George
Pelecanos is a master of Beltway crime fiction, but he is drawn more to grittier
neighborhoods like Baltimore and Anacostia than tonier Fairfax and Georgetown.
That’s where the bodies are—and also quite a few stressed out cops. Known as a
novelist as well as a writer-producer for shows like The Wire, Pelecanos adapts his own short stories in the anthology
feature-pilot, D.C. Noir, with
segments directed by Pelecanos himself, Gbenga Akinnagbe, Stephen Kinigopoulos,
and his son Nicholas Pelecanos, which screens during the 2019 Austin Film Festival.
Pelecanos’
first story, “The Lovers,” is probably the most traditionally James M. Cain-ish
“noir.” It features a high-powered lawyer who wants a permanent, low-cost
divorce from his much younger and consequently unfaithful wife. However, the
armed robbery specialist he sought to recruit tries to roll over on the
counselor when he is busted by Det. Mitch Brooks, who passes it along to an
undercover colleague—with unintended consequences.
Akinnagbe
is terrific as Brooks and he also helms the best story of the quartet: “String
Music.” It has a distinctively moody, late night vibe, but it is impossible to
overstate what the great character actor Jay O. Sanders brings to the table as
world-weary beat cop Sergeant Peters (or “Sgt. Dad”). Marcus Craig-Bradford is
all kinds of intense as Tonio Harris, a youth getting pulled against his will
into a potentially violent rivalry, but what is really compelling is the way
Sgt. Peters interacts with the people on his beat. You really can call it
“community policing.”
Probably
the most conventional tale would be “Miss Mary’s Room,” directed by the younger
Pelecanos, in which two friends find their bonds of loyalty threatened by the
harsh realities of criminal life. We have seen this sort of thing many times
before, but Judith Hoag elevates the material with her poignant portrayal of
the titular mother.
Pelecanos
and company save the second best for last, ending with the excellent “The
Confidential Informant,” directed by Kinigopoulos. Seen briefly in “String
Music,” Vernon Coates Jr. narrates this urban tragedy from a classically noir
perspective. He is the informant and he is proud of what he does to make his
community safer (not that he turns down the tip money, mind you), but obviously
he must keep his role secret, or else. Thaddeus Street powerfully portrays
Coates’ angst and regret with unusual subtlety and simmering restraint. His
story arc is truly haunting.
It
is not exactly clear whether D.C. Noir should
be considered a pilot or a feature, but it is definitely worth seeing either
way, especially for its refreshingly positive and sympathetic depiction of a
veteran cop, like Sgt. “Dad” Peters. Pelecanos’s stories have depth and grit,
which Sanders, Akinnagbe, and Street really flesh out and bring to life. Highly
recommended, D.C. Noir screens
tomorrow (10/26) and Monday (10/28), as part of this year’s Austin Film
Festival.
