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Review by Jack Foley |
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THE mis-matched cop comedy/thriller gets another outing in this amiable but
extremely disappointing new film starring Robert De Niro and Eddie Murphy.
When done well, the scenario can be quite refreshing (as in last year's Rush
Hour 2, or the Lethal Weapon series), but in the case of Showtime, it
feels like a cynical ploy to attract some quick dollars by a film company
which really ought to know better.
The set-up on this occasion centres around De Niro's world-weary, cynical
lone detective, Mitch Preston, who is forced to take on Murphy's fast-talking,
but hopelessly useless cop Trey Sellars after he takes his Dirty Harry routine
too far and shoots a TV news crew's camera. The catch is, both detectives
are to be used to front a new, fly-on-the-wall cop-umentary about the lives
of LAPD's finest in order to boost the ailing company's ratings.
Sent in to co-ordinate is Rene Russo's feisty, no-nonsense TV exec, while
William Shatner crops up as himself, to offer some policing 'tips' for the
Showtime regulars.
Great cast, nice concept, but alas, poor delivery. Whereas Showtime could
(and should) have been a winning satire on the mismatched cop genre, it ends
up falling into the same trap as most of the worst films it is supposed to
be poking fun at. What's more, it feels laboured and pedestrian.
Despite the odd spark of chemistry between Murphy and De Niro, Showtime simply
isn't funny enough to warrant much attention. Murphy, in particular, seems
shackled by the confines of a 12 certificate, while De Niro simply goes through
the motions, occasionally looking bored, and sometimes even embarrassed, while
his take on Dirty Harry is likely to have audiences blushing rather than laughing.
Russo looks terrific (when doesn't she?) but comes across annoying, while
Pedro Damian's pantomime villain, Vargas, seems like an afterthought; only
appearing fleetingly to blow things up and talk in a funny, European accent.
On
the action front, director Tom Dey litters the movie with a fair number of
explosions and a handful of super-guns, but even these fail to generate the
required thrills, coming across as inferior rip-offs of far better movies
(which, ironically, starred the two headline acts). The centrepiece, involving
an armoured car heist, manages to combine elements of De Niro's Heat and Murphy's
Metro without offering anything fresh in the process.
On the plus side, Shatner's well-observed turn as himself provides the movie
with some of its funniest moments (especially when relating how TJ Hooker
would have done it!), while Murphy (himself a veteran of the mis-matched buddies
formula with 48 Hours) is as likable as ever.
But given the talent on show, and the potential from the promising opening
moments, you can't help but feel that this is a squandered opportunity which
is suffering from a chronic lack of inspiration. A bit of a cop out, really.