citywide riot. As midnight approaches, Lenny and Mace sneak into a private party that Philo is hosting at the Westin Bonaventure Hotel for the city's wealthy elite. Lenny has a change of heart and tells Mace to give the disc to deputy police commissioner Palmer Strickland. In Philo's penthouse suite, Lenny finds Philo brain-dead on the floor and another disc, revealing that Max and Faith are lovers, and that Max "fried" Philo's brain with an amplified recording of them feigning rape. Faith explains to Lenny that Philo hired Max to kill Iris, but when Philo wanted Faith dead as part of the coverup, Max decided to frame Lenny for the murders. Lenny and Max struggle in a fight, which culminates with Lenny throwing Max off the balcony to his death. Meanwhile, on the crowded streets, Mace subdues Steckler and Engelman but other officers take down Mace. Strickland arrives and orders Mace be released and Steckler and Engelman arrested for murder. Engelman commits suicide; Steckler threatens Mace, but the officers gun him down. The officers arrest Faith; Lenny finds Mace and the two share a kiss as the crowd celebrates the turn of the new millennium. Cast Ralph Fiennes as Lenny Nero Angela Bassett as Lornette "Mace" Mason Juliette Lewis as Faith Justin Tom Sizemore as Max Peltier Vincent D'Onofrio as Officer Burton Steckler Michael Wincott as Philo Gant Brigitte Bako as Iris William Fichtner as Officer Dwayne Engelman Glenn Plummer as Jeriko "One" Richard Edson as "Tick" Josef Sommer as LAPD Commissioner Palmer Strickland Louise Lecavalier as Cindy "Vita" Minh Rio Hackford as Bobby the Bartender Brandon Hammond as Zander Production Development The story of Strange Days was originally conceived by producer James Cameron around 1986. He eventually presented it to his former wife and director Kathryn Bigelow, who immediately found it impressive. According to her, "These two characters on the eve of the millennium, with one character trying to get the woman who loves him to help him save the woman he loves. It's this great emotional matrix." After a series of dialogues, Cameron and Bigelow developed the film's society and political element. Cameron focused more on the romantic side, while Bigelow centered more on "the edginess, the grit" part of the film, which was something she was always interested in. Cameron later wrote a 90-page treatment based on these dialogues, stating that it was "practically a novel, but