DVD Review: ‘THE SEVEN FIVE’

Synopsis: “In the late 1980s and early ‘90s Brooklyn, New York was the murder capital of America and ground zero for the crack cocaine epidemic. One man, Michael Dowd, led his crew on a rampage through the streets of East New York, robbing dope dealers at gunpoint, burglarizing homes and becoming involved in the biggest drug ring the city had seen. That man, and his cronies, were all police officers.  Labeled “The Dirtiest Cop Ever,” Dowd turned his department’s 75th precinct into a hotbed of corruption, both protecting and robbing drug dealers while lining his own pockets to the pointing of busting with cash and drugs. His arrest in 1992 led to the largest police corruption scandal in NYC history.”

Review: There’s a calmness, a coolness, a collection to The Seven Five that mimics the relative insouciance of its subject, Michael Dowd. For the many horrifying accounts of police corruption displayed in this engaging crime documentary, director Tiller Russell remains admirably unbiased – never posing the events to sentimentalize towards his audience or exploit them for added dramatic glory. Perhaps it’s the case that the scoop itself is so bogus, so entirely, extraordinarily out of whack, that Russell needn’t wring the fact for any additional gravitas but The Seven Five is that rare occasion where we can sit back and listen to men recounting their past transgressions and remain relative transfixed. Hearing Dowd’s confession is particularly chilling, essentially in this day and age of social media and news networks abuzz with reports of police brutality and structural corruption. This flagrant disregard for the law from those meant to protect it is a national travesty and The Seven Five is proof that fact is often scarier than fiction. (B-)

Features: The Seven Five DVD unfortunately offers no special features, aside from its theatrical trailer.

Trailer:

Verdict: Rental.

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