Bullet Points: Crash & Byrnes
The buddy cop dynamic is one of the biggest clichés in action movies, but there is a good reason for it and that is because it works. Even though I have seen countless buddy cop movies, I am always on the lookout for ones that skipped by my radar. Hopefully, you don’t mind learning about buddy cop movies because I came across one recently and it really tickled my fancy. The 2000 movie Crash & Byrnes pairs two opposites with no chance of the pair getting along… or is there? Luckily for you, I happen to have some Bullet Points for yet another entry in the buddy cop action filmography.
- My Buddy – Crash & Byrnes opens in the midst of a terrorist plot led by Lissette (Joanna Pacula, Death Before Dishonor) attacking a bio-weapon facility. Crash & Byrnes has started out proper with an action set piece and a bonafide bad mama jama as a villain necessary in buddy cop flicks. We next jump to Jack ‘Crash’ Riley (Wolf Larson, L.A. Heat) fighting a woman (how progressive) with kendo sticks. Crash & Byrnes has the next buddy cop element, the straight edge serious one who has a slight rebellious streak, as anyone who has the nickname Crash tends to be. Crash fighting against Becky (Sandra Lindquist), a former flame who is attempting to bring Crash back into the CIA game because of the bio-terrorism. Why, you ask? Time for a flashback featuring Lissette killing Crash’s partner. I told you she was a bad mama jama.
- Wherever I Go – You might be thinking it takes two to have a buddy cop film. Enter British agent Roman Byrnes (Greg Ellis) who is working with the DEA to take down drug smugglers. Byrnes might be the most 2000 thing in this 2000 movie from his dress to his demeanor and I miss those simpler times. I also love his crazed cop interrogation techniques, such as using Russian Roulette, seen in countless films, but Greg Ellis is particularly animated and it works. Byrnes is reassigned to the CIA to help with the terroism and… guess which character paths are going to cross?
- He Goes – Crash is the only person who has seen Lisette’s face, at least for the people hunting her down, she wasn’t born with a mask on and she works with other terrorists, and that is why the CIA wants Crash back. Byrnes is knowledgeable about the shady drug dealers Lisette is using to facilitate her operation which is why the CIA wants Byrnes on their side. Crash and Byrnes are not exactly simpatico and these two couldn’t be more different in the approach to stopping terrorism but they are thrown together to save millions of lives. Add in Becky and we have one spicy meatball. Did I mention that Becky doesn’t really work for the CIA, but for an even more covert multinational espionage organization known as Sphinx? Well I should have. Sphinx is led by Shannon (Steven Williams teaming up with his good L.A. Heat friend Wolf Larson) and I know I should have mentioned that.
- My Buddy and Me – The unlikely pair may be different, but they are effective. Crash and Byrnes at one point end up in a small Canadian bar which means… bar fight! It might have something to do with the hoods in the small Canadian town who want to kill Crash. Or it might have something to do with the other hoods in the small Canadian town who want to kill Byrnes. These two might be more alike than they think. Their investigation leads them to an elaborate plot to assassinate the U.S. President in conjunction with the bio-weapon detonation. I don’t want to spoil anything, but if you like slow-motion, shoot-outs, helicopter chases and good old fashion fist fights you should be entertained. Did I mention that the terrorists have a man on the inside in the CIA? Color me surprised.
Crash & Byrnes is another movie in the long list of buddy cop films, but as with the other successful entrants, the two leads make the difference. Wolf Larson and Greg Ellis portray their characters with disdain for each other (earned from their very first meeting) at the beginning to become trusting partners (although still prone to bickering) at the end. A worthy adversary is also an essential ingredient and Pacula’s Lissette is very menacing. It doesn’t hurt that the action is entertaining, I mean it is hard for me not to like a movie that has a fall from a skyscraper. The ending also stands out as we learn how Crash earned his nickname. Hint, it is a pretty literal nickname. Crash & Byrnes is a fun time to watch with a buddy of your choice or by yourself, but either way you will be able to enjoy some Crash & Byrnes Bonus Bullet Points.
- Double Duty – Wolf Larson not only stars in Crash & Byrnes, but he also wrote the film. Kudos to him.
- Oh, Canada – When a movie is supposedly set in Seattle, but there are no shots of the Space Needle you get the feeling it wasn’t filmed there. I love me some Canadian films, but can you get some stock footage?
- Favorite Line – “Here’s the deal, orange peel.”
- Best Back and Forth – “Does it hurt?” “Does what hurt?” “Being a mental defective.” Burn.
