Even though this movie is not as great as "Good cop, bad cop" and, as some critics said, copies a little bit the typical American comedy action cop movies or series like "Beverly Hills Cop" or "Rush Hour", this one is still one of the better movies of its genre. And it's for sure that you can't really innovate such a genre, so it's for sure that some things are repetitive, but because of its French-Canadian charme and the call of the wild in the movie (all other movies of the genre play almost entirely in cities), this one is almost unique.
The story is quite simple: In the opening scene, a young police officer, who had an under cover job to do inside a criminal biker gang in Montreal, gets caught and the biker gang wants to exchange him against one of their members who is actually in prison. The police sees no chance to find someone who would have the courage to infiltrate the biker gang again or to say or work against them at the courtyard. The only person who knows everything about all the crimes that the biker gang did is their lawyer, a tough guy and a real professional. But he has a big problem: His son hates him because they have no close relationship, he takes drugs and is in depression and close to suicide. That's why the lawyer's wife decides to make her husband and his son participate for one week in a psychological father-son experience in the nature that may calm down the conflicts and approach them. The police sees this occasion as their only chance and two police officer, father and son at the same job with a lot of problems and a lack of sensibility and healthy communication, go there and the father wants to approach to the lawyer and offer him finally police security and a new identity if he would reveal the place where is caught the kidnapped police officer and give proofs for some terrible crimes which the biker gang has done. But of course, the bikers will also send some of their members to put their lawyer under surveillance.
The movie lives from two main things: First, the little details around the main story. There are some really funny, strange and emotive events that happen in the Canadian forests between all those fathers and sons and it is interesting to see all the characters changing and developing. Second, there are a few really great actors in the movie, especially Michel Côté, who plays better than in his usual series and is really convincing as the tough father and police officer and who was a rough charme and edgy kind of humour, and there is also Rémy Girard, who plays the convincing role of the lawyer.
But the weakest point of this movie are some other actors: First of all, there is Louis-José Houde, he is not convincing at all as a police officer and his childish jokes just look really poor next to the brilliant acting of Michel Côté. Houde is more a comedian and has a lot of fans because of his stand-up comedy shows, but as a main actor, he is not like a Patrick Huard and although he is doing his best, it is not really enough to convince. And than, there is the boring love story with the actor Caroline Dhavernas in the movie that is just annoying and filled with clichés. The worst is not that Dhavernas also does a bad acting and has nothing of a charming and beautiful woman, but that there is not chemistry between her an Houde and their love story is lacking any credibility and not really profound.
So, with this movie, you've got a solid and entertaining action comedy movie with an interesting setting and an irresistible French-Canadian charm and a few really great actors. But there is no surprising element in the story, nothing new and also some weaker actors. All in all, it's an easy to watch movie for a DVD night with your friends and a good choice for those who like the genre or the Quebecker cinema.
