Liotta and LaPaglia fans must see.

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A fine flick but very unrealistic!

[shannon_oneil · 7/10 · 30 July 2005]

There's just one problem with this movie : it takes place in Arizona yet everyone seems to have a distinctive East Coast accent ... sorry, but most cops in Phoenix don't sound like they're from New Jersey. It seems that every actor in a gritty crime drama is required to have this gruff, Gothamesque 'Prince of the City' voice. (Incidentally, most of the lead actors are from the New York tri-state area ...) Of course, this is a minor flaw. Ray Liotta -- though typecast, unfortunately -- gives an intense, compelling performance as a gambling addict. This isn't his best role, by any means, but he is quite competent as usual. I always enjoy his work and he is undervalued, in my opinion. Still, in general, they could've made this movie a tad truer to the region without losing its edge.

4 clowns

[porschepdk · 5/10 · 6 June 2014]

I don't understand what the hype is all about. This film had great potential but it rapidly fell apart near the ending. 4 corrupt cops, gambling addict, cheating behind backs, and stealing cash from the bad guys. Ray Liota can't live without his lucky lighter, somehow loses it and yes, of course, his luck quickly runs dry. Daniel Baldwin is the other problem. His acting was horrendous causing it be one of the main causes why this film failed in the short run. This could have been a great hit but it was summarized by 4 goof-ball cops that can't seem to hold it without making stupid mistakes. The plot of the story was very predictable.

Bad Cable Action Cinema At Its Best!

[jayandsjosh · 10 June 2001]

Did you ever see one of those awful action thrillers or crime dramas (where, as Jon Stewart once pointed out, "all the action takes place in a strip club"), usually starring Mickey Rourke, Eric Roberts, Rutger Hauer, Michael Madsen, or some refugee from the Brat Pack, on late night cable? Well, "Phoenix" is the "Chinatown" of those movies. Which, in case you miss my meaning, means it's really quite good.

This is a supremely fun film if you like (or hate but have seen) any of these B action flicks. It should be used in film schools when teaching this overlooked genre ("Contemporary exploitation films," they'd probably call them.). This movie has a loan shark, a bookie, crooked cops, bagmen, a strip joint that figures prominently in the plot, a sultry siren in bed with everybody, a cleverly masked heist, a lucky fill-in-the-blank item, a burned out beauty with a sexy jailbait daughter, and a hero with a chance at redemption, if only he can keep from screwing everything up. This movie's got everything, and that's the point.

Ray Liotta stars (in, for my money, the best performance of his career) and, although one of the aforementioned crooked cops, has an incorruptible sense of honor. For example, he has accumulated a substantial gambling debt, but won't let anyone else pay it off or make it go away because he refuses to "welsh." It's a piece of advice given to him by his late gambler father, you'll probably not be surprised to learn.

The plot is, to pay off the sizable debt, Liotta and three of his fellow crooked cops mastermind a heist in a strip club where everything goes wrong while they wear funny animal masks. "But," as I often tell people, "it's not like it sounds."

If you're still not convinced, the fact that Anjelica Huston is a part of this film's great cast should tell you something. Also, watch out for the amazing Tom Noonan as a lisping bookie and a scene with Giovanni Ribisi where you can see the conclusion coming but is still satisfying even if you've already figured it out because of Liotta's intense performance.

3 out of 4 stars on the fun scale. (Probably less on the quality scale.)

good entertainment

[leo-96 · 7/10 · 26 August 1999]

Loved the movie in general, a strong cast, realistic if slightly overdrawn characters.

However, if I have to watch and listen to one more screenwriter playing witty by having a character take apart and discuss some old B-movie I'll scream!

Dark and dank

[janet-55 · 6/10 · 24 August 2005]

I was glad to eventually get hold of a copy of this dark little film; and it didn't disappoint. But it left me confused, I hadn't realised how much it rains in Phoenix, Arizona. Is there another Phoenix in the US of which I'm not cognisant? The amount of rain was distracting and at times made it difficult to discern what was occurring particularly as much of the film happens at night. The film depicts the reprehensible behaviour of four cops, one of whom is an addicted gambler (Liotta) and another (LaPaglia) is just plain evil. Unfortunately there is little to explain these four guys motives, a bit more character development would have been useful. In regards of Liotta and LaPaglia their acting was tight and convincing throughout. I have seen this film likened to 'Copland' this is not so and would give any potential viewer a completely erroneous idea of what they are going to see. This is a very dark film both literally and metaphorically.

good gritty cop thriller

[Bob7 · 7/10 · 17 June 1999]

A good gritty cop thriller, where the interesting thing is that everyone in the movie is corrupt or flawed in some way. It reminded me of Copland with Sly Stallone, but much grittier and darker than that, and probably better. Everyone is full of greed, double-crossing, pulling their own angles, and the redeeming thing is that everyone gets what they deserve in one way or another. Ray Liota tries to be upbeat about his life and future, but events just keep dragging him down, mostly of his own making. And there are some good dark laughs which keeps it from being depressing. You won't be depressed anyway, not one of them gets your sympathy, except maybe Ray. >

A true rarity - a decent direct to video film

[somf · 7/10 · 28 December 1998]

The great thing about direct to video is that you don't expect much. "Phoenix" has a strong cast and decent script, although the Ray Liotta character is really over the top with his weird code of ethics. I gave it a seven.

