Written by Megan Washausen Friday, 19 July 2013 12:09
The highly tense situations, coupled with tireless, insult-filled banter, creates an abundance of golden opportunities for fast, effective comedy.
The idea of life after death has been poked, prodded, and experimented with by writers and directors alike, but R.I.P.D: Rest in Peace Department is one of most fun, original scenarios in this formula that I've seen constructed to date.
On the surface, the world in which R.I.P.D. is set physically looks like our own. However, rather than settle on the belief that with death comes supreme judgment, this film expands the possibilities of the afterlife. R.I.P.D., based on Peter M. Lenkov's comic Rest in Peace Department, is founded on the idea that there are people who have managed to escape judgment, referred to as Deados, and they roam the Earth unbeknown to society. It's the job of the R.I.P.D. to rid the world of these monsters, and when detective Nick Walker (Ryan Reynolds) is shot to death, he's immediately offered the chance to join the R.I.P.D force, lest he risk the possibilities of judgment.
Walker is partnered with veteran officer Roy Pulsipher (Jeff Bridges), a deputy who was killed in the 1800s and still totes the outfit, demeanor, and accent of a classic cowboy. Of course, Walker and Pulsipher cannot walk the streets as themselves. Each has been assigned an absolutely hysterical persona by which the world sees them. The film occasionally allows the viewer the perspective of a normal citizen, and it is in these moments that some of the most and biggest laughs are heard.
When the trailer for this film came out, I found myself questioning the pairing of Bridges and Reynolds; however, I immediately saw the potential for brilliance in the dynamic. Neither Bridges' nor Reynolds' character has much patience for the other as the movie begins, and the highly tense situations, coupled with tireless, insult-filled banter, creates an abundance of golden opportunities for fast, effective comedy that Bridges and Reynolds more than take advantage of. You'll quickly discover that moments of laughter will come more and more quickly, causing there to be little silence in between. | Megan Washausen