BLACK AND WHITE (1999) ***

Rory Cochrane is a rookie cop who gets paired with a sexy, tough, and experienced veteran patrolwoman played by Gina Gershon.  Despite her outwardly spunky demeanor lies a dark side.  When her former collars begin turning up dead, many in the department begin to suspect Gershon is the murderer.  Eventually, Cochrane becomes suspicious too and begins keeping a closer eye on his partner.

Black and White is an offbeat melding of serial killer thriller and police procedural that coasts on Gershon’s intense performance.  Whether talking smack to a gunman or bossing around the innocent Cochrane, she commands the screen with a fiery gusto that is truly winning.  She also looks sexy as hell while dressed undercover as a prostitute but looks just as great while in her cop uniform.

Speaking of her uniform, the best scene comes during Cochrane’s first day on the job.  Gershon and Cochrane take off their clothes to see what they look like naked so there will be no sexual tension between them.  Unfortunately, they never show Gershon naked, which makes the sexual tension almost insurmountable for the audience throughout the film.

Cochrane is good as the green rookie who’s in way over his head.  The scenes of him confessing to his priest (Barry Primus) aren’t quite as good as when he’s investigating his partner, but he does a fine job regardless.  The rest of the supporting cast is strong.  It’s funny hearing Clint Eastwood’s daughter Alison Eastwood namedropping Dirty Harry into casual conversation.  Ron Silver is probably having the most fun as the wily Internal Affairs agent out to get Gershon.  Skinamax legend Nikki Fritz also pops up as a stripper.

Black and White is a solid little thriller that has somehow slipped through the cracks.  I remember seeing it when it first premiered on cable and it still holds up twenty years later.  If you’re a fan of Gershon, you really owe it to yourself to check it out.

A rookie cop gets the best line of the movie when he says, “You know what they say about broads in uniforms.  They’re either nymphos, lesbos, or psychos!”