Movie Review: ‘Crown Vic’

Review by James Lindorf

Starting in 1997, the Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor became the most widely used automobile in law enforcement, and veteran patrol officer Ray Mandel has been behind the wheel of one ever since. Crown Vic follows Ray and ambitious rookie cop Nick Holland during one memorable night in the LAPD’s Olympic Division. Nick gets the initiation of a lifetime facing down a pair of cop killers, drug dealers, drunk girls from the valley, and an unhinged cop out for payback, not to mention Ray’s off-the-books hunt for a missing girl. Written and Directed by Joel Souza, Crown Vic stars Thomas Jane (The Predator), Luke Kleintank (The Man in the High Castle), David Krumholtz (Numb3rs), Bridget Moynahan (Blue Bloods), and Josh Hopkins (Cougar Town). Crown Vic will open in New York on November 8th and in Los Angeles, additional cities, and On Demand November 15th.

The first thing you notice while watching Crown Vic is that it is a great looking film. Ray is fond of saying, “there are two worlds, the one inside this car and everything else,” and that is how Souza and cinematographer Thomas Scott Stanton approached the film. When we are in the car, we are either in tight on Jane or Kleintank so we can experience the full weight of their performance, or in what passes for a wide shot, showing door frame to door frame. Outside of the vehicle, things don’t open up much, staying focused on Ray, Nick, and the person they are interacting with at the moment. Many of the shots outside of the vehicle are lit with red, orange, or golden hues that add warmth to the city, even though the work they do is unpleasant.

The most substantial element of the film is the performances of its cast. It is led by Jane, transformed into the road-weary officer who, after 25 years, wouldn’t know what to do with himself if he couldn’t get behind the wheel of his black and white. If Jane had brought this character to his Punisher film, he might have had a chance of starring in a sequel. Bridget Moynahan also shines in a much smaller role as the drug-addicted widow of Ray’s last partner. Klientank and Hopkins give possibly their best performance, making it clear that Souza has a talent for working with actors.

His work with the script was not quite as strong as with the actors. Crown Vic has cops doing nearly every activity that makes the public angry at or fearful of them, which makes it hard to root for anyone in the movie. Ray and Nick tackle crimes from a DUI to murder on their first night together, but there was at least one crime too many. The two plot threads that weave from beginning to end, the hunt for the cop killers, and Ray’s search for the girl are wrapped up way too quickly and easily. While they were great in the film, Hopkins and Krumholtz should have been completely excised. It would take away most of the immoral police activities and given more time to significant cases.

Great films are let off the hook for any sins they may have committed, like Blofeld not recognizing James Bond in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, or the eagles in The Return of the King. Crown Vic is good, with lots of great qualities, but not enough to escape scot-free. Its pacing and message about what it takes to be a “good” cop penalize it and prevent it from being a genuinely great film.