It is good to know that cops, like everyone else, have personalstress.
In Hollywood Homicide, Joe Gavilan (Harrison Ford) plays aveteran of the service who is balancing the quadruple murderinvestigation of a rising rap group, his pile of unpaid bills, hisside job trying to sell a very expensive house, a love life and theusual problems at the office.
Besides all of this he is also hoping to persuade partner K.C.Calden (Josh Hartnett) to stay on the force. Calden, a young gunwho is a terrible shot, makes extra money by teaching yoga and isthinking about an acting career.
Calden has to deal with the slew of women he's been with whosenames he doesn't remember, memorizing lines of A Streetcar NamedDesire for his upcoming play and again, those four deadrappers.
The humor comes in when, in the heat of the investigation,Gavilan is finding potential buyers for his real estate and Caldenis dropping off manuscripts in suspects' homes.
Gavilan begins a romantic relationship with Ruby (Lena Olin), apsychic, who has a dangerous romantic past. At one point, at a lossin their investigation, they ask her to try to lead them to themurderer with her psychic powers.
Their cell phones are ringing constantly.
Even when they are being investigated by internal affairs, theymanage to have so much going on that they distract theirinterviewers. This is by far the best scene in the movie, watchingthe adorable Calden talk his female interrogator into trying yogamoves.
Amazingly, despite the circus atmosphere of their lives, thepartners stumble upon some crooked cop activity that solves themurder of Calden's father, who was also on the force, but provingit to their superiors turns out to be more difficult that theyanticipated.
Hollywood Homicide's humor is offbeat and off-kilter. The dialoghas a strange, unpolished feel to it. And then I remembered thatthat is what it is like when two people actually speak to oneanother, instead of belting out predictable macho lines as quicklyas possible, as is the case in most action movies.
Keep an eye out for roles played by Master P and GladysKnight.
The plot drags a little in the beginning and ends in a carchase, but you grow accustomed to the offbeat humor of Ford andHartnett, an offbeat pair.
It's no award-winner, but it's an entertaining ride.
