Gangster entertainment is arguably red-hot these days, with Guy Ritchie’sMobLandbreaking streaming recordsas just one recent example. And this week, a New York-set film from good ol' Lionsgate centers on what it calls the darkest corruption case in the history of the NYPD. I guess that’s saying something, folks. Unfortunately,Mob Copsis too often plagued by tough-guy one-liners that will make you cringe (“with all due respect, f*** ya motha”) and boneheaded decisions that would make sleazes likeHenry Hill (Goodfellas)scoff in disapproval. Directed by Danny A. Abeckaser and written by Kosta Kondilopoulos, the latest David Arquette picture will inevitably live in the shadows of your favorite gangster films from decades past.
A Profane Drinking Game, Anyone?
Set against the backdrop of New York City, Mob Cops chronicles a veteran detective’s pursuit to uncover the truth behind the corrupt activities of two notorious NYPD officers. Based on true events.
It doesn’t help that the first hour is plagued by so much weak, profane dialogue that viewers might even throw in the towel before the end credits roll. Martin Scorsese, a true master of this subgenre, was at least able to make hisrecord-setting use of “f*cks"inThe Wolf of Wall Streetentertaining for us. Similarly, shows likeDeadwoodandThe Thick of Itcould create downright Shakespearean dialogue out of their inventive profanity. There’s no such pizzazz here —Mob Copsattempts to get gritty and lean into the dark underbelly of the Big Apple, without virtually any sort of charm or imagination.
Into this setting come a pair of aging NYPD agents get lured to the dark side. First, there’s the worst of the two: pudgy Leo Bennetti (Jeremy Luke), looking on the verge of a laugh-induced heart attack literally the entire movie — the kind of physical ailment Chris Farley used to parody. In Act 1 ofMob Cops, the aging Bennetti is getting off with barely a slap on the wrist in court for police misconduct allegations, with younger, morally sound detectives like Tim Delgado (Danny A. Abeckaser) watching on and scoffing in amazement — or disapproval, rather.
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Delgado becomes the “good cop” who drives the film’s narrative, which often jumps seamlessly between past and present to navigate a sprawling corruption case he seeks to unravel. These clear-cut transitions mark one of the few high points inMob Cops, as the narrative in some other lacklusters features can often miss the mark when pulling off timeline jumps, leaving viewers befuddled.
The insightful flashbacks to the 1980s and ’90s highlight Bennetti (a real-life cop, let’s not forget) in his corrupt prime, a knucklehead sleaze who thought he was untouchable. In fact, the Oscar-winning filmThe Untouchablesis even mentioned by certain characters withinMob Cops, by no strange coincidence. Bennetti perceived himself as invincible, in part due to manpower: his right-hand man in the form of police partner Sammy Canzano (David Arquette, sporting a puddy nose).
Bo Dietl Steals the Show (Or What There Is of It)
A pair of Scorsese films were mentioned earlier; they might also come to mind with the sole excitingMob Copscharacter, incarcerated gangster Sherman (GoodFellasandThe Wolf of Wall Streetstar Bo Dietl). Delgado gets the prisoner to talk when the long-spanning corruption case continues to unearth new leads. The detectives even get Sherman’s hot-headed former partner, Galiano (Joseph Russo, turning his “gangster performance” knob to ‘11’), to sit down for a standout prison interview or two as well. Galiano’s colorful recaps of years-old events reveal just how dirty Bennetti and Canzano have become, supplementing their meager cop salaries with deadly and high-paying deeds assigned by New York’s most powerful crime lords.
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And then, the past finally catches up with the present, with Bennetti finally deciding, after years of corruption, to then publish a book about his mob connections. This is what spawned Delgado’s investigation in the first place, and once he thinks he has enough to prosecute the older and “still invincible” Bennetti, he convinces his skeptical boss (Kevin Connolly) to make an official arrest.
Better Served as a Documentary
And speaking of actor Connolly — aka"E” from HBO’sEntourage— even when the lad dons some facial hair inMob Cops, he still doesn’t look a day over 35. Are we supposed to believe he’s the hardnosed boss of someone like Delgado? He looks even more out of place than Arquette, who seems to be going through the motions here to collect a paycheck, with an extra bit of squinting for good measure. It doesn’t help that his Canzano makes too wide a variety of choices throughout this partly true tale that just don’t add up. One minute, he’s telling his crooked partner Bennetti to cool it with the mob dealings; the next, he’s renegotiating with the mob directly for better pay.
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There’s a lot going on, both in the past and in the present, and honestly, a better film may have resulted from simply focusing on the events of the final act, in which Delgado enlists an undercover cop — posed as a high-profile film director — to lure ridiculously telling confessions out of Bennetti, who thinks he’s ready to turn his published book into a movie. Too much time is wasted leading up to these jaw-dropping moments trying to set the stage. This is the most entertaining part of the film, and it ends before it can really groove. I suppose it was an effort to give credit to the movie’s ending title card:“To this day, this is seen as the worst case of corruption in the history of the NYPD.“Too bad the setup is both bland and vulgar, even for gangster-film buffs.
From Lionsgate,Mob Copswill be released in theaters, on demand, and on digital April 25.
