Cop Out

Review by Sean Lynch

What happens when you give Video Store fanboy, Kevin Smith, the reigns to a buddy-cop script which has clearly been dusted off from the Beverly Hills Cop 4 script pile that's been sitting at Paramount Studios since 1994?

Exactly what you might expect : Cop Out.

Clearly a heartfelt homage (a word Tracey Morgan's character clearly struggles to say) to the 1980s genre which made Eddie Murphy a star, director Kevin Smith delivers a nostalgic action comedy about two longtime NYPD partners on the trail of a stolen, rare, mint-condition baseball card who find themselves up against a merciless, memorabilia-obsessed gangster.

Bruce Willis is at his monotoned best as Jimmy (a veteran detective whose missing collectible is his only hope to pay for his daughter's upcoming wedding), while Tracy Morgan (who is brilliant in small doses on 30 Rock but slightly irritating after 90 minutes) plays Jimmy's "partner-against-crime" whose is obsessed with uncovering his wife's (the always stunning Rashida Jones) alleged infidelity.

While most will just take Cop Out for what it is, those in the know will understand there is far more riding on Cop Out than simply a "Good Movie" or "Bad Movie" tag.

Kevin Smith is notoriously picky about his words, scripts and distributors - so not only is Cop Out a major turning point in his career from a cast and budget perspective... but also from a studio (it's his first major non-Weinstein flick) and script perspective - because this puppy has been doing the rounds for years (with Will Ferrell and even Robin Williams attached to it at one stage).

It's a studio comedy in every sense of the word, and it's for this reason and this reason alone, that Cop Out falls flat far more often that it probably should. 

The reason being, there are really two flicks happening here : one a genuinely solid Kevin Smith genre flick, the other a poor Will Ferrell flick.

When Cop Out is in full blown 1980s buddy cop mode - complete with authentic synth musical score and some dark, gritty violence - it's quality Dragnet meets Beverley Hills Cop meets 48 Hours stuff. However whenever it diverges from that path, the pacing of the flick really takes a kick in the guts.

The two styles - sadly - just don't mesh, ultimately leaving the audience having to ride the roller-coaster of excitement, boredom and confusion when Cop Out switches from a free flowing action comedy (complete with an excellent Judge Reinhold-esque performance from Adam Brody) and cameo heavy Superbowl Commercial / Comedy skit (a rather forced reference to Die Hard in the films opening interrogation scene and an, admittedly stand out, cameo from Seann William Scott).

That said, there is a lot to like here when Smith does get it right (aside from some rather sloppy editing at times) with Cop Out genuinely feeling like it could happily lead the way for several kick-ass sequels thanks to a solid and well rounded cast of characters.

General punters will take it or leave it, fans of 1980s cop flicks will adore it, while Smith fans will likely still secretly be pining for a cameo from Jay & Silent Bob. 

Either way, the inability for the flick's tones to gel will probably leave most thinking that Cop Out was put together by A Couple Of Dicks.

3 out of 5

Cop Out
Australian release: 18th March, 2010
Official Site: Cop Out
Cast: Bruce Willis, Tracy Morgan, Adam Brody, Kevin Pollak, Guillermo Díaz, Seann William Scott, Jason Lee, Ana de la Reguera
Director: Kevin Smith