Um Policial em Apuros

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.

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 :)

It's such a strange combination what DiCillo shows in "Double Whammy". On the one hand we got this cop whose wife and daughter have died in an accident, also he's getting through some difficulties in his job (as you can see, everything looks so dramatic). But on the other we got a series of bizarre characters and a lot of hilarious dialogs. That way the dramatic side of "Double whammy" loses all its strength... It works much better as a comedy, but the movie is kind of irregular anyhow and the style of DiCilo behind the camera is rather ordinary (it looks like a 80's picture).

Barely entertaining...

*My rate: 5/10

Ray Pluto (Denis Leary) is a detective with a problem due to the lost of his wife and daughter. One day, he is in a fast food place, and due to a pain in his back, he is not able to avoid a massive murderer of six persons. A young boy uses his gun and kills the killer. He becomes a loser in the eyes of the police force and the public opinion and his partner (Steve Buscemi) convinces him to have a session with a chiropractor (Dr. Ann Beamer - the gorgeous and sexy Elizabeth Hurley). A complicated romance between them will grow. Meanwhile, at least two other plots happen, involving detective Pluto and other odd characters.

This movie is not totally bad, but it is impossible to label the genre. The screenplays 'shot ' everywhere: black comedy, drama, romance, and action, all of it mixed together. The result is very irregular, and there are parts enjoyable, other that could be skipped, other not resolved. It deserves to be watched at least once and is indicated for fans of the delicious Elizabeth Hurley, maybe. My vote is six.

Title(Brazil): "Um Policial em Apuros" ("A Policeman in Trouble")