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Q & A

Q & A

Action · Thriller · Crime · 1990

A young district attorney seeking to prove a case against a corrupt police detective encounters a former lover and her new protector, a crime boss who refuses to help him.

Movie details

Q & A

“When the questions are dangerous, the answers can be deadly.”

1990 Action · Thriller · Crime 2h 12m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

5.9 / 10

Community rating

A young district attorney seeking to prove a case against a corrupt police detective encounters a former lover and her new protector, a crime boss who refuses to help him.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over Q & A?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

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Until Death

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Vice detective Bob Hightower finds his ex-wife murdered and daughter kidnapped by a cult. Frustrated by the botched official investigations, he quits the force and infiltrates the cult to hunt down the leader with the help of the cult’s only female victim escapee, Case Hardin.

The Anderson Tapes

The Anderson Tapes

Crime · 1971

Thief Duke Anderson—just released from ten years in jail—takes up with his old girlfriend in her posh apartment block, and makes plans to rob the entire building. What he doesn't know is that his every move is being recorded on audio and video, although he is not the subject of any surveillance.

Shaft

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Blood Work

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Dead Man Down

Dead Man Down

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In New York City, a crime lord's right-hand man is seduced by a woman seeking retribution.

Out for Justice

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Action · 1991

Gino Felino is an NYPD detective from Brooklyn who knows everyone and everything in his neighborhood. Killing his partner was someone's big mistake... because he's now out for justice.

Havoc

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Action · 2025

When a drug heist swerves lethally out of control, a jaded cop fights his way through a corrupt city's criminal underworld to save a politician's son.

Rapid Fire

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Action · 1992

College student Jake Lo is pursued by smugglers, mobsters and crooked federal agents after he witnesses a murder by a Mafia kingpin.

Where it lives

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Sidney Lumet

Written by

Sidney Lumet

Nick Nolte

Nick Nolte

Mike Brennan

Timothy Hutton

Timothy Hutton

Al Reilly

Armand Assante

Armand Assante

Bobby Texador

Patrick O'Neal

Patrick O'Neal

Kevin Quinn

Lee Richardson

Lee Richardson

Leo Bloomenfeld

Luis Guzmán

Luis Guzmán

Luis Valentin

Charles S. Dutton

Charles S. Dutton

Sam Chapman

Court is in session

Put Q & A on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Adrenaline Seeker

“Momentum is a formal choice.”

The velocity sharpens instinct and tension, making every beat land before self-importance can settle in.

The prosecution The Auteur Devotee

“Speed as an alibi.”

The film races past its weak spots and hopes acceleration will keep the audience from inspecting the evidence.