Arguably the first ever true buddy cop flick, Freebie and the Bean is a film that prides itself less on telling a story of two cops trying to solve a case and more on showcasing the gleeful destruction of public and private property — cars either soar through the air or disintegrate upon impact — and no one in the film holds these two up to scrutiny.
San Francisco acts as the playground for the two to demolish their way through and get away with virtually everything in the name of justice. Amoral, violent, bigoted, these cops got it all! In fact there isn't much that really separates the two. There's very little contrast in personalities — they're both loud, brash and argumentative (and boy they love bickering with each other) — and it's that very contrast that makes the buddy cop genre work. Here it's like watching Bad Cop and Slightly Badder Cop get the job (barely) done, and it just doesn't play well, despite the stellar chemistry between James Caan and Alan Arkin.
There's a rough and anarchic feel to the action and a dark sense of humour laced throughout that helps the film stick out just a tad amongst its peers but for the most part Freebie and the Bean aimlessly plods along for a good portion of the runtime, rarely locking into a groove until the hour mark, before losing me when Bean accuses his wife of cheating. And for a comedy, it's not nearly as funny as it thinks it is.
What if Bullitt was written and directed by Shane Black? You might end up with a better version of this.
Arguably the first ever true buddy cop flick, Freebie and the Bean is a film that prides itself less on telling a story of two cops trying to solve a case and more on showcasing the gleeful destruction of public and private property — cars either soar through the air or disintegrate upon impact — and no one in the film holds these two up to scrutiny.
San Francisco acts as the playground for the two to demolish their way through and get away with virtually everything in the name of justice. Amoral, violent, bigoted, these cops got it all! In fact there isn't much that really separates the two. There's very little contrast in personalities — they're both loud, brash and argumentative (and boy they love bickering with each other) — and it's that very contrast that makes the buddy cop genre work. Here it's like watching Bad Cop and Slightly Badder Cop get the job (barely) done, and it just doesn't play well, despite the stellar chemistry between James Caan and Alan Arkin.
There's a rough and anarchic feel to the action and a dark sense of humour laced throughout that helps the film stick out just a tad amongst its peers but for the most part Freebie and the Bean aimlessly plods along for a good portion of the runtime, rarely locking into a groove until the hour mark, before losing me when Bean accuses his wife of cheating. And for a comedy, it's not nearly as funny as it thinks it is.
What if Bullitt was written and directed by Shane Black? You might end up with a better version of this.
