(2004 Canadian made-for-tv movie; first broadcast 9/6/04)

Bruce Greenwood headlines this police drama, which is a fictionalized account of a true story detailing two beat cops who document the thousands of drug addicts living in the Eastside of downtown Vancouver, the "dark heart of the city." Greenwood and Brian Markison play the veteran policemen, who decide to videotape the seamy world in which they work. They head a group of constables who ultimately become known as "The Odd Squad", policemen whose purpose is to shed some light on why Vancouver has become the heroin capital of North America.

"Through a Blue Lens", the documentary on which the film is based, was first broadcast over The Canadian Broadcast Corporation in 2000, and has been hailed throughout Canada where it won The Japan Prize for documentaries. All seven of the cops compromising "The Odd Squad" have become local celebrities and their work to bring wider knowledge and sympathy to the troubled drug world of Vancouver continues through the video and its related website.

The movie was called "Skid Road" and "Skid Road Blues" during pre-production, then "The Odd Squad" and "The Squad" during filming, but producers finally settled on "The Life", which is how the actual participants - i.e., the street people and policemen working this beat - refer to the marginalized way of living in this area of Vancouver.

The film is a personal odyssey for all involved, including Greenwood himself, who found both the subject matter and the talent behind it compelling. Some top Canadian names are attached to the project including the director, Lynne Stopkewich (Kissed), executive producer Pierre Sarrazin who spear-headed the effort and co-writers / producers, Christopher Haddock and Alan Di Fiore, who are behind the much lauded Canadian series, DaVinci's Inquest. Ian Tracey and Terry Chen play two young policemen inspired by the older officers while Nancy Sivak, Alisen Down and Katherine Isabelle co-star as addicted victims.

Due to air only in Canada, the film was postponed from CTV's 2003 Fall Schedule and eventually rescheduled for the Labor weekend of 2004. Producers felt the project was never given the support it deserved by Canada's major broadcast company, an opinion voiced by Bruce Greenwood himself in a well-publicized interview that provoked a flurry of counter publicity.

Whatever the reasons behind the seemingly obscure placement, the film was received with glowing reviews and its controversial subject matter provoked reactions - both positive and negative - throughout Canada.