We may have reckoned that Hollywood Homicide is, "arriving ten years late for the 90s buddy cop boom", but grumpy Harrison Ford and a bumbling Josh Hartnett create "a good laugh nonetheless". As you'll find out from the slick DVD, director Ron Shelton was all for trying to root the humour in gritty reality.

Second Jobs

You might not expect a DVD like this to teach you much, but did you know that many officers in the LAPD have second jobs? According to Shelton, in his commentary, and Ford, in the 'making of' featurette, the LAPD can't afford to pay overtime, so officers get a pile of time off to pursue other occupations. Using this factual basis, Shelton argues out the plot of the film while adding the odd amusing anecdote, like when members of the public tried to pick up the fake hooker extras employed to work on the film.

Real Cops, Whatcha Gonna Do?

As you'd expect, the presentation of the movie is typically Columbia TriStar - top notch - with a deep bass-riddled 5.1 sound mix to kick things along. The extra features aren't particularly exciting though, with one exception. Check out LAPD Stories, a series of interviews with cops and, frankly, some of their stories are more exciting than the movie on the disc!

Find out just how tough it still is to be a female cop, how one cop dealt with a contract put out on him, and what they all think of corruption in the force. As blockbuster DVDs go, this is an unusual and welcome extra feature.

EXTRA FEATURES

This DVD was reviewed on a JVC XV-N5 DVD player.