I most certainly CAN enjoy a relatively obvious escapist shoot-em-up cop-buddy flick!
It just has to be well-written and well done. But not over done. Maybe over under…
This is the first and (as is usually the case) by far the best in the eventual “franchise”. The extreme violence that made this movie so controversial when it was released, even with the scenes that were edited to tone down said violence restored, is highly unlikely to shock or offend anyone in the target audience today. At least, anyone that has seen what violent films have so commonly devolved into…useless bore and gore fests that feature nothing except shock value.
The admitted cheeze is offset by the intentional cheezy commercials and constant satire throughout, and by the precision and focused direction of the film.
I think, having seen many of these types of films (sans script/interest), and being fairly convinced that the brilliant filmmakers of this generation have conceived and realized every possible gruesome, disgusting, and pointlessly sickening violent idea imaginable while still, AMAZINGLY, failed to generate interest for the most part, that this is a welcome blast from the past. If only movies like this had…you know…stories, anymore.
Inspirational Quote: “Iiiiii LIKE it!”
Grade: A-