Review by Siobhán Rich for Mr. Will Wong
Some movies are so Canadian you half expect to see a tiny, spinning maple leaf in the bottom corner declaring their patriotism to the world. If jokes about separatism, Céline Dion, and the rivalry between the Habs and the Leafs are your thing then you will definitely like Bon Cop, Bad Cop 2. Writer and star Patrick Huard returns as David Bouchard a tough Sûreté du Québec officer who reunites with his old buddy Martin Ward (Colm Feore) to crack a car theft ring that goes much deeper than they first though.
After an opening scene inspired by the Fast and the Furious movies, we are reintroduced to the stars and catch up with their lives since the first Movie. Martin’s career has seen him move from the OPP to the RCMP and despite his tough undercover work, David is happily-married and looking forward to the day his daughter can join him on the Force. The mismatched pair trade quips in both French and English at their temporary Montreal headquarters inside a curling club and attempt to figure out the deeper plot behind why Canadian thugs are smuggling stolen cars into the United States.
Bon Cop, Bad Cop 2 (Since this is a very bilingual Movie, you can decide for yourself if that number is a deux or a two.) works best when it stays true to its comic roots. The chemistry between Huard and Feore is great,but the Movie tends to fall flat when Director Alain Desrochers insists on having a straight action movie and forgets to have fun. While Huard’s comedic chops shine, much of the Movie rests of Feore’s ability to create emotional impact and draw tears from a stone.
The myriad of secondary characters tend to become a jumbled, forgettable crew of people who take time away from Huard and Feore. The worst offender is the annoying caricature of a tech nerd whose presence seems meant to balance out the testosterone but is highly grating rather than amusing.
There are a lot of genre movies taking up screens at the multiplex right now but still Canada woefully is underrepresented. Canadian films are a genre unto themselves and deserve more respect than most movie goers and critics usually give them. “It’s really good… for a Canadian movie” is too insulting to even be called a backhanded compliment and is a line of thinking that needs to stop. Bon Cop, Bad Cop 2 takes a strong stand as a Canadian movie and shouldn’t be derided for it. Where else can you find a movie filmed equally in both official languages where cops carry Blackberries and Americans say what everyone else thinks about Québecois accents?
Despite a lackluster third act, the proudly Canadian Bon Cop, Bad Cop 2 is a fun Movie everyone should go see. Familiarity with the first Movie in the bilingual franchise is not required but a desire to laugh is a must.
eOne Films release BON COP BAD COP 2 on Friday, May 12, 2017.
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