Two police officers, an anglophone from Ontario and a francophone from Quebec, united to solve a boarder crossing murder case 8 years ago. Now the pair reunite to take down a car smuggling ring.
David Bouchard (Patrick Huard) has been undercover for nearly an year, earning a trusted place within a criminal organization that steals cars for a known Quebec mobster, Dipietro. When the RCMP raid one of the garages, his cover is almost blown thanks to an old friend, Martin Ward (Colm Feore). Now a federal police inspector, Martin heads a covert team that is attempting to take down the mafia. Martin’s team target Dipietro as a way to get into the larger organization. When David comes on board as their inside man, they soon discover that Dipietro has branched off on his own, and might be involved in a much more dangerous scheme that crosses borders into the United States.
The chemistry between Feore and Huard is undeniable as it’s what made the first film such a success. They pick up where they left off and the franchise continues to poke fun at language and culture barriers between anglophones and francophones. Some aging jokes are added into the mix in the sequel for good measure. Bon Cop Bad Cop 2 is an enjoyable watch, returning to the successful format of the first film. But the sequel is a little too similar to the first. The language jokes, the slapstick police work, it was all done before. It would have been nice if the eleven year gap between films was rewarded with a stronger follow up.
The two hour run time is felt during the screening. It opens with a bang: a car chase followed by a well choreographed raid scene. The early character development is also strong with the reintroduction of our heroes and their enemies and allies. The mystery unveils itself in a believable pace, but the third act is rushed through. There is a “deus ex machina” approach to revealing the bad guys; they just show up and their motivation is vague at best. If a little more effort was spent developing the final act instead of cramming in accent jokes the film would have been far stronger.
Even though it has its pitfalls, if you enjoyed the antics of David and Martin in 2006, you’re going to enjoy the reunion. It’s action packed, funny and best of all, distinctly Canadian.
Reviewed by Vithiya Murugadas.
