There’s something about the buddy movie which captures the imaginations of cinemagoers. Especially when it comes to fighting crime. We have been treated to a weird and wonderful variety of combinations over the years, which have included dogs, robots, ghosts, Pokémon and even Mel Gibson. These pairings are often wild and whacky but when they click they can produce a winning formula. As is the case in Cop Secret.
Bússi (Auðunn Blöndal) is the Reykjavik Police Department’s poster boy. His rough and ready approach to fighting crime might break all the rules but it gets the job done. His partner (Sverrir Þór Sverrisson) is less than impressed by his antics, usually suffering the consequences of his recklessness. Hördur Bess (Egill Einarsson), ex-model, exemplary officer and all-round nice guy, is his nemesis. When a spate of unexplainable bank robberies hit the capital, the pair must team up to bring the perpetrators to justice. Magic happens.
Cop Secret takes all the cliches and tropes of the sub-genre and has a whale of a time with them. Hannes Þór Halldórsson’s film is both refreshingly diverse and hilariously old-school. It’s brilliantly done and, unlike many of its peers, has the action to back up the laughs. Blöndal, in particular, is brilliant, but fighting crime is a team effort and all the cast are great. Cop Secret is an action-comedy which blows all the bloody doors off.
Cop Secret screens at London Film Festival.
