Richard Wenk's script juices the genre basics with a compressed timeline, but the juice turns to sap as he insists on forsaking the story's darker instincts in order to deliver a feel-good capper. Despite its dramatic holes, it looks primed for solid action at the boxoffice. The film begins with a disastrous standoff and backtracks several hours to show how NYPD Detective Jack Mosley (Willis) wound up surrounded by New York's finest.

Subscribe to the Hollywood Reporter and see the entertainment industry from its best angle: the inside looking out. Complete access to real-time news and exclusive analysis that goes behind the scenes from film to television, home video to digital media.

   Subscribe now.