Hot Pursuit

I hate to come off like that pessimist that starts criticizing from the introduction of his review. But I’ll tell you upfront that I agree with the general public’s assessment of this film’s quality; as of today, a little over two weeks after its release, it has one star on RottenTomatoes. However, it did have some surprising plot twists. But what I’m really here to do is give you a Christian perspective on the plot and content.

In this fugitive, buddy, crime-action comedy, Officer Rose Cooper (Reese Witherspoon) must safely escort Daniella Riva (Sofia Vergara) to testify against a crime boss after the murder of Daniella’s husband. But on their way, things go awry, and they must flee crooked cops, while Cooper is mistaken for a crooked cop herself.

This movie actually isn’t all that violent. There’s not much shooting; most of the action is running and chasing. There is one scene, however, where a redneck is threatening the two women with a gun and accidentally shoots part of his finger off. This scene isn’t very graphic, but it’s still gross—and part of what makes it gross is the fact that it’s played for laughs. Overall, the violence is on the low side of PG-13.

There are about ten OMG’s (and its various forms), one “motherf****r,” several s-words, and a few uses of “d**n,” @$$, “hell,” and “b***h.”

Occasionally, there is a crude sexual reference or joke. Both women wear clothes that reveal about half of their cleavage. In one scene, the two women disguise themselves as lesbians and fondle each other. In another, a woman accidentally walks in on a man while he’s naked and, startled, yells “p-n-s!” No nudity is shown, though.

Unfortunately, the protagonists do indeed do some crooked things, not the least of which is stealing a few cars to escape. In one scene, Riva prays for Cooper loudly and annoyingly, clearly played for laughs—irreverent.

Not everyone will find this film obnoxious, like I did, but it’s just not worth seeing. If you want a film about falsely accused people trying to clear their names, “The Fugitive” is an absolutely wonderful movie that I highly recommend. If you want a good buddy crime comedy, “Bad Company” might be a good watch. And if all you want is a cop movie, “Courageous” is one of the best you’ll find. This film has its pleasing moments, but, in the end, is corny and dissatisfying. Add in the offensive content, and the result is a film that is best left unwatched.

Violence: Moderate / Profanity: Heavy / Sex/Nudity: Moderate

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