Arnold
Tash Jayasinghe
CibbuanoThe Parole Officer
November 22nd 2006 06:44
So, it is possible. A film can actually be funny and feature a clever and satisfying plot. Surprisingly, as these things usually are, 'The Parole Officer' is one of those lesser-known films you see hanging around the weeklies, sordidly mixing with films of a lower-standing... y'know, films that feature Hulk Hogan or the Olsen twins.
Steve Coogan is best-known to most as British pseudo-interviewer Alan Partridge - a brilliant and obnoxious creation who inspires equal doses of laughter and cringing. Coogan's character here, a rather inept and annoying Parole Officer by the name of Simon Garden, generates a similar reaction. 'The Parole Officer' sees this character framed for a murder by a corrupt police detective. In order to clear his name he must assemble the only criminals he ever persuaded to go straight (all three of them) and organise a bank heist.
It sounds a little silly, but I guess you'd have to see the film to understand the hows and whys. The jokes are original, and the cast (featuring a gallery of familiar British faces) seems to have a lot of fun with it. The heist itself is brilliant, and various twists and developments rival those that would feature in a serious heist film. I've decided that Steve Coogan is underrated, and needs to be given more chances to do this sort of thing.
I better say that this film isn't for everyone - it's very 'British', and anyone too-attached to glossy, shock-tactic Hollywood comedies might not see most of the humour here. I found it very funny though (which is a rarity for a lot of so-called 'comedies' that find themselves automatically relegated to the weeklies section of the video store, EG. The aforementioned Hulk Hogan vehicles) and I give it a big two thumbs up!
HIGHLIGHTS: There's an unexpected cameo from Omar Shariff towards the end of the film. It was great to see him. I probably shouldn't have given that away but, well... tough shit. Ahahahaha.
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