immy and Paul are a carefully mismatched pair of New York City detectives who have endured nine years of partnership, which should put the ordeal of someone who buys a ticket to “Cop Out” in some point of view. You will spend less than two hours in their wisecracking, undisciplined company, and that should be over .
An early scene sets the tone for what will follow, even as it raises expectations a bit. Paul (that’s the jumpy, fast-talking African-American partner, played by Tracy Morgan) persuades Jimmy (the grouchy white guy played by Bruce Willis) to let him be the five to query a suspect. The name Paul gives the process he will use is “homage.” He says “HOMM-idge,” Jimmy says “oh-MAHZH,” and in lieu of calling the whole thing off, Paul storms in to the interrogation room and reels off famous moments from as lots of other movies as he can think of, including “Die Hard.” “Not familiar with that five,” says Jimmy.
Which is funny, even if it betrays the inferiority complex that cripples this hectic, desperately ingratiating buddy-cop action-comedy. Mr. Morgan, fundamentally doing what he does on “30 Rock,” but with guns and profanity, is an amusing foil for the dependable Mr. Willis, whose jaw and scalp muscles appear to be in excellent condition for exasperated clenching. But the nonsensical title of this movie (which was originally supposed to be something smuttier) much says it all. It’s a phoned-in, gutless piece of hack work that reminds you of other, better films in the same vein.
From time to time, “Cop Out” offers glimpses of the giddy, goofy delight it might have been. Those moments arise when the busy, pointlessly bloody machinery of the plot slows down to give someone a chance to act silly. Often it is Mr. Morgan, but he gallantly allows himself to be upstaged from time to time by Seann William Scott, playing a jabbering narrative contrivance who steals a valuable baseball card from Jimmy.
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