Review of 'R.I.P.D.'

ripd.jpg Policeman Nick (Ryan Reynolds) is killed after being betrayed by his partner Hayes (Kevin Bacon), finding himself recruited by the supernatural “Rest In Peace Department” (RIPD). With the help of the bitter veteran member of the force Roy (Jeff Bridges doing a firmly tongue-in-cheek impersonation of an old cowboy) Nick attempts to first come to terms with what has happened to him and bring Hayes to justice all the while hoping his former wife Julia (Stephanie Szostak) will see him for what he is…rather than what she sees when he returns to the real world as an old Chinese man.

Terribly silly and reminiscent of Men in Black, “R.I.P.D.” is slightly darker as it deals more with death though it never takes itself too seriously. It has it's bit of quirky gadgets and totally off-the-wall characters. It has the same “coming to terms with the situation” followed by “making things right” story arch of MIB but it seems to be missing some of the charm of the later. This is Reynolds before he was let lose on Deadpool and he is very much more restrained here playing the “fish out of water” cop. It is really the scenes with Bridges that steal the show but it is very much a one-trick/one-joke show here that does not really take much of an advantage of the bizarre situation. Yes, there are some odd looking supernatural baddies but they are just grotesques rather than something really out there (see MIB).

The action in “RIPD” is suitably silly and the story simple, so I suppose there are worse ways to wile away an hour and a half but ultimately disappointing with all the depth of a wet piece of paper having been run over by a steamroller…shame, it could have been so much more had they done more work on the characters and narrative.

Rating: “It is OK but I have some issues”

Review Date: 2020-12-12


Directed by: Robert Schwentke

Studio: Universal Pictures

Year: 2013

Length: 96 minutes

Genre: Fantasy

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0790736/


Other reviewed films by Robert Schwentke: