REVIEW - SUNDANCE 2015 - Cop Car

LISTEN TO THE BONUS MATERIAL PODCAST EPISODE 10 HERE

Two 10 year old boys, Travis and Harrison, have run away from home, are traversing across a sprawling field, tossing rocks, poking things with sticks, and blurting out cuss words just because they can. Things get real when they stumble upon a seemingly abandoned sheriff's cruiser tucked away a little too conveniently beneath the cover of some trees.
Soon, our adventuresome duo are behind the wheel, careening across the wide open plain, and eventually, opening 'er up on the long stretches of road running across the barren land. But nothing this fun comes that easy, and soon the kids find themselves caught in the crossfire of a corrupt lawman, and the criminal he has double-crossed. In the mix is a salt of the earth woman passerby, who falls into the situation through her good intentions.

The premise of COP CAR is basic, but incredibly well wrought and thought out. Director Jon Watts, and his co-writer Christopher D. Ford never jump the proverbial shark into unbelievability, but rather, tread, quite masterfully, that fine line that many successful "kid empowerment" flicks do, by keeping things real. COP CAR belongs somewhere on the shelf between BADLANDS, BLESS THE BEASTS AND THE CHILDREN, THE VANISHING POINT, and THE BAD NEWS BEARS. Watts and Ford, at their Sundance QandA following a very well received screening, stated clearly that they have a deep love for the aforementioned films, as well as stuff like E.T., THE GOONIES, and EXPLORERS. But COP CAR is not "just" a kiddie flick by any stretch. It also operates as a white knuckle thriller, whose heroes happen to be incredibly young. The cast, notably newcomers James Freedson-Jackson and Hays Wellford, along with old pros Kevin Bacon, Shea Whigham, and Camryn Manheim all bring incredibly simple but powerful performances, to a movie that must be experienced, rather than over-analyzed. While it is indeed pretty violent, I would say it's not entirely inappropriate for youngsters, given they have an adult to contextualize things, and a predilection for cinema overall. Though at the same time, it's not for dipshits, but certainly will appeal to smart kids ready to dip their toes into more caustic fare.

I'll be putting this in the permanent collection when it eventually see's a home video release. Good news too as of the time of this review, as Focus Pictures has purchased the rights, so it shouldn't be long until COP CAR is careening across screens. Buckle up man, it's one hell of a ride.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

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 ~ Sean Smithson