Line Of Duty

"You never think, that's the problem. You're a damn cowboy Frank. I vouched for you"

If you think cliched dialogue such as that is going to be the worst thing about this film well then.....oh boy, you are in for an appalling hour and a half.

Frank Penny, a disillusioned police officer, hasn't enjoyed his job for a long time. He goes through the motions, starting his shift everyday by chatting with a young friend and avoiding responsibility if at all possible. Until the day he's dragged into a foot chase with a suspect who unbeknownst to them has taken a police captain's daughter hostage. Cornered, he's forced to take drastic action and gets suspended from duty as a result. But an event in his past forces him into action alongside an amateur newscaster called Ava (Courtney Eaton) who's leaking of news onto the net throws an entire city into upheaval.

This starts well with a muscular and bruising action setpiece that proves Aaron Eckhart still has what it takes to be a convincing action man at age 51. Then the second, and I mean the second, the film slows it goes downhill rapidly. And then just when you think it can't get any worse it does. It's one of the corniest and confused films you'll see this year with it's mixed messages, bizarre political leanings and the cheesiest climax i've seen in an age. It's 2019, the day of the hero cop film is done or should at least be on hiatus. Line Of Duty treats it's 5-0 like misunderstood martyrs and in an era of documented police brutality everything about this story feels like a massive misjudgement. "I knew there was some bomb ass cops still out there." A face gnawingly cringy line spoken with utter earnestness. Between this and the films putrid (no seriously, you will go red with shame watching it) ending it feels like a very ill judged piece of police propaganda.

But it gets worse.

In an age of fake news and cynical one sided reporting this film treats the mainstream media like bastions of trust while looking at amateur reporters and news bloggers as reckless shit stirrers. In a way it feels like the last stand of the old school against the way of the future. Cops are good, MSM is good, everything else is to be feared. A subplot about a news channel (Dina Meyer in a thankless role as the editor) following the action has the potential to be interesting but takes a horribly smug and self congratulatory turn as the film goes on. Top this with a ridiculous storyline that keeps upping the ante until your eyes are ready to roll out of your head and a bad guy (Ben McKenzie, so good in Southland, so bad in this) who exists to snarl and shoot and nothing else and you have a pretty awful watch.

Lead Aaron Eckhart deserves better than this. For all the film's faults he keeps trying valiantly but every scene he's in with Courtney Eaton is dreadful as their oddly playful banter undercuts the tension everytime. A dozen cops just got gunned down but hey, there's always time for a joke or two. At least the film has the good grace to not try force a romance between them, him being 51 and her 23. That's one tick in the positive column.

With it's hints at Penny's tragic past there was potential here for a look at the darker side of law enforcement and at how news blogging is changing the face of journalism but all that is cast aside for a handful of terrible one liners and escalating stupidity. Do yourself a favour and don't watch this. It's just terrible.