Cop movies are trepidatious at the moment.
Sometimes called the hero cop or cowboy cop, this trope is a stable of American filmmaking. “He’s a loose cannon, but dammit, he’s the best there is” is a character description that applies to quintessential American films, from Dirty Harry to Die Hard. However, as the American people developed awareness of systemic faults in our police system, cop movies also shifted. We don’t really see that trope anymore, and modern cop films usually see a police officer on the more straight-and-narrow, or more intentionally flawed maverick cop. As we reevaluate what we want from these types of movies, it can be interesting to see how other countries address these film tropes. A positive and incredibly progressive example is Offbeat Cops, a fun crowd pleaser that captures the ideal role of a police officer in film.
Directed by Eiji Uchida, Offbeat Cops follows hard-boiled, lone-wolf, plays-by-his-own-rules Detective Tsukasa Naruse (Hiroshi Abe), who’s transferred out of criminal affairs to play drums in the Police Band. Hiroshi Abe channels Dirty Harry effortlessly, encapsulating the strung-out detective while lending enough humor and heart to prevent falling into caricature. While this film is primarily a comedy, the writing subverts many of the typical cop movie tropes by highlighting how ineffective Naruse’s methods are,. Many American cop films that use the maverick cop trope justify the lead’s aggressive, headstrong methods by pointing out, “he gets results.” The films will mention an extensive arrest record, awards they’ve won, or military service. Offbeat Cops doesn’t do that.
The writing cleverly leaves out much of Naruse’s history on the force, noting that he has extensive experience on the force but also mentioning he’s failed the detective’s exam many times. Hiroshi Abe’s confident performance sells us as an accomplished detective, but we don’t see or hear anything to validate it; instead, we see Naruse make pretty costly mistakes at times. But for as much as we see Naruse’s ego motivate him, we see his softer moments, too, especially with his mother. His passion is real, and his heart’s in the right place, but his ego, insecurity, and toxic masculinity hold him back, even though he’s in an environment that validates it. His regret and awareness of his flaws make him a compelling character as he grows through the Police Band. For as fun as the comedy is, Offbeat Cops‘ character drama and urgency lend the film needed substance.
Offbeat Cops‘ uses the Police Band to show the proper role of police, serving the people. The film highlights the importance of the band and most public art programs in building bridges with the community. The filmmakers aren’t naive; the characters openly say the band is PR, but they highlight how the band helps foster trust and cooperation between the police and the community. The film shows there’s more to being a police officer than just catching criminals, bolstering the community is equally as important. Moreover, the band’s diversity highlights many facets of police contributing to making the force function, as the band plays an important role encouraging team work between the different divisions. All the supporting characters, while not as developed as Naruse, are clearly defined and memorable thanks to the all-around strong performances. The humor, while at times at the expense of the band, never feels denigrating, instead more in a stark contrast to Naruse’s character.
Offbeat Cops is a cop movie for people who are sick and distrustful of cop movies. The film’s value of arts programs and the challenges of balancing them with work feel universal. At the same time, audiences tired of toxic cop cliches will appreciate the well-rounded, complex performance of Hiroshi Abe. Offbeat Cops has a strong heart, showing the value of moving past old tropes to build something new and wonderful.
