Cops vs. Killer review by Bobby Blakey
For years Matt Page has been spreading the word of Ameri-Do Te as Master Ken with his popular hilarious web series Enter The Dojo. While most famous for this break out comedy brilliance he has been steadily working in the industry appearing in a wide variety of TV and film projects including Big Sky, The Paper Tigers, Sicario, Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials and so much more. Now he is putting on multiple hats as writer, director and star of the film Cop vs. Killer. Could this action thriller bring his more serious side to the forefront or will it be a killer not worth catching?
Cop Vs. Killer follows Sheriff Bill Abrams who is attacked during a routine traffic stop and the would-be Killer leaves him for dead, using his gun, badge and vehicle to terrorize the residents of a small desert town.
I would be lying if I didn’t say I was a fan of all things Matt Page. After being introduced to Enter the Dojo, I became an instant fan and have followed him ever since. Knowing of his real life martial arts training I have been eagerly waiting to see him get the chance to unleash and lead his own flick. While this film isn’t the full on martial arts film I was hoping for he does get to showcase a bit more than Ameri-Do Te and I am here for it.
This film has an old school vibe to it and reminded me of something that Chuck Norris might have done back in the similar his films like Silent Rage or Hero and the Terror. I love this era of action films and anytime someone captures that essence it instantly sucks me in. Page does a great job bringing this tone to this film both as a filmmaker and the star. His character is strong and imposing when necessary, but also still likable and relatable throughout.
The rest of the cast are fine, but this is Page’s show all around. The smart
approach for the killer side is keeping his dialogue to a minimum. It keeps him a mystery and never feels like it is trying to spoon feed you the story. I love when characters are just insane without explanation as it keeps me wanting to see what they will do next. As it unfolds and is revealed it never over complicates things and lets it still be the animal it created in the beginning.
The story is one we have seen a thousand times, but that’s because it works. Here it infuses the action with a bit of terror to help it be something all its own while being familiar. With a smaller film like this the action and effects are usually toned down and cut aways, but they still have plenty of it front and center here complete with Page getting to throw some pretty impressive kicks that we need more of in the future.
This film may not work for everyone since its not a big budget spectacle, but instead a passion project with talent and well executed action and potential for more to come. Fans of Enter the Dojo be on the lookout for a familiar face that had me so happy to see. If had one major complaint is that Page didn’t unleash a kill face or hurt-i-cane, but to be fair none of us would have survived that.
If you like old school action, then decide for yourself and give Cop vs. Killer a try available now to rent or buy on Prime Video here.