SYNOPSICS
Police Beat (2005) is a English,Wolof movie. Robinson Devor has directed this movie. Pape Sidy Niang,Allan Armstrong,Eric Breedlove,Ingrid Sanai Buron are the starring of this movie. It was released in 2005. Police Beat (2005) is considered one of the best Crime,Drama movie in India and around the world.
Police Beat is a highly unconventional crime film in which the protagonist Z is so preoccupied with his possibly unfaithful girlfriend that he never once acknowledges criminal world that swirls around him. The crimes Z encounters become mirrors of the his turbulent inner state, allowing him to philosophize about his unstable romantic relationship as well as his own development as an emotional being. While Z's regular interactions are in English, his thoughts the film's narration are in his native Wolof, the primary language of West Africa. In this way, Police Beat is an unusual portrait of an immigrant new to the United States that focuses less on the protagonist's socio-economic difficulties than on his emotional responses to American life.
Police Beat (2005) Trailers
Police Beat (2005) Reviews
Excellent movie
I disagree greatly with the previous review. Yes, there is no actual mystery plot, but the movie was not a mystery nor was it supposed to be. Now I don't know what the "original script" called for, and frankly it doesn't matter. What we have is the finished movie and should take it as it has been created. The underlying plot WAS the inner conflict over the relationship between the bike cop and his girlfriend and the crimes that he encounters take a back stage to this. The movie is filmed very softly and captures the contrast between the harsh realities of the city and the beauty of the scenery. This mirrors the conflict within the character and how he operates within his surroundings. The lead character is beauty surrounded by contrasting darkness as his relationship which is a contrast between deep love and deep pain. I believe that the filmmakers tackled this complex character with compassion but without a false intensity which makes the film both believable and human. I would recommend this movie to anyone who likes to delve into issues of humanity, however if you are looking for a great cops and robbers story, you WILL be disappointed. And frankly, I'm happy that this story grew beyond simple archetypes.
Interesting, if extremely flawed, location film.
Police beat falls into the category of somewhat guilty pleasure for me, though certainly in a different way than most films typically relegated to that category. It's a pleasure because being a Seattleite it's refreshing to see some of the cities lesser known but quite beautiful locations (gasworks park, for instance) shot beautifully on film for the first time. In addition I have to say that while an argument could be made that the African language narration was pretentious I found it fascinating, if for no other reason than that I always thought the idea of shooting an English language film with an abundance of subtitles would be an amusing experiment. There are also some rather funny scenes scattered throughout the movie, some of which work beautifully and others of which fail. However it's a guilty one because plot wise it's thoroughly aimless and more than a bit pointless, acting wise it's very inconsistent, and overall it's a weak film. I have to admit a bit of a bias since I'm a volunteer at the place that produced and financed the film (nw film forum) and everyone around here worked on it in some way. The other reviewer's comment that just about everyone in the Seattle film scene worked on this movie isn't an exaggeration. In any case if you get a chance to see it I'd recommend you take it, if for no other reason than to see some beautiful Seattle scenery, a couple hilarious scenes, and more than anything a film experience I can guarantee you won't have had before.
Visually Striking and Poetic
Really one of the most beautiful low-budget films I've ever seen. The lead actor is very compelling, and the idea of observing American life through an authority figure who is also an immigrant is really striking. And occasionally very funny. The film as a whole has elements of David Lynch, as well as Linklater's "Slacker." But the sensibility is really not well described through reference to other films. It's really a one-of-a-kind piece of work. The news in the final credits that all the incidents portrayed in the film were taken from actual police files was strangely disappointing, but when I later learned that the co-writer was the author of a "Police Beat" column in the Seattle alternative weekly, it made total sense. Honestly, some of the images here are just absolutely singular. You've never seen anything quite like it. Congratulations to all involved.
Excellent dark comedy from the 206
I have serious doubts as to if the first reviewer has actually seen this film, or if he is just a disgruntled extra. As I am writing this, the film has only been showed twice. The film is absolutely hilarious, especially with the some of satire of Seattle opinion. The Bike Cop once types in his computer how he "confronted the tree" then backspace's, and enters "rude tree". I almost fell out of my seat with this scene. Everything about this film is original. The plot, the cast, the protagonist (Muslim-African Bike Cop?), cinematography, etc. It's truly refreshing to see such an inventive type film come from Seattle. The entire crowd at the first showing of this film at Seattle International Film Festival loved the film, and I have to assume, the first reviewer has some sort of a "beef" with the director.
Forget it, Jake. It's Seattle.
I'm a crime film fan. This is not a crime film. The crime in this film is not a part of the plot, but rather a part of the setting. The film is about an immigrant, far from his family, struggling to deal with the complex rules of 21st century American love. His heartache is the constant foreground of this movie, displayed as internal monologue in Wolof and written as English subtitles. The criminals and victims we see provide a lurid backdrop for his despair. The filmmakers have created a Seattle here that is so beautiful and intricate that it becomes a de facto character in the story. Seattle demands his constant attention, but his thoughts always drift to his absent girlfriend. While investigating a murder threat, he asks to use the victim's phone so he can check for messages from her. The movie is a wonderful twist on past and present police procedurals. Z is the opposite of Joe Friday, that crime-solving automaton from Dragnet. Z finds common-sense solutions to Seattle's problems, ending most of his reports with "investigated and released." The movie is very funny in subtle ways: the inanity of the criminals and victims, the general goofiness of Seattle, and Z's own saddle-sore walk that recalls at once both John Wayne and Barney Fife. Beckoning a confused old man out of Elliot Bay, Z tells him, "You must come out of the water. This water is for ships, not for humans." If you've been frustrated in love, it will be easy for you to identify and root for Z. He wants to put her out of his mind, but he just can't.