"Phoenix" is a hidden gem. I've seen it over five times. For some reason, it never gets old.

Harry (Liotta) is a cop with a gambling problem. He can't stop. He owes money to "Chicago" (Tom Noonan) and he if he doesn't pay up, he dies. Harry's partners Henshaw (LaPaglia) and Nutter (Baldwin) are dirty and are becoming "collectors" to bookie Louie (Giancarlo Esposito). Harry needs money fast and the only way is to rob Louie. Everybody goes along with the plan until there's a double cross.

There's not a lot of action in the movie until the end, but it's not needed. Ray Liotta is excellent in the movie. But the supporting cast steals it from him. LaPaglia is fantastic as Henshaw. He makes the character come alive. Baldwin, Esposito, Kari Wuhrer, and Anjelica Huston all get their time to shine.

"Phoenix" is a gritty crime movie that Liotta and LaPaglia fans must see.

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The classy and unmatched "Goodfellas" lifts up Ray Liotta into another status at movie industry, actually all us envisages him at stardom soon, sadly it never happened, his follow up pictures assure this assertion, aside on "Hannibal" all remainders were wrong choices or Liotta was too overrated as a promising star, somehow in this unknown picture Liotta overcame himself as the superstitious and loser gambler, he plays a honest Cop Harry Collins at Phoenix's precinct straight together with a power trio closest Cops, the deceitful Mike Henshaw (Anthony LaPaglia) a collector of the shark loan Louie (Giancarlo Esposito) the frisk James Nutter (Alec Baldwin) and closing the odd team the slowpoke Fred Shuster (Jeremy Piven).

Harry a compulsive gambler already owes 16.000 bucks to bookmaker Chicago (Tom Noonan) who in dire straits doubles the bet in a dark horse, hence are 32.000 to pay in one week only, however Chicago is in trouble with a former gang member which is in jail waiting for be judged soon and maybe becomes a squealer, Chicago is willing to forgive the debts if Harry silences him for good, Harry promises to think about, talking later with his mates he tells the weird proposal, Henshaw suggests to Harry erases Chicago, swiftly denied by harry a sort of cop of strong convictions and won't give a default, instead he focuses in the low-down Louie that hold the money on the own safe at his night club, the robbery is settled, nonetheless many twist comes along on the fateful night.

Phoenix astounds by colorful characters, all them are distinguished each other, ramping up the clever plot, mixing many key elements as betrayals, mocking, sexiness, violence, all sort of things of the underworld of pimping, prostitution, gambling, spurious loan sharking, everything on the middle of the desert at Phoenix, it's a worth mentioning of the useless attendance of Angelica Huston as mere decorative pointless character.

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First watch: 2021 / How many: 1 / Source: DVD / Rating: 7

There was no shortage of 'cool' crime thrillers released on the success of Goodfellas in the nineties, and while I wouldn't say that this is one of the very best of them; it's certainly one of the better ones. Phoenix benefits from Scorsese's leading man Ray Liotta, who takes the lead role in this film as a gambling addicted copper. The plot focuses on crime as you would expect, but the gambling side of the plot is what really makes and sets it apart from most of the other nineties crime flicks. Ray Liotta is Harry Collins, a cop with a gambling addiction; and, like most gamblers, a money problem resulting from it. He owes money he doesn't have to his bookie, a man who calls himself "Chicago", and after being given a few days to pay; he soon realises that he's going to have to take steps to raise the money. This prompts him to set up a plan with his fellow coppers Mike, James and Fred to rip off local pimp and all round bad guy Louie. Naturally, the plan goes tits up and pretty soon all four of them are forced to pay the consequences...

The film is never really brilliant (though in fairness, this sort of film doesn't usually turn me on all that much),but it manages to keep a fairly good pace going throughout and doesn't get boring. Ray Liotta has played this sort of role many times before and since, and as you would expect he is well at home with the leading role in this film. British director Danny Cannon (also director of rubbish such as Judge Dredd and I Know What You Did Last Summer) has recruited a decent cast of below a-list stars, which includes Anthony LaPaglia, Daniel Baldwin, Jeremy Piven and Xander Berkeley, as well as one of my favourite B-movie actresses, Kari Wuhrer. Anjelica Huston also appears, but is horribly miscast as Liotta's love interest. There's plenty of what most people will have come to expect from modern crime flicks; we have car chases, shootouts, sharp dialogue and all the rest of it. I'd have preferred the film if we'd have got a bit more of the gambling theme thrown in, but that's not too important as overall, this is a more than passable effort and I'm sure crime fans will enjoy it.