Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Brutal
- gritty
- sordid
- confrontational
- crime thriller night
- sidney lumet retrospective
What critics said
Critics broadly praised the film as a vivid, forceful police thriller with exceptional performances and a compelling portrait of corruption, while finding its sprawling story and relentless sordidness excessive.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Al Reilly’s prosecution of Mike Brennan exposes a wider network of police, prosecutors, and power brokers who constrain accountability.
The investigation repeatedly shows that individual integrity cannot easily overcome the structures protecting Brennan and his associates.
The film’s New York streets, police brutality, threatening encounters, and unglamorous character presentation create an unrelentingly grim atmosphere.
Bobby Texador is a crime boss whose selective principles complicate the prosecution’s pursuit of cooperation.
Films like Q & A, and why
Serpico
shared police corruption, institutional cynicism, and morally compromised law-enforcement drama
Prince of the City
shared NYPD corruption investigation, dense procedural plotting, and bleak urban realism
Internal Affairs
shared corrupt-police thriller structure, confrontational performances, and morally ambiguous crime world
Night Falls on Manhattan
shared gritty New York crime atmosphere, compromised institutions, and hard-edged character drama
Movie Details
- Director
- Sidney Lumet
- Release Date
- 1990-04-27
- Runtime
- 132 min
- Rating
- 5.9 / 10 (208)
Cast
- Nick Nolte
- Timothy Hutton
- Armand Assante
- Patrick O'Neal
- Lee Richardson
- Luis Guzmán
- Charles S. Dutton
- Jenny Lumet
- Paul Calderon
- International Chrysis
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Q & A about?
- A young prosecutor confronts a brutal detective and the entrenched New York power network shielding him.
- What is Q & A like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Q & A as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Q & A violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in Q & A as brutal.
- What did critics think of Q & A?
- Critics broadly praised the film as a vivid, forceful police thriller with exceptional performances and a compelling portrait of corruption, while finding its sprawling story and relentless sordidness excessive.
- Which films are like Q & A?
- Films with a similar feel include Serpico, Prince of the City, Internal Affairs, and Night Falls on Manhattan.
- How long is Q & A?
- Q & A runs 132 minutes.
- Where can I watch Q & A?
- In United States, Q & A is available to rent or buy from Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home.
