Remember the old US TV cop show 'Chips'? well never mind cos this ain't nothing like that lol!. From the films poster you can tell this is a badass cops, drugs and guns drama which will no doubt have lots of profanity and gangbangin involved.
Profanity you say? check!, holy assburgers there is tonnes of it, a possible record breaker here folks. Aside from that the film is actually pretty good and did keep me interested throughout. The plot is basically about the lives of two LA cops going about their daily lives and err that's it. Not only do we get the bad side of being a cop, naturally, we also see the odd perks and how these guys get along together both on the beat and personally.
The whole film is made in a hands on/handheld cam style which we all know about mainly from a few alien and horror flicks. At first it does feel as if its a documentary style and there is a cameraman with the two officers but we find out Gyllenhaal's character is doing some of the filming himself for his own personal project. So the look moves from a police pov to a handheld cam style as if someone else was there with the cops filming.
Visuals are of course rugged, real and at times hectic when the officers burst into action or come under fire. It does add a thrill to the film and gives the whole thing a sharper edge, it basically feels like you're watching one of those real cop TV shows with real footage. Naturally the family side of the story isn't really very interesting and I did find myself yearning for them to get back on the beat. Pregnant wives and relationships zzzzzzz...more door bashing drug/weapon raids please.
On the whole the plot does feel somewhat jumbled and as if its going nowhere but towards the end it does meld together. Unfortunately the ending disappointed me, the cops come under heavy fire from a gang so they go on the run. As they escape they take down two vehicles driven by gangsters, now at this point I instantly thought the pair should jump in one of these criminals cars and drive off to safety. Whilst there they could also have grabbed one of the dead criminals weapons for extra protection seeing as all they have is handguns low on ammo.
But no! they don't do either and just remain on foot trying to outrun or dodge their way clear through alleys. Now surely common sense would dictate what I suggested no? maybe that's just me, the bad guys expire in a pretty weak cliched way too. Bit of an anti climax that lets the rest of the film down if you ask me.
On the whole the film is decent with great performances from the two leads. You really do think you're watching a cop TV show, all that's missing is that stupid intense voice narrating everything hehe. The only down side is, as an Englishman looking on, the film doesn't really put black Americans or Hispanic/Mexican Americans living in LA, in a very good light. Kinda puts you off going anywhere near the city limits, but I guess you could say kudos to the actors and director for making me feel that way, the film made its presence known.
6/10
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