In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, policeman Val Kilmer partners up with 50 Cents to get control of the drug gangs that have taken over the city. The story, which starts out as a bunch of disconnected scenes, is interrupted by interviews conducted by Sharon Stone who over did the accent. Of course Stone looks real good in scenes with Kilmer and 50 Cents. The scene where the dirty undercover DEA agent is killed by dirty undercover cops is the one the movie settles around. The movie is packed with old tough guy cliche lines, a sign of inferior writing.

Because of the rampant crime in the street, Police Cpt. Friendly (Barry Shabaka Henley) gives his men lee-way in enforcing rules. He has reason to believe the FBI has a plant within his force to report on crooked cops. Friendly doesn't want any "rats" within his group and has asked Sharon Stone to find out who it might be, something Stone refuses to do.

In the realm of things, this is on par with Steven Seagal films, except the plot is more complex.

F-bomb, sex, nudity.

Val Kilmer and 50 Cent are cops working for a corrupt Narcotics division operating throughout crime-ridden parts of Nawlins, having to deal with dirty FBI agents led by Michael Biehn. Jose Pablo Cantillo and Brian Presley are also Narcotics officers, but more crooked and less organized when they hunt down criminals..they are essentially loose cannons who take drugs and dirty money from gangsters they either kill or maim. Barry Shabaka Henley is a weary and worn Police Captain who must contend with Biehn who wishes for his men to be arrested so that their outlawing methods would not interfere with his unscrupulous activities. Someone among the four is a rat who has been snitching to the FBI about their less-than-law-abiding efforts to destroy gangs, the drug trafficking, among other affairs that have been polluting the city. Sharon Stone is a department psychiatrist trying to understand the four Narcotics officers, attempting to figure their motives and actions, hoping to steer the men in the right, not wrong, direction. Ugly, brutal film with few, if any, redeeming qualities, as we witness a vile and grim view of crime and how it affects the characters studied. I think this is a case where the shaky cam digital camera works because nothing about this bleak world we are entering should be presented in a beautiful form. The camera is all over the place, barely ever still..there's not a composed shot any longer than maybe five or so seconds, I'd guess. Choosing sides isn't that easy as the characters are all flawed, and even the real hero, played by Kilmer(..motivated to take out the scum due to his father's unsolved murder, himself a cop),doesn't await a warrant to enter the premises of known gang bangers, knowing that the methods required to getting one may take too long, understanding that if he and his partner doesn't stop them while they have a chance, there may never be a better time. The film vividly explores what police work on these unapologetically downtrodden streets can do to the psyche of those whose underpaid jobs are to "protect and serve." The cast really gives it their best, even 50 Cent..Kilmer's a real rock that anchors them. Plenty of gang violence with bodies riddled with bullets, excessive profanity(..as to be expected),and prostitution..this is a disturbing portrait that might leave many wanting to take a shower. The filmmakers, although the camera work is often close up on the faces of the characters, get a lot of value out of the setting, in Louisiana. The gang for which Kilmer and company are up against, named the Latin Kings, are actually funded by Biehn, and they are allowed to work from FEMA trailers!

I am really disappointed in this film. Seeing the premise in it's description it sounded like it had a lot of potential. Val Kilmer is generally a good actor and he is not horrible in this however the plot is so confusing that it really doesn't do him justice as an actor. Sharon Stone's accent is so bad, it upstages her performance which really could have been anyone. That part didn't even warrant star billing. I don't have a problem with 50 cent. I think for who he is, playing this part was a stretch and it shows that maybe he is developing some range as an actor.

Overall the plot is just too confusing and the story seems to roam around finding itself. I still do not understand the end in that it didn't seem to be set up well in the earlier stages of the film. As I said, lot's of potential.. obviously a poorly written script.