Um Policial em Apuros

I was reading through the comments about this movie and could not figure out why people were badmouthing it the way they were. I remembered this movie to be quite good and wanted to refresh my memory so I went out and rented it again. After seeing it a second time, I went ahead and purchased it.

This is a very funny movie with some witty acting and a great indie style. I think most of the people here that are rating this movie so poorly must be looking for the standard Hollywood blockbuster, made with tons of money and only ounces of heart. If that's what you want, go rent Gladiator or the Matrix (both of which I loved as well). But if you are really into films themselves and not just high dollar special effects, then go out and rent this fun and humorous picture.

Ray (Leary) is a bad-luck detective with a bad back, Buscemi is his gay partner who convinces him to have it fixed by Elizabeth Hurley. You would've thought that a flick with Denis Leary, Steve Buscemi, & Luis Guzman would have to be good right? Well i thought so too. There are good Denis Leary movie & there are bad. The good are pretty damn good (The Ref, Final, Wag the Dog, etc..) The bad are pretty damn bad (Two if by Sea, The Matchmaker, Jesus' Son, etc...). This movie with it's undeveloped, unfunny characters can be sadly filed under the latter.

My Grade: D

Where I saw it: Showtime

Just saw the film and I enjoyed how the layers were pulled back one at a time, until all the links were shown. I originally thought the unique characters of Cletis and Duke were there just to add flavor, but then they turned out to be more vital. And the understated approach of not stating outright that Jo Jo and Ping Pong were being hired to kill "Papi" left me feeling that the movie did not take our intelligence for granted, but assumed that the viewer is smart enough to figure it out. Denis Leary is funny, but I liked the supporting cast just as much. Without them, this funny comedy would have been pretty flat.

Oh, and what is with Duke looking and sounding like Vanilla Ice?? Even to the shaved eyebrows and the slicked up hair :)

Denis Leary plays Raymond Pluto, a detective fallen from grace after his bad back causes him to fail preventing a fast-food shooting. Worse yet, a nerdy seven-year old kid saves the day. Now Pluto, along with his partner (Buscemi) and his chiropractor(Hurley), is searching for redemption. And, with the help of a pair of inept screenwriters and some unscrupulous gang members, Pluto may save the day yet...or die trying. The unique cast works towards the film's strengths, as do the wry comedy, but the film's obvious low budget hinders it from achieving it's obvious potential. Still, it's a lot more enjoyable than most of the mainstream stuff that Hollywood is trying to pass off as entertainment these days. Buscemi steals every scene he's in as he reveals problems with his sexual identity.

To be honest, I wasn't really expecting much from this. The trailer made it out to be a poor Tarantino rip off, and I haven't exactly been blown away by Tom DiCillo's output in the past. However, all in all, it wasn't half bad. I thought the main plot line of Dennis Leary being made a public laughing stock was handled well. There's a nice in-joke where Elizabeth Hurley over reacts at people smoking in a restaurant whilst on a date with Dennis Leary, which anal nerds like me can pat themselves on the back for spotting. Also, it's nice to see Donald Faison(Turk from 'Scrubs') make the move on to the big screen, even if it is only a small independent comedy. Maybe I just enjoyed this because it's been so long since I've seen a good American comedy in the cinema, or maybe because I was expecting it to fall flat in it's face. And sure, it's not perfect. Hurley is as wooden as ever. The plot involving Luis Guzman's daughter having him killed is a little unbelievable, as the daughter is given very little motivation for this. Also, I understand that Leary's character getting off on a cheerleading video is meant to be light-hearted and humorous, but I found it a little degrading. Especially when it follows a completely gratuitous and unmotivated shot of a cheerleader's pants in the opening burger bar scene.

However, these are minor grumbles and this is, on a whole, a finely executed piece of work.