Film Review: Hollywood Homicide (2003)

The "buddy cop" formula was a staple of Hollywood screenwriters and producers, yielding many popular and memorable action films and comedies. However, as demonstrated by the 2003 action comedy Hollywood Homicide, directed by Ron Shelton, the formula alone cannot guarantee success.

Shelton's script, co-written with Robert Souza, was loosely inspired by Souza's real-life experiences as a LAPD officer who made extra money with parallel career of a real estate agent. In the film, Sergeant Joe Gavillan (played by Harrison Ford) is a homicide detective trying to close a lucrative real estate deal while investigating a series of murders of rap artists with a contract to music label owner Antoine Sartain (played by Isaiah Washington). His partner is Officer K.C. Calden (played by Josh Hartnett), a younger officer who makes extra money as a yoga teacher and dreams of an acting career.

Shelton, known for his sport-related dramas and comedies, attempted to broaden his thematic scope with police films set in Los Angeles, like his previous work, Dark Blue, released a year earlier. Unfortunately, the formula of having two opposing police detectives forced to transcend their differences was undermined by poor casting. Ford, while having fun playing the grizzled, elderly character, lacked chemistry with Hartnett, who was merely seen as Hollywood's "it boy" at the time. The strained on-set relationship between the two actors was palpable in their performances. The film fared better with the rest of the cast, particularly Lena Olin, who had a ball playing Gavillan's psychic girlfriend and had much better chemistry with Ford. Calden, however, was a one-dimensional character, and the film's attempt to evoke sympathy for him through a family-related subplot came off as a terrible and unnecessary cliché.

The bigger issue for Hollywood Homicide was its bad pacing, poor quality of humour, and inability to strike a balance between comedy and action. The latter only appeared in the last 20 minutes of the film. As a result, Hollywood Homicide predictably failed at the box office, and Shelton had to wait almost a decade for another chance at a feature film. While the movie is watchable, it's clear why it isn't among the brightest spots in the filmographies of those involved.

RATING: 3/10 (+)

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