Director: Joel Souza
Writer: Joel Souza (Screenplay)
Starring: Thomas Jane, Bridget Moynahan, David Krumholtz, Scottie Thompson, Luke Kleintank, Josh Hopkins
Plot: Follows one memorable night in the life of LAPD officer Ray Mandel while hunting two cop killers on the loose.
Runtime: 1 Hour 50 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Story: Bulletproof starts as rookie cop Nick Holland (Kleintank) gets his first shift with veteran LAPD Officer Ray Mandel (Jane), Ray shows him the basics of the night on duty, dealing with drunks and minor misdemeanours as the two look to get to know each other, with Nick needing to learn on the job.
As the night unfolds Ray shows his stricter side, which sees him looking to protect his ex-partner’s widow Tracy (Moynahan), all while trying to hunt down two cop killers still on the loose.
Thoughts on Bulletproof
Characters – Ray Mandel is the experienced cop, he has lost his partner and built himself into a routine where he does show the most common sense on the job, calmly booking minor criminals, understanding the difficulties the other cops face when they do something wrong. He is trying to pass on these lessons to the rookie on his first night on the job. Nick Holland in the rookie on his first night, he comes from a family of cops which will see him thinking this would be easier, he has a wife expecting their first child and his first night, he gets to experience the problems cops are going to be facing every night. Through the night we do meet other officers, some are honest just doing the job, while we do meet a hype up detective Jack that will push things too far leaving Nick to learn how to handle the behavior. The different criminals are through a host of offences which will show how each night could be different.
Performances – Thomas Jane as the experienced cop brings us a very calm performance, which shows us a believable experienced man on the job, always in complete control of the situation. Luke Kleintank brings us the rookie role, where he looks so innocent when entering this world, with him slowly changing as the night unfolds.
Story – The story here follows an experienced cop that is showing a rookie around the city on his first night on the job as he learns the best way to deal with the different crimes, starting with small ones that escalate through the night, giving us an insight into how things could change in one night. This is a story that gives us a more grounded look at police work, it might well be getting comparisons to Training Day or End of Watch, but this doesn’t go into the extremer levels of what a cop would go through, it shows how they must make decisions in the spot, ones that are in their eyes the right ones which will provide everyone involved with the most safety. It does have a slower pace, but it does help make us see how everyday the job could be for the cops involved.
Action – The action doesn’t come thick and fast, it is all restrained from becoming an over the top action flick, the action only appears when required.
Settings – The film is set in LA, which will always be one of the busiest cities in the world, this shows us what the cops will be up against during their everyday night and how quickly you can jump through different neighbourhoods.
Scene of the Movie – Saving the little girl.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – Not seeing the locking the criminals up at all.
Final Thoughts – This is a drama that shows us how difficult a night as a cop could be, with small crimes being dealt with by a rookie on his first night, along with the more serious threats always around.
Signature Entertainment presents Bulletproof on Digital HD September 7th & on DVD September 14th
