Cop Car
Description
Two good-natured but slightly mischievous young boys are having an awesome summer day in the countryside. Lazily strolling through golden fields, they rattle off as many naughty words as they know, slowly ramping up to the first F-bomb of this decidedly R-rated kids film. When they stumble across an abandoned cop car hidden in a secluded glade and decide to go for a quick joyride, a bad decision leads to significantly worse consequences. In Cop Car, director Jon Watts deftly delivers that which is rarely seen in genre films: genuine, natural performances from his child actors. They are believably kids just being kids. Unfortunately they are also kids who have found themselves waging war against a violent psychopath. The cop car in question, you see, belongs to a handsomely mustachioed and distinctly perturbed county sheriff (Kevin Bacon) who was up to no good in said glade where his car was momentarily abandoned. He wants it back and will stop at nothing to get it. Cop Car has the unpretentious sensibilities of the best of the best of classic drive-in era exploitation: lean, mean and a ton of fun. —Tim League
Jon Watts grew up in Fountain, Colorado, where he shot much of Cop Car. Among his projects are a variety of shorts, including the animated Clay Pride: Being Clay in America (2001), and Clown (2014), his feature debut. He has also directed episodes of Onion SportsDome and The Onion News Network. Says Watts of his latest, “To me [making Cop Car] was about focusing on the logic and mechanics of the situation and letting that drive the style of the film. Two kids steal a sheriff’s cruiser, the sheriff wants it back…How is he going to get it back? To him that’s all that matters, so that’s all that matters to the film. There’s no time for anything else. “
Film Details
Language English
Year 2015
Runtime 88
Country USA
Director Jon Watts
Producer Cody Ryder, Alicia Van Couvering, Sam Bisbee, Andrew Kortschak, Jon Watts
Writer Jon Watts, Christopher D. Ford
Editor Megan Brooks, Andrew Hasse
Cinematographer Matthew J. Lloyd, Larkin Seiple
Music Phil Mossman
Cast Kevin Bacon, James Freedson-Jackson, Hays Wellford, Shea Whigham, Camryn Manheim