His ace in the hole would seem to be Nora Timmer (JOLENE BLALOCK), his attractive assistant who's been impeccable in prosecuting gang members. The only drawback is that they've yet to catch and prosecute Danny Lewton, the gang lord turned entrepreneur who's divesting his enterprises, including by buying up much of the city's impoverished real estate.

That prosecutorial quest is momentarily suspended, however, when Nora is arrested for the murder of part-time record store employee and waiter Isaac Duperde (MEKHI PHIFER) who was found dead in her bed with a bullet hole in his head. Nora claims it was self-defense, stating he was raping her, but Godfrey has his doubts. As does Luther Pinks (LL COOL J), a former cop who worked with Isaac and tells a different story of his friend's relationship with Nora.

As Ford and his assistant Chet Price (GUY TORRY) start nosing around for the truth, their investigation uncovers various revelations including secret affairs, other criminals such as Jeffrey Sykes (TAYE DIGGS), and truths Ford realizes he should have seen coming before their unexpected arrival.

Despite a decent cast, the script tries to be far too complicated for its own good, and the direction does nothing to draw us into this rehash of the old "Rashomon" plot (where the same story is told from several angles and viewpoints).

With about the only interest being figuring out not only whom the mystery villain is, but also what persuaded name performers to sign up, "Slow Burn" is an accurate title. It goes nowhere fast and will likely incense viewers for investing time and effort into seeing it. The film rates as a 3 out of 10.