Review of Ride Along

Ride Along (2014)
7/10
An enjoyably crime comedy
23 May 2018
James Payton is a gruff Atlanta cop determined to bring down Omar, a crime boss who is so secretive that many doubt he really exists. Ben Barber is a school security guard who spends his free time playing video games... he is also living with Payton's sister and hopes to marry her. Barber successfully applies to the Police Academy so Payton invites him to spend a day with him learning what it means to be a cop... hoping that it will lead to him changing his mind. He asks the dispatcher to send him to the most annoying calls; asking bikers to move from a handicapped parking zone, dealing with a drunk in a market and asking a child to divulge the whereabouts of his criminal brother. A stop at a shooting range provides an unexpected lead to Omar. Before the day is over things are going to get far more dangerous than either man expected.

This isn't the greatest of police comedies but it still provides a decent number of laughs and a solid enough central story. Ice T and Kevin Hart are fun as Payton and Barber; two very contrasting characters. It is very easy to believe that Payton really doesn't like his prospective brother in law... admittedly Barber is one of those characters who are amusing in a film but would be infuriating in real life. It is Hart who brings most of the laughs as Barber gets caught up in events that he doesn't really understand. The action is decent enough with a fun little car chase at the start and a good shootout and explosion at the end. There aren't too many surprises but that isn't really a problem as the hunt for Omar is there so we can see our protagonists in a dangerous situation rather than just the early 'Code 126' annoying callouts. Overall this certainly isn't up there with the likes of 'Beverly Hills Cop' or 'Lethal Weapon' but it is better than some of their sequels... not a must see but fun if you enjoy the genre.
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