Two kids decide to take an abandoned cop car for a joy ride, only to discover that the sheriff whose vehicle they took is a psychopath. That’s the basic premise for the new Kevin Bacon-starring thriller, Cop Car , which recently had its first teaser trailer released online.
Cop Car will be the first film for Bacon after the cancellation of his Fox television series, The Following . As previously reported by the Inquisitr , Fox cancelled the series due to low ratings . The final episodes were meant to put a wrap on a lot of things, but fans of the series protested after the finale ended, saying they wanted another season.
Along with Bacon, Cop Car also stars Shea Whigham ( Boardwalk Empire ), Camryn Manheim ( Person of Interest ), and up-and-coming actors James Freedson-Jackson and Hays Wellford. The film was directed by Jon Watts, who made his feature debut with last year’s Eli Roth-produced horror movie Clown .
Cop Car opened to mixed reviews earlier this year at the Sundance Film Festival. Todd McCarthy of the Hollywood Reporter said the film has an intriguing premise , but it runs out of steam as it inches toward its conclusion.
“The idea of two kids making off with a police car in redneck territory would seem to hold all sorts of possibilities, but instead of delivering a rollicking joy ride, the film quickly runs out of gas as it devolves into a routine bloody shootout drama between two bad guys you could give two hoots about, with the kids stuck in the middle; despite the potential, this is no Duel with boys at the wheel.”
Brian Moylan of the Guardian praised Bacon and the young boy actors for their performances . Moylan also mentioned that Watts is a “director to watch.”
“He has a spare, intimate style that uses awkward angles to draw out discomfort.”
Dylan Griffin of Sound on Sight also praised the performances in Cop Car .
“Kevin Bacon dons a mustache and gives an excellent, high-strung and fierce performance as a crooked sheriff trying to get his car back. Even at his most slimy and untrustworthy, he garners a certain amount of sympathy from the audience through Bacon’s immediacy in the role.”
Ibad Shah of Indiewire said Cop Car may have a short runtime , but it’s well made and holds the viewer’s attention.
“The brisk 86 minutes fly by, keeping the story as lean and efficient as possible. As a result, the movie doesn’t offer much in the way of substantial character development, but that’s not a deterrent when the fun twists keep coming.”
Cop Car is scheduled for release on August 7, according to its IMDb profile .
[Image via YouTube screencap]
