Let me just preface this by saying that I saw an early cut of the film several months ago so there have likely been changes made since then. I might revise this post based on those changes, I might not. That being said, I enjoyed this movie a lot. Yes, yes, I am a huge Kevin Smith fan but I can honestly say from an objective standpoint, as much as I possibly can do so, that I enjoy this flick and I think many folks who might not normally enjoy Kevin's films, as well as those who do, will enjoy this movie.

I think a lot of critics who have been harsh with the film misunderstood a couple things about the movie. First, a simple IMDB search, in addition to reading any of the press attached to the movie, or, well, not living under a rock will reveal the fact that Kevin Smith did not write this film. It is NOT a "Kevin Smith film" or a View Askew film. I'm thinking some folks were expecting that. Some were expecting his regular cast of characters and his regular humor. Seeing as how he had nothing to do with the writing of the script, none of that is there. Jason Lee is in the movie though and he is pretty awesome in his brief role.

Second, I think some folks missed what this film was trying to do. I would call it a homage to the 80's buddy cop film. It's not trying to be a gritty action movie. It's not trying to be an all-out comedy. It hearkens back to the times of Lethal Weapon and 48 Hours and films like that. Perhaps some people don't remember those movies. I don't know. Cop Out takes that formula and modernizes it a bit.

The cast for me is what really made this movie great. I enjoyed Tracy Morgan the most. I think he actually dialed it down a bit from his Tracy Jordan character on 30 Rock and I think that's what makes this movie really work. He and Bruce Willis do a great job together. Bruce Willis is Bruce Willis. Another star that really shined for me was Guillermo Diaz, who plays the villain. His character in Cop Out is a tad more intense than his character in Weeds and just as enthralling.

The bottom line with Cop Out is if you're looking for an enjoyable action comedy and can appreciate what the folks who made it are trying to do, I think you'll enjoy it. For a Kevin Smith project it is a pretty "soft" R so if that's holding you back, I really wouldn't let it. I am hoping the film does well to give Kevin some momentum for his next project, Hit Somebody, which really looks promising.