Cop a load of that...

Cop Out – Kevin Smith

I’m gonna be honest here and say something that some people will think is controversial or think is a load of bollocks and such, but i like Kevin Smith. I like his films, i like his books, i especially like his podcasts, and I just rather like everything he’s done, like the Reaper pilot, cameos in Fanboys and many others flicks too. I just enjoy his work and he makes me laugh on a very basic level. I can read his books, listen to him on the podcasts and i can watch his films and everything makes me laugh. It’s very hard to find a person who can do that on so many levels. And I’ve seen him live twice and he is easily better than most comedians I’ve seen. And now onto his latest directorial piece, named Cop Out, formally called A Couple of Dicks. Starring the awesome Bruce Willis and the talented and underused Tracy Morgan, and the on-off Seann William Scott, in a tale about cops who go in search of a baseball card and end up in a whole heap of trouble.

It’s got a basic premise; Morgan and Willis play partners in the police department who after foiling an undercover drugs bust get suspended. A baseball card that Willis had is stolen, and its worth a lot of money, that money was going to be used to pay for his daughter’s wedding. They go on a chase to try to find the card, along the way become friends with the thief, Scott, a gang of Mexicans, who in the end are the bad guys. It’s very funny and the pacing is wonderful for a comedy action film. Don’t expect mass amounts of action, but it’s very Die Hard and 80’s cop pieces. It takes those films and adds next twists, updating the genre. The genre here is new for Smith, something he has never done before and kudos to him for doing a decent job. It’s not amazing, but it’s funny. Moments are laugh out loud and are worth a second or third viewing, but some parts lack.

Overall, a good film with some strong comedy acting from Willis and stand out performance from Morgan (and if you haven’t seen 30 Rock, go kill yourself!). Smith shows he can direct a studio flick instead of his indie type pictures he’s made in his career, so i look forward to the next one he creates. The look is very different to the past, and with more money underneath him, he can show that he isn’t just a one track pony, with dick and fart jokes. Which by the way, i think are funny. A decent dick and fart joke is probably better than any Scary Movie and all those parody films combined over the last ten years. They suck balls.

7/10

Simon Childs