I think the naysayers for this movie are somewhat missing the point, the story behind the story as it were. Yes, it's a murder mystery, but beyond that it's about Joe 'Deke' Deacon (Denzel Washington) attempting to prevent fellow law officer Jim Baxter (Rami Malek) from falling into the same depressing frame of mind that's been his personal torment for the past five years. In an admittedly very dark scene in the latter half of the picture, a flashback depicts how Deke accidentally shot an innocent person in the course of hunting down a murderer. Deke's guilt over the fact, even after a coroner fabricated the cause of death, was enough to force him into an unintended leave from the department and the breakup of his marriage. Landing a position in a lesser capacity at a police department in a nearby county, Deke gets involved in a murder case when he's sent on a gopher mission to pick up evidence in Los Angeles. He gets a mixed reaction from his former colleagues, while initially getting the cold shoulder treatment from Baxter, a hot shot detective with the slightest hint of superiority.
As the serial murder investigation in LA appears to narrow down to a likely suspect, both Deke and Baxter seek to make the pieces fit against the slimy Albert Leonard Sparma (Jared Leto). Sparma manages to outmaneuver the pair of frustrated cops with an infuriating display of conceit and arrogance, leading Baxter to try a different approach. Sparma's insistence that a murder victim is buried in a lonely desert location leads Baxter to dig up nearly a dozen parcels of empty dirt. With his frustration and anger mounting, Baxter decks Sparma with a shovel, unintentionally killing him. Deke, who was present and witness to the Sparma's death, returns to the city in Sparma's vehicle to cover Baxter's tracks. In doing so, Deke reveals a dishonorable side to his character, especially with his advice to Baxter to 'forget about' Sparma and move on with his career. To pinpoint blame where both cops thought it should have belonged, Deke buys a red barrette that one of the murder victims wore, and has it delivered to Jim in an attempt to assuage some of his guilt. One's sense is that this won't be enough to relieve Baxter's remorse for acting impulsively, his sense of self worth completely shattered by the experience.
The idea that Sparma was guilty or innocent of the series of murders in LA and Fern County is left an open question to my mind. He may have been the killer, but with no tangible evidence, he felt compelled to inflame the pair of cops breathing down his neck. If you paid attention, the film's sound track seemed to support the idea that Deke and Jim were on the right trail. Not only did Deke have a fondness for nostalgic Sixties music, but the ones heard on the radio in Baxter's car included 'My Guy' and 'I Will Follow Him', affirming the idea that they were soon to get their man.
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