Bússi (Auðunn Blöndal) is a renegade, a lone wolf, a loose cannon. Fortunately, unlike Chuck Steel, he doesn't need to tell us that- we get treated to a scene where he chases a criminal down the streets of Reykjavik by way of introduction, culminating in a scene where he shoots his ineffectual partner (Sverrir Þór Sverrisson) in the arm to get a clear shot at his target.
Icelandic comedy Cop Secret exists in a heightened action movie world where Bussi's stunts are tolerated as long as he gets results; his misadventures in the introduction just get him a stern talking-to. He's Reykjavik's star cop, well-liked by the masses and popular enough to have sycophantic TV spots with presenters falling over themselves to tell us how cool he is.
But things aren't going so great lately. He's been unable to dig up any leads on a case where people break into banks but don't steal anything. And there's a new star cop in town: Hörður (Egill Einarsson), a cop from the neighbouring posh area who's just as good as Bússi is, but also more traditionally handsome, rich, and intelligent.
Because the case involves both precincts (and his former partner doesn't want anything else to do with him) Bússi is partnered with hunky, hunky Hörður to figure out what's going on. Soon they're in a shootout, bonding as they kill a bunch of people, and later they start going at it like bunnies. Record scratch!
Yes, they fuck. That's the premise of the movie - it's a hyper-masculine 80's (well, more 90's) action movie spoof spliced with a gay romantic comedy - a buddy-with-benefits cop movie.
Together they face the dastardly Rikki (Björn Hlynur Haraldsson), who insists on talking in English and making lame animal-based two-liners and whose evil plot will result in thousands of innocent deaths. Because he feels like it, not because it's actually needed.
Rikki's fun; The movie tries a little too hard to make him funny, but his barely restrained urge to shoot his underlings is kind of amusing. It's his second in command (Vivian Ólafsdóttir) who makes the biggest impression, though - even if she doesn't get to do much, she's got great presence.
The movie is fine. Just fine. The action is OK, closer to DTV than the movies it's emulating, and the humor... well, it's likeable. There are a few good lines and funny conceits, but you constantly get the sense that either something's getting lost in translation or that it's not nearly as clever as it thinks it is. Most of all it's buoyed by a deadpan tone, a pretty solid knowledge of action clichés, the cast's easy chemistry and a general likeability.
Some things are spot-on. The movie starts with a pan up from the water to the Reykjavik skyline (just like Robocop!) accompanied by butt-rock guitars and brassy blasts - the music is pretty excellent, if a bit obvious. The script (by Nína Petersen,Hannes Þór Halldórsson and Sverrir Þór Sverrisson) honorably avoids falling into the common trap of confusing references for punchlines. Hell, the one overt reference, in which Bússi says of a plot point: "Just like in Die Hard 3!" is one of film's biggest laughs.
Unfortunately its jokes aren't that good. Not bad, necessarily, but more amusingly goofy than funny.
The action is not bad, either. Director* Hannes Þór Halldórsson does admirably with a low budget and, like his writers, he evidently knows the genre well. There's a good mix of (John-Wick-Influenced) shootouts, vehicular action and punchouts (in which our protagonists notably don't do very well); It's not going to win any awards, and isn't memorable in any way, but the fact that it's a spoof elevates it somewhat - it's way better than, say, the action in The Other Guys.
Faint praise, maybe - it's a very slight movie, an extremely gentle subversion of the formula. But it's cute, doesn't outstay its welcome, gets a few laughs. And despite some of the worst-looking digital explosions in recent memory and a few severe script issues in the finale it manages to leave a positive impression mainly due to its fundamental sweetness. Doubt I'll ever feel the need to revisit, but I found it enjoyable.
*: And ex-footballer - explains the surprising amount of football in this movie.
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