For those viewers out there that are sick of having just ONE cop on the edge, here we have FOUR - Daly (Dennehy),Gross (Pantoliano),Hojo (Paxton) and Rodriguez (Fahey). They are four lifelong buddies and they fight the war on drugs for the LAPD, with a little football against the DEA team in their leisure time. When the team of four is suspended for doing things their own way (the right way),they decide to go after the baddies themselves, the main culprits being the sinister Norringer (Boyd) and the slimeball Reece (Gwynne). When one of the team is murdered, the remaining three not only go rogue, but now they're out for revenge - but department corruption from their higher-ups and a stash of 22 million dollars complicates matters. The conspiracy thickens when politicians grandstanding about the then-current events in Nicaragua get involved. What will become of the...last of the finest? Last of the Finest is an extremely underrated and under-appreciated film. It's a film about the camaraderie and the brotherhood of the four main leads. And what killer leads they are - Dennehy is very real and likable as the world-weary Daly, Jeff Fahey is perfect as Rodriguez, Pantoliano is the somewhat nerdy but reliable Gross, and Paxton as Hojo is spot-on as well. Interestingly, it's like The Shield before the Shield, as these guys are a sort of strike team as well, and even some plot points in this film bear striking similarities to ones on the first few seasons of The Shield. Could that be a coincidence? Regardless, to have these four actors come together like this is truly a gift. For that reason alone, this movie should be more well known.

Most of the budget probably went to the top-flight actors on display, and there are some classic cop movie/TV show clichés, but they're likable and inoffensive clichés. In fact, they pretty much have to be there so I don't fault the movie at all, especially a movie of this quality, which is higher than a lot of the dreck you'll find elsewhere out there (including on this site).

But it's also a very human story with some good realism, especially the idea that these are good cops doing impossibly hard work in extremely dangerous situations, but the top brass and the pencil-pushers have no clue what goes on in the real world, but they're always telling the cops on the ground what to do. That conflict drives a lot of the film (but not all of it). It seems very relevant, and it also makes for an exciting, interesting and highly watchable film.

The only question now is - when are we getting a DVD release? For more insanity, please visit: comeuppancereviews.com

Miss-Marketed and Ignored Movie about Four Honest Cops Knee-Deep in the Stench of Political and Law-Enforcement Corruption.

Reagan-Era Blow-Back about Highly Corrupt Politicians and Leaders in the LAPD Using Drug-Money to Get Rich and Fund the "Freedom-Fighters" in Central America.

Thinly Veiled Commentary about the Iran-Contra Scandal.

The Studio seemed Nervous about the Political Aspects of this Character Study.

It's about an Elite Squad of Brian Dennehy, Joey Pants, Jeff Fahey, and Bill Paxton Uncovering Not Only Drug-Trafficking but Corruption at the Highest Levels.

The Movie was Ignored by the Studio and Given the Bum's Rush.

Did Not Screen Well with Critics (What do they know?).

The Film is a Fine Action/Drama with the Four Actors Delivering Good Character Comradery and are a Convincing Squad.

Suspenseful Story Peppered with Good Action.

Underrated and Unacknowledged Film that Deserves a Second-Look.

This story of four heroic Los Angeles cops is packed with action and camaraderie and it observes all the rules of the genre. The four discover that a politician is exchanging military gear with Central American forces -- we don't know which side or which country -- in exchange for twenty-two million dollars of used hundred-dollar bills. I think that's right. Cocaine is mixed up in it somehow. I was never very good at this sort of thing.

The four cops -- Brian Dennehy, Joe Pantoliano, Jeff Fahey, and Bill Paxton -- discover that one of their superiors in the LAPD is particeps criminis and is covering up the operation. Dennehy proves to have too much probity for them so he quits the force. The others quit with him, determined to put a stop to these shenanigans. They do so, although at the loss of one of their own.

That merely adds revenge as a motive to these unfrocked officers of the law. There is the required final shoot out involving all kinds of weaponry and a helicopter that explodes in a fireball when it's down. I mean, it doesn't just flop around on the ground as downed choppers are want to do. There is a ball of flame full blown. There is an abundance of F bombs too. It's not a made-for-TV movie. The budget, if not lavish, was impressive enough.

Some of the banter is amusing. Pantoliano objects before one of the raids that nobody ever elected Dennehy as leader of the group. Dennehy agrees, saying this is a democracy and they should make proposals about the forthcoming action. They vote with great solemnity and elect Dennehy as leader of the group.

Not that much is called for in the way of acting. It might interfere with the headlong plot. Joe Pantoliano comes off best. His character is witty and earnest at the same time. Furthermore he is from Hoboken, New Jersey, Frank Sinatra's home town, and at the time of Pantoliano's youth it was a funky town of stevedores, sailors, and saloons with sawdust floors. Besides, he was my co-star in an unforgettable movie whose title I've forgotten, and he proved to be an unprepossessing person.