Internal Affairs
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Internal Affairs
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A Lot or a Little?
The parents' guide to what's in this movie.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that Internal Affairs is a 1990s police drama with strong language, violence, sex, nudity, and domestic abuse. It stars Richard Gere as a respected L.A. police officer and father, Dennis Peck, who is soon outed as a dangerously devious womanizer by Raymond Avila (Andy Garcia), a fellow cop hired to sniff out corrupt police. Characters are shot and strangled to death. Female nudity is shown both in a sexual and non-sexual context. There is also the use of graphic sexual language, including words like "p---y" and "cum." Other strong language includes "f--k" and "s--t," while a lesbian character -- who avoids playing into stereotypes -- is referred to as a "d-ke." Characters smoke and drink -- the latter to excess in one scene -- and a character tries to take cocaine but has it knocked out of their hand. While the film is gripping in places, its portrayals of women and people of color has not aged well.
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What's the Story?
In INTERNAL AFFAIRS, Raymond Avilla (Andy Garcia) is hired to investigate corruption in the L.A. police. He's teamed up with Amy Wallace (Laurie Metcalf) and placed on a case to get to the bottom of a drugs bust involving Officer Van Stretch (William Baldwin). But when suspicions shift to Van Stretch's respected partner, Officer Dennis Peck (Richard Gere), a shadier side to this case is soon revealed. Can Avilla prove Peck is not the golden boy people think he is?
Is It Any Good?
For its time, this 1990 film cut through the noise of a swarm of cop dramas and was received favorably by critics and the box office. Internal Affairs capitalized on the sturdy talent and sizzling sex appeal of Gere who had already made a name for himself with the likes of American Gigolo and An Officer and a Gentleman. However, time has corroded the credentials of this movie. You would hope today's lens would be more scrupulous on portrayals of women and people of color, and more original in its stylistic choices, which now look like a roll call of cliches.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the violence in Internal Affairs. How did it make you feel, especially the violence toward women. What did it say about the characters? Was it necessary for the story?
Discuss the strong language in the movie. Did it seem necessary or excessive? What did it contribute to the movie?
How was sex portrayed in the film? Was it affectionate? Respectful? Parents, talk to your teens about your own values regarding sex and relationships.
Talk about the portrayal of people from immigrant communities. What kind of jobs did they do and what storylines did they have? Why is positive representation important?
Movie Details
- In theaters: January 12, 1990
- On DVD or streaming: March 9, 1999
- Cast: Richard Gere, Andy Garcia, Laurie Metcalf
- Director: Mike Figgis
- Studio: Paramount Pictures
- Genre: Thriller
- Run time: 115 minutes
- MPAA rating: R
- Last updated: January 20, 2023
Our Editors Recommend
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Training Day
Great performances, but for adults only.
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Cop Land
1990s police drama has corruption, violence, language.
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Strong, ethical heroine elevates violent bad-cop actioner.
For kids who love thrills
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