Customer Reviews

Bon Cop Bad Cop

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I first read about Bon Cop, Bad Cop while riding the train to Montreal. There was a bilingual featurette on the film in VIA Rail's magazine, and I was instantly intrigued. I'd seen Colm Feore at Stratford four years ago, and I was familiar with Patrick Huard from the Les Boys 1, 2 and 3 (Box Set) hockey film franchise. I studied at Laval University in Quebec City for two months, and specialized in Quebec Studies (history, literature, and cinema) as an undergraduate, so I was intrigued to see how the film would balance both the bilingual and bicultural aspects of living in Canada. The issue of Quebec is a contentious one for a number of political, social, and cultural reasons. Bon Cop, Bad Cop attempts to use humor in an attempt to defuse volatile issues between the Two Solitudes (English- and French-speaking Canada).

A series of brutal murders in the Canadian hockey community pairs together two very different cops: Torontonian Martin Ward, (Colm Feore) a by-the-book, prim-and-proper intellectual, and rough-and-tumble David Bouchard, a shoot first, ask later detective from Montreal. Naturally, the two despise each other at first sight, and the rapid-fire bilingual one-liners between Martin and David are fast and furious from the get-go. Some critics panned the film for a seemingly forced, unnatural balance of bilingual script, but as someone who's trilingual, I frequently switch languages when speaking to other bilingual friends; nothing unnatural there.

Much of the comedic humor comes from the culture clash between Martin and David, Ontario and Quebec; there are numerous in-jokes regarding Canadian law, stereotypes of Quebeckers (diehard smokers, dangerous drivers, womanizers) and Torontonians (cold, boring, workaholics) and nods to popular Canadian culture (Rick Mercer of This Hour Has 22 Minutes-Season 1 does a great Don Cherry impression, Uniprix commercial spoof, cameo by Nanette Workman). There are some hilarious scenes involving tortured translation between the Quebec police chief and his Ontarian counterpart as the two (fully bilingual) detectives watch in disbelief. The secondary characters really shine, from a speed-talking coroner (Quebecois comedian Louis-José Houde) to Martin's glamorous, hip sister who's hot for David, as does the bilingual script. The special effects are very well done considering that the film had an $8 million budget.

In the vein of earlier Canadian comedies like Strange Brew and Men With Brooms (a curling "comedy" from Paul Gross aka Constable Benton Frasier of Due South: Season One (4-DVD Digipack)), Bon Cop, Bad Cop is a sendup of that great Canadian pastime, hockey. Of course, beer, curling, beavers, and the fleur de lis make prerequisite appearances, as does marijuana (there is a priceless scene involving a self-destructing marijuana greenhouse that brought to mind the British comedy Saving Grace). Romantic interest? Check. (You'll never think of "Vive le Quebec libre!" quite the same way again...) Action? Car chases? Explosions? Check. The weakest part of the film is the villain, who is never really developed; we never know, or care, why he turned psychotic. There is also a gratuitous amount of violence and swearing (nearly all in French) that seemed over-the-top, but it's obvious from the start that this is a film that has no intentions of taking itself seriously.

Looking at these elements separately, Bon Cop, Bad Cop would appear to be another shallow attempt at creating a uniquely "Canadian" comedy. But there is an unexpected depth and tenderness in the character development between Martin, David and their respective families (both men are divorced single parents), and the bilingual dialogue really shines. Huard and Feore give standout performances, and I felt right at home in that strange limbo between Quebec and Ontario from my experiences in both English- and French-speaking Canada. This is a gem that deserves to be seen!

The strength of "Bon Cop Bad Cop" is not in its plot, but in its treatment of relations between Canada's "two solitudes", its anglophone and francophone populations.

The film hangs its intercultural and political themes on a story line that has been filmed many times before: Two law enforcement officers with incompatible personalities are forced to work together on a tough case. They have a number of misadventures - some of which they cause for each other - but help each other out of trouble. Murders happen left and right, and there are police shootings and car crashes that result in no paperwork or lawsuits.

While all of these things are happening, the film is addressing issues of Canadian identity, especially the often sore subject of relations between Quebec and the rest of Canada.

The film makes its intercultural points using characters and situations that are usually playful, if somewhat stereotypical. The anglophone policeman (Colm Feore's character) from Ontario is firmly middle-class, uptight and rule-bound. The francophone officer (played by Patrick Huard) from Quebec is rough around the edges, unsophisticated, and overtly sexual. The entire nation of Canada is portrayed as being obsessed with hockey; a serial killer takes the obsession to the extreme of using skates and sticks to kill his victims.

These broad and simple images are raised from the first frames of the movie, but its deeper themes come out more gradually. Numerous scenes show the affronts and points of friction - small and large - between Canadians who speak French and those who speak English. Near the end of the film, it is revealed that what has been driving the crime spree at the center of the story is the threat that American business interests pose to the cultural identity of Canadians, regardless of their mother tongue or ethnicity.

