Hailed for toppling PORKY’S/’81 from its long held spot as Canada’s box-office champ, this policier recasts the Buddy/Buddy mismatched cop caper (think LETHAL WEAPON meets ‘70s French flics flick) with Colm Feore’s by-the-book English-speaking Toronto detective forced to partner with gonzo Québécois cop Patrick Huard; a high concept gimmick that shouldn’t miss, but does. Erik Canuel’s all-thumbs directing has a consistently sour edge & staccato editing pulse that ill serves the charmless yin/yang personality clash used to power us thru a surprisingly unsavory tale of torture & revenge. (Violent nutcase terrorist plots against an American businessman buying and transplanting Canadian hockey franchises to the States.) Every larky outrage & body kick just begging to be cheered by an undiscriminating audience whenever the four (count ‘em, 4) females in the film aren’t throwing themselves at our two available he-man detectives . . . . or being tortured. Less than twenty years old, COP might pass for one of those ‘70s French films in attitude if not in execution. Heck, it makes PORKY’S look good.
ATTENTION MUST BE PAID: Even the end credits are off, scrolling UP rather than DOWN in dizzying fashion.
WATCH THIS, NOT THAT: As mentioned, LETHAL WEAPON/’87, a prime example of the form, while over in France, still pumping them out regularly: DE L'AUTRE CÔTÉ DU PÉRIPH/’12 and a sequel LOIN DU PÉRIPH/’22 (neither seen here). Plus, rumors of a BEVERLY HILLS COP streaming franchise where Eddie Murphy will mentor Buddy/Buddy cop duos. Sheesh.
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