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CROWN VIC
Director: Joel Souza Cast: Luke Kleintank, Thomas Jane, Josh Hopkins, David Krumholtz, Bridget Moynahan, Scottie Thompson MPAA
Rating: Running Time: 1:50 Release Date: 11/8/19 (limited) |
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Review by Mark Dujsik | November 7, 2019 It's one cop's first night on the job, patrolling part of Los Angeles, and it's just another night for the veteran officer, who has had the same job for 25 years. They're partnered up in Crown Vic, writer/director Joel Souza's critical but fair look at the crushing grind, the constant threat, and the sway of considerable power that these two officers have to confront. It's not just an episodic depiction of one night on the job, in which Nick Holland (Luke Kleintank), the rookie, and Ray Mandel (Thomas Jane), the long-timer, make stop at after stop—some routine and some perilous. That's part of it, but the vital element of the film's success is how Souza sees each episode from the perspective of both of these cops. The traffic stops, the calls to homes, and the investigations of suspicious things and people only last for so long. Most of the time, we just watch and listen to these two men. One of them still has some optimism about the work and his life, while the other is just jaded about everything. As for a central plot, there are two main threads. One involves an armed bank robbery from earlier that day and the thieves, who are on the loose and leaving a body count. The other has Ray tracking the missing daughter of his former partner, who was killed in the line of duty. The first is like a ticking clock, in that we know Nick and Ray inevitably will come face to face with the murderers. The other is like that, too, in that we're just waiting to see how far Ray is willing to take his cynicism about his job, the world, and other people. Meanwhile, Nick, who has a pregnant and worried wife calling or texting him every hour, is repeatedly tested. How much is he willing to let slide just to keep a job in which the rules don't quite match the reality of crime or the temperaments of his fellow cops? Souza isn't out to praise or damn the police (A plainclothes narcotics detective played by Josh Hopkins certainly moves the scales in the latter direction, but even Ray sees him as a "wild animal"). Crown Vic offers no such sweeping sentiments, because it's too busy picking apart the mucky, gray morality of two men confronting the potential or actual demons within themselves. Copyright © 2019 by Mark Dujsik. All rights reserved. |
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(for
strong violence and pervasive language, disturbing content, sexual
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