I'm not surprised that almost no-one knows it, but it's a shame

[philip_vanderveken · 8/10 · 13 July 2005]

Once in a while you come along a movie that, even though it is already several years old, you have never heard of before. "Phoenix" is such a movie. The only reason why I gave it a try and taped it is because there is a famous actor in it who I usually like to see playing (Ray Liotta) and because I hoped that the story might be something nice (most of the time I like crime movies). And because I really didn't know what to expect from it, it's only good that I didn't see that cover photo first. That ugly thing doesn't really give a good impression of what this movie is like. When watching that picture, my first impression is that this will be a typical action flick, Stalone or Jean-Claude Vandamme style, while in reality that certainly isn't the case.

"Phoenix" tells the story of Harry Collins, a cop whose life isn't exactly going all too well. He's a hopeless gambler who only loses a lot of money and never wins anything. But that's not how he sees it. He considers gambling not as something to make money with, he sees it as as an honorable tradition which he has inherited from his father. He gambles on anything he can possibly think of and he really sees a hidden tip in everything: the name of a girl, a conversation with some people who he considers to be lucky... Pretty soon he has a lot of debts with a loan shark named 'Chicago', which he can't possibly pay. When his colleagues suggest that they could arrest or even kill the man, he is shocked. There is no honor in doing such a thing, but from one thing comes another and soon Collins and his colleagues find themselves in a downward spiral of corruption, deceit, murder...

A movie with Ray Liotta in it is always worth watching, no doubt about that. Even a movie that isn't that good can be saved by his appearance. But this movie didn't need to be saved at all. This was actually a very nice film with some well-developed characters and a nice storyline. I might even say that this entire movie was a big surprise to me, as it kept my attention from the first moment until the last. And not only Ray Liotta is worth mentioning. Anthony LaPaglia, Daniel Baldwin, Jeremy Piven,... all did a very nice job in this movie. Still, in the end I'm not surprised why so little people know this movie. OK, it has a cast with some famous people in it like Anjelica Huston, Jeremy Piven and Ray Liotta, but this is also the work of the same director who gave us movies like "Judge Dredd" and "I Still Know What You Did Last Summer". I'm really wondering what made that man decide to do this project in the first place and where he ever found so much excellent inspiration. Anyway, there is one thing that I'm absolutely sure of: I will definitely recommend it to everybody who wants to hear it. I give this movie at least a 7.5/10.

Ray Liotta was a Powerhouse of an Actor!!! Can't Believe He's Gone.

[lukem-52760 · 6/10 · 26 May 2022]

Ray Liotta was a powerhouse of an actor, an actor that grabbed your attention whenever he was on screen & I'm so gutted to hear he's passed on R. I. P

Literally just recently I've been re-watching some Ray Liotta films such as Smokin' Aces & Narc & Copland & Phoenix & now I've just found out he died!!! So sad.

Here in this suspenseful crime thriller the great Ray Liotta plays a troubled & stressed out Phoenix cop Harry Collins who spends his days on crime scenes under the burning heat of the sun & spends his nights out on the town gambling like a mad man. Basically Harry gets in deep with gambling debts & needs money badly so there's a robbery & everything gets out of control. That's all you need to know.

Liotta plays stressed out cops perfectly & he's excellent here & this is his film. The other actors in the cast are all good but it's Ray that stands out completely with his intense performance. Phoenix is a well made crime thriller from the great 90's & Ray was one of the greats of the 90's crime thriller/drama genre with knockout greats such as Goodfellas, Unlawful Entry, Copland, Turbulence, No Escape & well into the 2000's with cult favourites like Hannibal, Narc, Smokin' Aces, Identity & Bee Movie for example. But hey Liotta has made loads of films that i haven't even seen yet.

Like many actors i grew up watching Liotta on video & i loved him in the underrated sci-fi action flick, No Escape & in the excellent suspenseful thriller, Unlawful Entry & the superb all-star cast cop thriller, Cop land & the excellent shocking sequel Hannibal, I'm also I'm a massive fan of Carnahan's brutal cop thriller NARC & his stylish ultra-violent cops & crims action flick SMOKIN' ACES. But no matter what Ray Liotta turns up in he's always damn good & delivers powerhouse performances.

Liotta will be missed in the movie world & to movie fans but we have so many amazing performances to remember him by.

Liotta was one of the greats.

Phoenix

[Coxer99 · 5/10 · 1 July 1999]

Gutsy crime drama with Liotta playing a cop who breaks the law to pay off his bookies. Some light humor and great exchanges between Liotta and Huston.

