Forget It Jake, It's Seattle
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Police Beat 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.
Labels: movie
2 Comments:
"While investigating a murder threat, he asks to use the victim's phone so he can check for messages from her."
that's terribly fantastic! (in a terribly fantastic sort of way.)
i envy your ability to summarize what you've seen. i want to see this movie now.
I can really identify with this character, especially on the issue of desperate phone calls made in departure from reality.
Just the other day I was aimlessly shopping produce at T and C and something about the light reflecting off the smooth surface of a melon conjured memories of a love long lost. That's when I grabbed a bunch of organic banana's tore one off and proceeded to make an imaginary phone call. Holding the thing to my ear, I waited, listened, and promptly heard a busy signal.
Bastard canceled his call waiting.
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