J’aime Bon Cop, Bad Cop. . . a Lot

Arguably the highest grossing Canadian domestic film of all-time (not including inflation), 2006’s Bon Cop, Bad Cop skewers both official languages, pairing a stuffy English-speaking Provincial Police detective with a foul mouthed, bon vivant French detective for the Sûreté du Québec.

Directed by Erik Canuel, the unusual pair are brought together when a body is found straddling the Ontario/Québec border sign (it is literally impaled on the metal welcome guidepost). Arguing over whose jurisdiction it falls under, Torontonian Martin Ward (Colm Feore) suggests that it is their case, as “his heart is in Québec”, to which Montrealer David Bouchard (Patrick Huard – who also came up with the scenario for the film) wryly replies, “but his ass belongs to you”.

Their superiors inform them that they will be working together (a clever scene that riffs on the bilingual nature of Canada), much to their chagrin. They are chasing a psychotic serial murderer labelled by the media as the Tattoo Killer – who provides hints of his next victim on the skin of his most recent prey.

The unlikely duo follow the clues to a rather unusual bar, looking for prime suspect Luc Therrien (Sylvain Marcel), a helicopter pilot who they suspect may have dropped the body from on high. A comedic action scene, each one of these intricate moments tells us something about our main characters. Ward, always wearing a turtleneck or suit and tie, is a by-the-books type, a less than cool dude who is also a struggling single parent dealing with a less than talkative son, Jonathan (Erik Knudsen). The only one able to get through to the boy is Ward’s hip younger sister, Iris (Sarain Boylan). Bouchard has a rough and tumble persona, an aggressive man who wears jeans and drives what once may have been a muscle car. Still living with his ex-wife, Suzie (Lucie Laurier), and teenage daughter Gabrielle (Sarah-Jeanne Labrosse), she is the apple of his eye.

Nabbing their guy and unceremoniously throwing him in the trunk, Ward is then given a lesson on how to swear in French. Nearly forgetting about his daughter’s ballet recital, they rush to the venue, parking in a handicapped spot. As they exit the show, their car is being towed away, exploding seconds later.

Realizing that they are in tough, they soon figure out that all of the murders have something to do with hockey. Will the detectives be able to solve the cross-border case, or will they fail to get their maniacal man?

It seems fitting that the murders revolve around Canada’s national pastime, hockey, and there are lots of clever references to the history of the game for afficionados of the sport. Starting with the departure of the Nordiques from Québec to Colorado, the screenwriters then follow it up by referencing the controversial Wayne Gretzky trade, subtly joking about Eric Lindros’ concussion problems, and much less subtly poking fun at National Hockey League commissioner Gary Bettman. Casting a waddling midget that they at one point call a “penguin”, they change his name, slightly, to Harry Buttman (Rick Howland) – part of the plot tackles the long persistent rumour that the commissioner is not a fan of Canadian teams. The final sports reference finds Canadian funnyman Rick Mercer playing Tom Berry, a stand-in for former Boston Bruins’ head coach and present day Coaches Corner host Don Cherry – he nails his bombastic, over the top language, penchant for mispronouncing names and constant complaining about European players.

Featuring some sidesplitting moments, at one point a henchman dresses as a buck-toothed beaver mascot – looking in the bathroom mirror, with all seriousness, he utters De Niro’s famous line from Taxi Driver, “Are you talkin’ to me?”. Struggling in his giant outfit, he is forced to follow our heroes, trying to wave and hop inconspicuously so as not to draw attention to himself. Humour also comes from the fact that Ward has a crush on Suzie, while Bouchard falls for the sexually adventurous Iris – both men take offense to the others’ less than subtle actions.

Though at its heart, Bon Cop, Bad Cop works so well because of its two stars (who both play their parts to perfection). Fusing an intriguing mixture of English, French and Franglais (a combination of the two), the antagonistic partners slowly warm over time, making for a rather unique and often confrontational buddy comedy. Here is a creative example of the language fusion, a swear-filled explosion by Ward, “Merde de shit de merde de fuck de TABERNAC!”. By the way, merde means ‘shit’ in French.

With so many spot-on stereotypical jokes (erratic Montreal drivers, loyal English monarchists), Bon Cop, Bad Cop is a whole lot of fun. Sketching the comedy throughout the dark murderous plot, Canuel is somehow able to walk the tightrope and amalgamate each of the aspects into one coherent feature (and that’s saying something, especially when you have to appease speakers of two official languages). Though “all good things come to those who wait”, don’t take too long, check out this explosive Canadian feature soon, as the long awaited sequel is now out in theatres.