Hey folks, Harry here with the latest tale of films that we have yet to see is a newly named writer of the nom, EGGPLANT CANTALOUP, purporting to be incredibly happy with Kevin Smith's latest film, his first as a pure director, since this was someone else's script. Now, I can't lie... I really didn't like the trailer for COP OUT. But I do know a friend, that has seen the film and thoroughly enjoyed it. So, despite not liking the trailer, I've heard good word about the film by a couple of folks now. Here ya go...

I just saw a test screening for the new Kevin Smith movie, COP OUT, tonight in Chatsworth. Thought I'd offer up a small bit of analysis.

I am a moderate fan of Kevin Smith. Having grown up in New Jersey, just a couple of towns away from Red Bank, I have followed his career from the very beginning. I love Clerks, Mallrats, Chasing Amy, and like most of the rest of his movies. It is hard to deny, though, that his career has been pretty stagnant. It seemed like he had decided that he is happy making the same, smallish movies he has been making over and over and letting his small, but dedicated fanbase eat his offerings up.

But COP OUT is a very different kind of Kevin Smith movie. Really, it's not a Kevin Smith movie at all. Everyone knows that this is the first film that he has directed that he did not write and as a result, he has produced his most complete film to date. That is not to say that this is necessarily his best, or my personal favorite, movie. But, it is clearly evident that COP OUT has helped Smith grow up as a filmmaker.

First of all, let me just say that the trailer for this movie sucks. It seems like whoever put it together wasn't even trying. But of the two scenes from that trailer that stuck out in my mind the most, one of them (the "We make decisions now" scene) was, thankfully, not in the film at all and the other ("no. no. no. hell no...") actually works really well in the context of the scene. This film is 100 times better than the trailer would have you believe. Someone really needs to work on that.

I'm not going to lay out the whole plot, because, really, it's all inconsequential. The plot is there, and it works, but nobody's going to see this movie to see how it ends. And I am not going to give away any of the great lines in the film, because I want people to see it.

But know this: Tracy Morgan and Bruce Willis are great together. Jordan plays a cop and a husband who is fairly grounded in reality (not at all like his 30 ROCK Tracy Jordan character), only a bit paranoid (his wife, Rashida Jones, may or may not be cheating on him), a terrible actor (he plays a very unconvincing bad guy, when trying to trick a perp into giving up information), and possibly has a coke habit (the only reason I can think of for his constant sniffling).

Willis is pretty much what you would expect in this, but plays off of Morgan really, really well.

Adam Brody and Kevin Pollack play another team of detectives who are a couple of dicks. They figure into the story, but are somewhat inconsequential. Like he has in other movies though, Brody is pretty good about stealing the spotlight in the small opportunities he has.

You know what you're getting from Sean William Scott from the trailer: a wiseass. Only he does parkour, although not particularly well. He's not a star of this movie, but is very funny in a few key scenes.

Guillermo Diaz is the main bad guy and is all sort of bad ass. The dude has a habit of putting someone in a batting cage and hitting baseballs at them. Ouchies!

Smith has done a great job taking his sense of comedic timing as a director and injected it into a movie that anyone can see. And as a director, it is easily his most accomplished film. This might sound like a backhanded compliment, but this movie looks like a mid budget action movie, something I was not sure Smith was capable of. There's nothing in the action that is exception, but it works. And the comedy, the reason I am sure Smith was hired, really works. He's gotten the goods from his cast. Plus, the camera moves.... a lot!

In the end, this feels a lot like a LETHAL WEAPON movie for 2010. It's got some action, some comedy, and is just pretty much a joy to watch all the way through.

If you use this, call me EGGPLANT CANTALOUP. Because I am sure everyone will call me one.