Everything you never wanted in a character piece.

Rating: 10/10 (26 May 2016)

On paper this film would appear as middling and unimpressive as the CV of a middle-aged company-man reeling from redundancy. Desperate, predictable and rife with so many buzzwords that HR's spide.y-senses would tingle - eagerly anticipating an opportunity to snuff-out yet another pathetic attempt. 'I'm sorry, Mr. Doe, but unfortunately you were not considered for the position.'
That presumption was wrong - in fact, it couldn't be further from the truth.
Enter the middle-aged bruiser; stubble unkempt; dress - functional and straight off the rack; imposing. Short on time and patience - he doesn't get paid by the word. Surely he's inaccessible, you posturi.ze? Long uninterrupted monologues provide momentary glimpses into the 'inner- workings' of the veteran. By the end it's clear that all symptoms have dissipated, Doctor - the emotional constipation has passed. A man of action; of professionalism; he's the guy you want to be. Russell Crowe's physical attributes, his rasp and his charm sell, sell, sell on this one.
The yin.g to this yang: a young, good-looking, well-put-together slick-ster; fast-talking, confident and full of good intentions. It helps to be witty when you couldn't fight your way out of a wet paper bag - he often succeeds in-spite of himself. He will always give it the old college try and somehow it works. There's being lucky and then there's being Holland March. He's lovable and totally flawed; he's the guy you can relate to. I don't have time to even mention his child prodigy - and what a performance.
Both work in people - one person, in particular, puts them on a collision course of confrontation, collaboration and eventual conspir.ation. A mutual ruthless entrepreneur-ialism brings them together - money talks, after-all; a unwavering moral compass binds them. They bounce off each other so naturally and with such comedic success that it's easy to buy-in - effortless even. OK, so you get it - it's the unlikely friendship that results in a win. Not quite. The film perfectly paints a picture of transition. The team that can't seem to catch a break ends up being the only two people you'd consider capable of doing the job - in fact every main character reaches their own personal summit in the end. It's satisfying. The plot escalates onwards and upwards and without my consent - these sudden points of inflection, a literal moment of turning on one's heels, keeps the plot's focus in a constant state of flux. It scraps the 'beginning-middle-end' formula in large part by making the scenes timeline feel continuous - I sat down and BANG... Roll credits. Now that's engagement, folks.
Frantic; from the outset the pace is awe-inspiring. Every single inch of screen real-estate is utilized, as is character airtime; witticisms and one- liners feel necessary; cuts and transitions have purpose; foreshadowing is constant and, ultimately, all of the above feature solely in aid of the narrative through-line that will keep you on your toes. There's no excess fat to trim. Is this how a buddy-cop tribute, set in a 70's L.A manages to feel fresh? I think so. *CLIFF HANGER* Quick cut. Cue: Curious funky bass- line. Scoring infallible. Any film set 50 years ago is at risk of hanging it's hat on prevailing modernist perspectives of the past - not in this case. Nixon, Earth Wind and Fire, porno-staches and bell-bottoms make cameos, but it happens so naturally and feels so credible that the fourth wall comes off unscathed. If you could put this film in a time-capsule and watch it 20 years from now, or even 20 years removed, I feel it would still work - this one will age very well indeed. Even the 'action' feels sincere - the 'Jason Bourne' effect is thankfully absent and yet the sense of realistic physicality rings just as true when such moments are called upon. Nothing in this film feels heavy-handed once you accept that the premise itself - and the premise alone - is a dime a dozen. Hey, Hollywood - this is what tip-top writing and execution can get you. Go figure!
To summarize: this movie manages to flip the script on an old classic. The cobwebs weren't blown out, they were vanquished. Maybe I'm a mark, but when the lights came on and I looked around the theater my immediate feelings were ratified - I wasn't the only one smiling from ear to ear. I will give you my money - right now - now give me a sequel. Don't label this a 'love- letter'. I'm hip, man - consider it an exercise in purely self-indulgent hyperbole. And remember: 'For the birds'.
Peace + Plants, JR.