"Cop Out": A Movie that Will Tickle and Tantalize

Cop movies tend to be exciting and scary, or they're spoofs; but seldom are they both funny and scary at the same time. When Die Hard's Bruce Willis and 30 Rock's Tracy Morgan got together to make Cop Out, though, the paradigm changed. This is a move that will tickle your funny bone at the same time it causes you to cringe in absolute terror.

Detectives Jimmy Monroe (Willis) and Paul Hodges (Morgan) play two long-time partners on NYPD who find themselves in hot water and suspended after a shootout gone awry. Monroe's daughter is about to get married, and in order to give her the wedding of her dreams he plans to sell a mint condition baseball card he owns - unfortunately, it's stolen. Monroe and Hodges find themselves hunting, and sometimes hunted by, a gangster who is obsessed with collecting memorabilia. Their quest is complicated by Hodges' obsession with thoughts that his wife is being unfaithful.

Released in February, 2010, this film, directed by Kevin Smith has a few loose ends and unresolved dilemmas - for instance, during a chase scene through a graveyard, Monroe shoots through the rear window of the vehicle at pursuing gangsters, but in a later scene only one bullet hole is shown. That said, the minor problems with continuity can be forgiven. The performances of Willis and Morgan more than make up for any technical glitches. Willis proves in this film that he can be more than the shoot 'em up hero he was in the Die Hard series. He can be truly funny with his dead pan responses to Morgan's madcap brand of emotive comedy.

Cop Out takes pot shots at every cop action movie of the past few years; including references to Willis's own Die Hard hits. Tracy Morgan, a comedian who recognizes no taboos and knows no boundaries, even manages to turn serious in one or two scenes; and makes it believable.

A solid cast of supporting characters who combine menace with maniacal behavior make this a movie that will leave you sitting on the edge of your seat - in equal parts fear and frivolity. Die Hard meets 30 Rock and the result is a movie that manages to defy characterization. It is an exciting comedy; it's full of car chases and shootouts; it has pathos and drama. It has two major actors who know their craft and turn in stellar performances. It's worth the price of admission. You'll laugh; you'll be on the edge of your seat - you will absolutely enjoy it.

References:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1385867/