Bloody, extreme action opus OFFICER DOWNE is a blast.
Terrence Downe is the perfect cop in a city ripe with crime; always on the job, absolutely dedicated to taking the bad guys out, and completely willing to put his life on the line until he finally makes the ultimate sacrifice which he pays, again, and again, and again.
Such is the main device which drives OFFICER DOWNE through a frenetic adventure of ridiculous super villains, raunchy sex jokes, and gore soaked showdowns. Downe was dedicated to the job in life, and that dedication caused him to be selected to take part in a very special and secret program once he met his original demise. Back from the dead, Downe has been gifted with the special power of revitalization the man may die but hell always rise and the LAPD is now using this undead madman to take on some of the toughest thugs in the city.
Action, gore, and a bit of raunch are by far the main attributes offered by OFFICER DOWNE, and it offers all three with a rabid sense of humor. The film opens by establishing Downes inhuman sexual prowess through a mildly sigh inducing if still amusing pun on his last name, before launching the preternatural cop into a mess of a gunfight which throws blood, body parts, and various organs about abundantly.
The action of the film is wild; every fight feels like the last showdown, and OFFICER DOWNE never holds back on the violence. The undead cop wields a massive and likely functionally impossible .85 caliber magnum (to compare, the largest handgun in the real world is .50 caliber), and true to the guns bullet size, each and every shot is always a kill, and often an explosive one at that.
Matched to its action is the films over-the-top sense of humor. The lead bad guys of the film are some sort of strange anthropomorphic animals called the Fortune 500, and make up the top kingpins of the citys criminal underground. The origins of these bipedal and often angry animal people are never explained, and really this is part of the joke. If youve ever seen the character Teen Ape from the unforgettable films of Chris Seaver, then you already understand the kind of humor were talking about.
While the animal kingpins are the wackiest characters in the film, there are others worthy of note. Included is a master ninja who speaks Mandarin, but who is often voiced over in English in a smooth tone that sounds like a reasonably good George Takei impression, and who leads a troop of vicious ninjas in floral print jams. We also cant forget the clan of cleavage-heavy gun-toting nuns, vehicles that growl like animals, a counter that conveniently keeps track of orgasms, and a cameo from Glenn Howerton of ALWAYS SUNNY IN PHILADELPHIA fame, complete with homage to that series. This over-the-top stew of humor is just as unrestrained as the violence and comfortably dwells in the land of the absurd.
Where OFFICER DOWNE falls flat is in the characters themselves. In the first act, were introduced to a young rookie one who is obviously a good cop and this rookie becomes assigned as backup for Downe and becomes very protective of his undead partner. However, this story line doesnt really go anywhere, nor does the storyline of Downe ever really evolve. The character arcs are as flat-lined as Terrance Downes unbeating heart. This lack of development makes the end of the film ring hollow, as if we were cheated of some postponed plot development that we may never see. In some ways, OFFICER DOWNE feels like a prequel that is only meant to introduce a future project.
OFFICER DOWNE was originally a graphic novel written by Joe Casey and Chris Burnham, and Casey went on to pen the screenplay for the film. While I admittedly havent read the comic, its general synopsis seems to be loyal to its theatrical version. SLIPKNOT founding member Shawn Crahan directs, and his involvement certainly helped to manifest the craziness of the comic to reality. Also worth noting is main casting Terrance Downe is played by Kim Coates (Tig from SONS OF ANARCHY), and this casting both of Coates as well as his mustache is absolutely perfect for the character.
What OFFICER DOWNE is selling is pretty straight forward and it does not hold anything back. Fans of campy, gory fight scenes loaded with absurdist humor should go ahead and get in line.
