Director: Jon Watts
Writer: Jon Watts, Christopher D Ford (Screenplay)
Starring: Kevin Bacon, James Freedson-Jackson, Hays Wellford, Camryn Manheim, Shea Whigham, Sean Hartley, Kyra Sedgwick
Plot: A small town sheriff sets out to find the two kids who have taken his car on a joy ride.
There may be spoilers the rest of the review
Verdict: Slow Burning Thriller
Story: Cop Car starts when to young runaway boys Travis (Freedson-Jackson) and Harrison (Wellford) discover an abandoned cop car n they adventure to run away from home and as boys will be boys they take the car for a spin. We move back to learn of the owner of the car Sheriff Kretzer (Bacon) who is in the middle of nowhere disposing of dead bodies but when he returns for the second one he finds himself without a car.
We follow as the Sheriff as he desperately has to cover up the fact his car has been stolen hiding the evidence from the rest of the force and the kids continue to have fun with all the equipment they find in the car but it soon turns into a game of cat and mouse between them.
Cop Car is a story that mixes up two traditional favourites in the world of storytelling. First we have a coming of age tell for the two boys and on the second we have a thriller involving a corrupt cop in a world of drugs. Mixing the two comes off slightly short because we never learn the real part of the Sheriff but I do like how it kind of adds to the mystery. As for the ending we are left to wonder what happened which some people will find disappointing. As for a thriller it has a very tense final act which is the saving grace because it really is slow building.
Actor Review
Kevin Bacon: Sheriff Kretzer is the one who has his cop car stolen, but inside is the body of a man, while he is disposing of the other body, he must remain calm as he covers his tracks before searching for his own car. Even when he starts thinking he will need to get out of town with all of his drugs and money before getting exposed. Kevin is good in this role showing he can play still play the villain with plenty of mysteries.
James Freedson-Jackson: Travis is one of the two boys running away from home, he seems to come off as the leader of the two boys making Harrison do the things he isn’t prepared to do, he is the dominate of the two but by the end we will see his weaknesses. James gives a god performance for such a young actor and works perfectly with Hays.
Hays Wellford: Harrison is the follower of the two boys, he might come off more intelligent but in the end has to try and convince Travis to do the right thing. Hays gives a performance equal to James as the two look like life friends.
Support Cast: Cop Car has small supporting cast which only come into the story when needed without needing to be a big part of the main story.
Director Review: Jon Watts – Jon brings us a slow building thriller that also gives us a coming of age tale.
Mystery: Cop Car offers us a mystery about who and what the sheriff is really up to.
Thriller: Cop Car does bring us into the story late on as we see the showdown between all the parties.
Settings: Cop Car keeps us in the small town America to make the story feel very much like a day in the life of the two boys.
Special Effects: Cop Car only uses the effects when needed which helps for this thriller.
Suggestion: Cop Car is one for the thriller fans to try but I do feel that you need to give it time to get going. (Try It)
Best Part: Final showdown.
Worst Part: Slow building.
Believability: No
Chances of Tears: No
Chances of Sequel: No
Post Credits Scene: No
Oscar Chances: No
Runtime: 1 Hour 28 Minutes
Tagline: Their first drive could be their last.
Overall: Slow starting thriller that finishes with a punch to the gut
Rating