Colourful Characters & Excellent Performances

[seymourblack-1 · 8/10 · 22 July 2011]

This superb thriller features an array of colourful characters and some beautiful cinematography which not only looks great but also complements the rather menacing atmosphere of the piece. The action takes place in an environment in which everyone is corrupt and the threat of violence is ever present.

Harry Collins (Ray Liotta) is a police detective with a gambling addiction whose work brings him into contact with violent criminals and a group of colleagues who are all thoroughly corrupt and untrustworthy. In amongst all this moral bankruptcy, Harry is something of an exception as he, at least, has some (albeit unorthodox) ethical standards which govern his conduct. His inability to control his compulsion to gamble, however, eventually gets him into a tight spot when his losses increase to $32,000 and local gangster Chicago (Tom Nonnam) wants to be repaid promptly.

Harry's desperation grows as he knows he'll be killed if he's unable to pay his debt but then he's presented with two opportunities to resolve his problem. Chicago promises to cancel his debt if he kills a young man called Joey (Giovanni Ribisi) who's in police custody because Chicago fears that he might give the police information about his operations in order to get a lighter sentence. Harry isn't prepared to do what Chicago wants and also refuses an offer from his unscrupulous fellow detective Mike Henshaw (Anthony LaPaglia), who's willing to kill Chicago.

In order to extricate himself from the fix he's in, Harry devises a plan to relieve a nightclub owner called Louie (Giancarlo Esposito) of the considerable amount of cash that he knows he regularly keeps in his office safe. Then, with the assistance of three of his colleagues, he goes ahead with the robbery so that he can pay off Chicago and pursue his relationship with the empathetic barmaid Leila (Anjelica Huston) who he thinks provides him with his best opportunity for a better future.

"Phoenix" has a great soundtrack, some entertaining dialogue and well rounded characters but it's the quality of the acting that's most impressive. Harry Collins is a very troubled and psychologically complex man and Ray Liotta's portrayal of him is extremely powerful. Anthony LaPaglia is tremendous as the completely amoral Henshaw and Anjelica Huston shows the rather resigned manner and cautious nature of someone who carries the emotional scars of the past. The performances of the supporting cast are also strong and make their characters very memorable.

The honest loser gambler with strong beliefs!!

[elo-equipamentos · 7/10 · 23 March 2021]

The classy and unmatched "Goodfellas" lifts up Ray Liotta into another status at movie industry, actually all us envisages him at stardom soon, sadly it never happened, his follow up pictures assure this assertion, aside on "Hannibal" all remainders were wrong choices or Liotta was too overrated as a promising star, somehow in this unknown picture Liotta overcame himself as the superstitious and loser gambler, he plays a honest Cop Harry Collins at Phoenix's precinct straight together with a power trio closest Cops, the deceitful Mike Henshaw (Anthony LaPaglia) a collector of the shark loan Louie (Giancarlo Esposito) the frisk James Nutter (Alec Baldwin) and closing the odd team the slowpoke Fred Shuster (Jeremy Piven).

Harry a compulsive gambler already owes 16.000 bucks to bookmaker Chicago (Tom Noonan) who in dire straits doubles the bet in a dark horse, hence are 32.000 to pay in one week only, however Chicago is in trouble with a former gang member which is in jail waiting for be judged soon and maybe becomes a squealer, Chicago is willing to forgive the debts if Harry silences him for good, Harry promises to think about, talking later with his mates he tells the weird proposal, Henshaw suggests to Harry erases Chicago, swiftly denied by harry a sort of cop of strong convictions and won't give a default, instead he focuses in the low-down Louie that hold the money on the own safe at his night club, the robbery is settled, nonetheless many twist comes along on the fateful night.

Phoenix astounds by colorful characters, all them are distinguished each other, ramping up the clever plot, mixing many key elements as betrayals, mocking, sexiness, violence, all sort of things of the underworld of pimping, prostitution, gambling, spurious loan sharking, everything on the middle of the desert at Phoenix, it's a worth mentioning of the useless attendance of Angelica Huston as mere decorative pointless character.

Thanks for reading.

Resume:

First watch: 2021 / How many: 1 / Source: DVD / Rating: 7

Disappointing to See So Much Wasted Talent

[reymunpadilla · 2/10 · 27 July 2023]

So many great actors in this are given roles they've done before, and brilliantly. But in this they are undermined by the most cliched and predictable story you've ever seen.

There is not a single piece of dialog that you can't predict word for word before they say it. And there is not a single scene that is even a little bit surprising. Why watch something when you've seen it all before and know exactly who it turns out?

Part of what also makes the film frustrating with its predictability is that the main characters keep making the worst and most illogical decisions, things no one else would do. They self destruct, and not in ways explained by the story.

Points only for showing us famous female breasts, two actresses in this film for no other reason.