I first saw The Boys in Blue at the cinema when I was a youngster. Even at that age I wasn't a fan of the comedy duo Tommy Cannon and Bobby Ball, who I found quite clearly unfunny. But my friend was a big fan so I went along to the cinema with him and his granny, with little enthusiasm. But lo and behold, I remember finding it absolutely hilarious, my friend's granny declaring that she was also surprised and that this was definitely the best thing Cannon and Ball had ever did. So I always had a bit of fondness for this film and eventually saw it for the second time a few years ago, unfortunately that time finding it to be one of the worst films I had ever seen; I was staggered and disappointed in my ten year old self for having ever found it such a chuckle-fest. Anyway, recently I saw it once more and feel I can be a little more measured and say that the truth lies somewhere in between. It's a lightly amusing bit of nonsense that really isn't all that bad at all.
In it Cannon and Ball star as two policemen from a small crime-free town. They fabricate a crime in order to safe-guard their jobs but immediately find themselves in the midst of a scheme involving real thieves. The whole point of the film is to give the duo free reign to display their usual comedy thing. In the early 80's these guys were big TV stars you have to remember but the transition to the big screen never really happened for them and I don't think this film did particularly well. It's pretty broad humour to say the least so don't look for subtlety here. But really it's okay in a Tuesday afternoon kind of way. My friend's granny was right; this is the best thing Cannon and Ball ever did.