The film is constructed of a mix of alternating sequences of comedy, action and drama (with one mild sex scene), a pattern very familiar to North American film-goers. Because the film is easily accessible and entertaining, it may be more effective than more serious means in introducing Canada's issues of language and culture to audiences with little prior knowledge of these subjects.

An interesting feature of the original version of the film is that its dialogue alternates constantly between English and French, so viewers can gain insight into what it is like to live, work and try to resolve problems in a multilingual atmosphere, even if one has not actually had these experiences. The subtitles are necessary unless one is perfectly bilingual.

The original version of the movie is also a useful teaching tool for those studying French as it is spoken in Quebec. The dialogue demonstrates how Francophone Canadians have incorporated numerous English words into their speech, yet have clearly retained French as their mother tongue and have forged a culture that is distinct from that of anglophone Canada.

I started watching because there was nothing on, and wow, what a hit I stumbled upon. This movie is sharp with it's humor,fast-paced and just all around great.

I saw this movie last night and I haven't laughed so hard during a movie in a long, long time. I live in Ontario and do speak French so maybe I'm a bit biased but I thought this movie was fantastic! The part at the beginning with the victim found at the Ontario/Québec border was priceless! The scenes featuring the hyper active medical examiner (Louis Jose Houde) are brilliant (and the actor is not really acting, that is how he is in real life!) or when the Québec policeman is teaching how to curse "en Québecois" to his Ontario counterpart, helped along the line by the criminal he his beating and stuffing in his car trunk, are worth the prince of admission. Despite all the clichés that are expected of this format, the movie comes up like a most entertaining one. Colm Feore is absolutely amazing!! Years ago I saw him perform in Stratford and he was brilliant then and he's just gotten better! Rick Mercer and Louis-Jose Houde provide their typical comedy excellently.
The only thing missing was a reference to poutine.

A murder victim is found on the Ontario-Quebec border...and I mean right on the border. The cops from each of the provincial jurisdictions arrive and after a brief pissing contest, are assigned to work together. The eponymous couple of the title are a rule-breaking Quebecois and a preppy Ontarian, each representing some of the stereotypes French and English Canadians have about each other.

More dead bodies start turning up and we quickly learn that a serial killer is at work. The motive is related to the game of hockey, Canada's national obsession. It seems someone is not happy about the sport being taken over by American money and the people responsible for this betrayal of the Canadian people are going to pay. Of course the two cops mix like oil and water and we go through the cliched sequences of them finding a way to work together, sort of like "Beverly Hills Cop" or "Bad Boys", but with a uniquely Canadian spin. Like the other mentioned films of this type, "Bon Cop, Bad Cop" effectively blends tense action scenes with goofy humour. Some familiar faces (especially to Canadians) fill the roles and generally everyone looks like they're having fun - which is what you'll also have if you can suspend your critical judgement for a couple of hours and forget you've seen this all before.

This is an entertaining but formulaic action film. I'd recommend it if that's all you're looking for.

Funny movie, though not the best cop movie ever made. I laughed at this as much as I did at "The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra" -- mostly because it's just as absurd and takes itself just as seriously. What I liked best is it's hands-on instruction on how to curse the Quebecois way, and the "hockey mascot in the bathroom" scene-- which could be one of the funniest scenes ever. The movie is worth watching just for this.

A fun flick, with some really hilarious scenes, poking fun at the differences between Quebec and Ontario, and communication between the two. Two detectives work together to stop a serial killer, and end up involved in each others' lives. In French and English, for mature audiences.

A murder victim is found on the Ontario-Quebec border...and I mean right on the border. The cops from each of the provincial jurisdictions arrive and after a brief pissing contest, are assigned to work together. The eponymous couple of the title are a rule-breaking Quebecois and a preppy Ontarian, each representing some of the stereotypes French and English Canadians have about each other.

More dead bodies start turning up and we quickly learn that a serial killer is at work. The motive is related to the game of hockey, Canada's national obsession. It seems someone is not happy about the sport being taken over by American money and the people responsible for this betrayal of the Canadian people are going to pay. Of course the two cops mix like oil and water and we go through the cliched sequences of them finding a way to work together, sort of like "Beverly Hills Cop" or "Bad Boys", but with a uniquely Canadian spin. Like the other mentioned films of this type, "Bon Cop, Bad Cop" effectively blends tense action scenes with goofy humour. Some familiar faces (especially to Canadians) fill the roles and generally everyone looks like they're having fun - which is what you'll also have if you can suspend your critical judgement for a couple of hours and forget you've seen this all before.

This is an entertaining but formulaic action film. I'd recommend it if that's all you're looking for.