Bon Cop, Bad Cop 2, helmed by new director Alain Desrochers and penned solely by returning writer Patrick Huard, makes for a memorable return to the bilingual Canadian action flick.
The first film saw Anglophone O.P.P. officer Martin Ward (Colm Feore) and Francophone detective David Bouchard (Huard) working together on a murder case that encompassed both jurisdictions, with the dialogue split fairly equally between both official languages with the use of subtitles.
This time around, instead of playing off the Ontario-Quebec border for most of its humour, the film turns instead to the Canada-U.S. border, making fun of Americans and their relationship to their closest ally while still remaining a fluently bilingual film.
It’s been over 10 years since Bon Cop, Bad Cop was released. At the premiere at Scotiabank Theatre in Ottawa, Feore cited the difficulties of making movies in the Canadian film industry as the reason it had taken so long to make a sequel when audiences had been clamouring for one since 2006.
Bon Cop, Bad Cop 2 manages to keep the charm, wit, and humour from the first film, using Feore and Huard’s natural chemistry at its best. Their chemistry was so off the charts that the characters even said “I love you” (in French, of course) – and it wasn’t weird.
Huard is hilarious, utilizing exaggerated and often cartoonish expressions and great line delivery to make up most of the film’s humour. He’s reckless and sarcastic and immediately likeable.
Feore, by contrast, is a bit more serious, but he does have his share of quips. The tone of the film ranges from laugh-out-loud funny to sad and serious, mainly due to Feore’s wonderfully acted scenes regarding his character arc.
It is largely due to Feore’s conviction as Ward that the film doesn’t feel like a see-saw when it comes to tone. Humour and seriousness are well balanced and come together for a great film.
While long, Bon Cop, Bad Cop 2 packs action, humour, and character development into every second onscreen so none of it ever feels wasted.
The writing includes enough details about the characters’ lives that they feel dynamic and real – like they’ve actually been living a life for the past ten years that we haven’t been able to see until now.
The only components that were less than great were some of the special effects, which were mediocre but did not detract much from the overall quality of the film.
Erik Knudsen’s portrayal of Ward’s son Jonathon was lacking as well, especially in comparison to Feore’s emotional performances in their shared scenes.
Other than that, Bon Cop, Bad Cop 2 is one of those rare sequels that builds off of and even improves upon the original film. It’s a hilarious action flick that is so Canadian that you just have to laugh.
