High Noon in the afterlife

Sounds crazy? It is an extremely fun adventure that shows Jeff Bridges and Ryan Reynolds as you have never seen them before. Bridges is superb as veteran Sheriff Roy Pulsifer who has spent his career with the legendary police force tracking monstrous souls disguised among the living as ordinary people, arresting and bringing to justice a special brand of outlaws trying to escape final judgment by hiding among the unsuspecting on Earth.

The greatest enjoyment that you will get out of Bridges' meticulous performance of his no-nonsense cowboy from the Wild West, is the total fun that he derives from his controlled routine, allowing mushy sentiments and tough sensibility to rule the action. His new partner in crime is Reynolds, who is brilliant as a wisecracking former rising-star detective and junior officer Nick.

Superb with his deadpan delivery and drollness

Reynolds is absolutely superb with his deadpan delivery and drollness, allowing the romantic in his character to take heroic action. This unlikely duo is a match made in heaven and when they uncover a plot that could end life as we know it, they must restore the cosmic balance - or watch as the tunnel to the afterlife begins sending angry spirits the wrong way. If this is not enough, Nick and Roy have avatars to prevent the loved ones they have left behind not recognising them during their Earthly escapades. Supermodel Marisa Miller (television's Gary Unmarried) is great as Roy's very sexy one, with legendary character actor James Hong (Blade Runner) as Nick's very unexpected elderly avatar.

Cops and robbers would not be the same without the baddies and Kevin Bacon has never been better as Nick's partner before he's taken out in the line of duty; Mary-Louise Parker (television's Weeds) as Proctor, and Stephanie Szostak (Iron Man 3) as Julia, Nick's widow who must find out the reason behind his untimely departure before she is forced to play an unwelcome role in the world's end.

Adding to the comedic action are three felons on the run from the RIPD: Robert Knepper (TV's Cult) as the pack rat Stanley Nawicki, Mike O'Malley (TV's Glee) as the Boston Red Sox-obsessed Elliot and Devin Ratray (Side Effects) as the swaggering, Elvis-inspired Pulaski.

In a realm of spiritual deodorants and where you get sent to Eternal Affairs when you misbehave, RIPD gets my vote for one of the most original and riotous romps in years. Imaginative, bold, and daring, German-born director Robert Schwentke, who directed films like Red, the futuristic romance (The Time Traveler's Wife), and thriller Flightplan takes RIPD to its ultimate extreme without allowing it to spiral into chaos.

Schwentke has a firm grip on his actors and equally allows his imaginative flair and visual spectacle to provide first-rate entertainment that will definitely not bore you to death. It's not a silly film with stupid gags and mindless visual effects, but an alternate High Noon in the afterlife where the Wild West meets cops and robbers.

Phil Hay and Matt Manfredi's screenplay adaptation sizzles: the writers have a firm grip on action and adventure, having written the large-scale action, sci-fi and fantasy remake of Clash of the Titans, and also have a keen sense on romance, comedy and human drama, following their successful Crazy/Beautiful. You have to be sharp and alert to be one step ahead of the clever dialogue that explodes between Bridges and Reynolds, particularly Bridges' witty one-liners.

Particularly hilarious is Bridges summation of a traumatic event in his past when he woke up after being killed and finding a "coyote making love to his skull", or in the present day, when the gorgeous Mary-Louise Parker, who plays their tough-as-nails bureau chief, "Billy Goat's" him lovingly (once you have seen the film both these descriptions are bound to creep into our lingo.

Truly out of this world

The visual effects and spectacular action are truly out of this world, providing mind-blowing scenes that are beyond awesome.

Schwentke, Hay and Manfredi devised the concept of Deados to the RIPD mythology. They are hell-bound souls who refuse to walk toward the light and cross over to the other side, Deados choose instead to hide out in the real world as long as they possibly can. The longer a tortured soul remains on Earth, the more its evil metaphysical mojo begins to pervade its surroundings and affect the cosmic balance, and once they "popped", they reveal their true nature via digital imagery in the shape of a multitude of menacing, evil and often humorous-looking creatures.

If you are looking for escapism that is witty, funny and smart that is out of this world, join RIPD - it's much-needed intelligent fun that will make your day.

Behind the scenes

The richness of the premise and intricate world creation excited producer Moritz as much as it did Richardson. He notes: "On the conceptual level, the idea of the RIPD is a unique one, about a police department whose sole task is to find the dead living amongst us and bring them back to the other side to face judgment. On another level, it hearkens back to my favourite buddy-cop films like 48 Hours and Lethal Weapon. There is this fantastic dynamic between these two guys. What we set out to do was make a buddy-cop movie that had great action, but at the same time we wanted to ensure that there are big stakes and the cinematic scope of a summer film."

Read more at www.writingstudio.co.za/page1037.html