Review of Cop Car (2015) by Tyler R — 30 Sep 2015

Two kids stumble upon an abandoned cop car and decide to take it for a joy ride, only to be hunted down by the sheriff who left it. If it sounds simple enough, that's because it certainly is. However, Jon Watts injects Cop Car with a kinetic energy and slaps in great characterization to help elevate this film to something that feels like a 1970s midnight horror flick.

The downside to the film is that is takes about ten minutes to really get going, which could have been a huge setback considering the very brisk 80 minute runtime. However, Watts never gets caught up in dumping loads of exposition or characterization in pointless conversations that a lot of films fall victim to.

Instead, he gives us the puzzle box and let's us piece together who these people are, what they do, and what their motivations are. And it works. What also works is the acting, especially Kevin Bacon who takes the role and bolts away with it.

His psychotic sheriff can switch moods on a dime, and Bacon gives it his all for a hell of a performance. However, he has to battle for screen supremacy with the child actors Jackson and Wellford. These aren't super kids who know it all and can survive anything.

They are real, genuine kids, who made the biggest mistake of their lives, and they knock their roles out of the park. The cinematography is gritty and grimy, never glamorizing what doesn't need to be or over lighting any scenes.

We see the world as the characters do. We follow them wherever they go, which makes it all the more easy to get attached. Overall, this is one hell of a debut for director Jon Watts, and I can't wait to see what he does with Spider-Man.