Directed by Alonso Ruizpalacios Netflix’s A Cop Movie aka Una película de policías is Mexican action drama surrouding the lies and reality of a cop’s life. The screenplay was constructed by director Alonso Ruizpalacios and David Gaitan. The film features Mónica Del Carmen, Maria Teresa Hernandez, Jose de Jesus Rodriguez Hernandez and Raúl Briones. It has a runtime of a little short of two hours with subtitles available both in English as well as Spanish. However, the audio is solely available in Spanish.
– Netflix’s A Cop Movie review does not contain spoilers –
A Cop Movie: A Reality Check
It is rare to get a first-hand account or insight into the life of police- a segment of the society that is taunted by media and taken for granted by the public. Netflix brings us a docu-film with conversations with real-life cops to illuminate the grounds of corruption and power abuse that goes on in the field and, how if some are a part of it, some might not be too and some are forced to be involved to keep a stable hold on their lives.
Lurking on the lines of being a documentary-style crime drama, A Cop Movie gives its tale through a close inspection into the life of two police officers, Teresa and Montoya. The film starts with blurry, blinking police siren’s lights and soon enough we meet Teresa who reports an emergency situation to only find a woman in labour and resorts to help her deliver her baby without any medical training as the paramedics reach the scene late. With compelling visuals and a voiceover from Teresa, director Ruizpalacios established from the very start how intrusively he is determined to collect the needed information.
Image Credit: Still from A Cop Movie, now streaming on Netflix
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We hear from Teresa about her life before joining the force, her expectations and reality. The story is mostly told over voiceover as we see Teresa perform her day to day activities, giving the audience a smooth, conversational trip to understand our character in focus. We come across Montoya’s story in the same fashion and learn how the individuals met at work and asked to be partnered together giving rise to their nickname name, Love Patrol. In the latter half of the film, we are introduced to Mónica del Carmen and Raúl Briones who give their own insights into the Mexican policing world.
Overall, the film tries to establish the air of being and living the life of a Cop in Mexico city drugged by the incense of fast money, corruption, threat, disrespect and the survival instinct injected into the body to get up every day and go to work. Director Alonso Ruizpalacios leaves no stone unturned when it comes to using varied mediums and methods to extract and depict the story on-screen. The director does his best as he tells a gritty tale with compelling cinematography and a background score that establishes the perfect mood.
A Cop Movie: Final Verdict
Image Credit: Still from A Cop Movie, now streaming on Netflix
With revelations and discussions grounded to earth surrounding the police life, A Cop Movie is a documentary about the known but lesser understood people of the society, who are an inevitable requirement to lead a regular life. Streaming this documentary might just give you the other side of the story that can possibly belong to ‘Narcos: Mexico,’ where the life of the police takes a front seat.
You can watch A Cop Movie aka Una película de policías, now streaming on Netflix.
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