Blu-ray Rating: 4/5

Receiving the COP OUT Blu-ray supplied a strong unpleasant feeling in my body--an effect seemingly too penetrating to come from a Blu- ray with ‘Rock Out with your Glock Out Edition’ written on its cover. Seeing COP OUT hit me so hard since it reminded me of the ill-conceived comment the film’s director, Kevin Smith, made during its theatrical release in response to the film’s critical reception (like many critics, I also didn’t enjoy the film, but I didn’t review it).

Smith is a director whose films I have grown up laughing and relating with since I started really getting into cinema in my early teen years. The man is a filmmaker with a fairly sizable and definitive fanbase thanks to his films (usually) having humor, warmth, and occasional moments of no-bullshit insight. My affection for Smith made his lashing out against critics and film-criticism that happened on Twitter over the largely negative response to the film sting pretty hard.

Everyone has the right to defend him or herself, but Smith’s remarks (which you can read HERE), came off as poorly formulated and seemed to exist as a result of spite over people not liking his movie. Smith’s reaction wasn’t unforgivable, and it was a very human thing to do: making some stupid comments out of anger. However, you still don’t want someone you admire acting like that. I get it, Kevin, but it’s still upsetting.

I know, this is becoming a long-winded opening for a Blu-ray review, feeling instead like an editorial on something that happened months ago. Sorry, but now you know where my heart was at going into the review. But surprisingly, after viewing the COP OUT Blu-ray, the part of my movie heart that was partially bruised by the Smith explosion became largely healed by the impressive Rock Out with your Glock Out Edition Blu-ray. The product should be cathartic for Smith admirers that had lost some respect for the director. I rocked out with my glock out thanks to Kevin Smith showcasing what we love about him, and it was awesome.

The Smith redemption comes from the Maximum Comedy Mode of COP OUT you get with the Blu-ray. It's an epic version of the film featuring a lot of extended and alternate scenes, along with outtakes, plus other cool extras and tweaks like the appearance of Production Assistant from the film who pops up to have a little fun with Kevin. There is also the nice addition of Wisdom From The Shit Bandit, where COP OUT co-star Seann William Scott appears in a box on the lower corner of the screen and says random, odd and pretty funny thoughts that have nothing to do with what is going on with the film.

The tour of MCM is Kevin Smith and he keeps the viewer’s attention up with his humor. Smith, with his wit in high-gear, appears in most of the feature in some way, usually amusingly discussing and sometimes rambling about the film (but it’s affectionate rambling that even Smith cleverly pokes fun at himself for doing in the feature, so it’s OK). Smith’s passion for the project is firmly felt. The picture may not be much too many, but Smith knew what he wanted to make a film that isn’t a spoof of buddy-cop action-comedies from the eighties, but an homage that could stand next to them. COP OUT wasn’t suppose to really only be about the comedy, which seems to the focus point but doesn’t come out too well. When you hear Smith talk about the project you can tell that both action and comedy were important to him. Even though the tone and action in the eighties action-comedies films is at least at little more straight-faced than in COP OUT.

If only the original cut of COP OUT was stronger, with more enjoyable characters and solid action like in the best of the films Smith was paying tribute to with the film. But hey, at least after watching MCM you know where exactly Smith was coming from and what the film meant to him (a lot), making your appreciation for COP OUT grow, even though it doesn’t work. It also helps one better understand why Smith got so defensive against critics. This doesn’t excuse his actions but does make them easier to accept.

The extra footage and deleted scenes you see in the MCM contain some nice comical moments to discover. They’re certainly not a waste as a whole; kind of surprising given the quality of the original cut, but true. These scenes and
outtakes are focused on the comedy aspect of the film. You get plenty of Tracy Morgan free-wheeling it to the most
ridiculous degree, and there are several other worth-watching moments that just don’t work in the film for various reasons for Smith (and he usually mentions the reason).

The clever, fanboy director Smith puts in serious effort to make the Maximum Comedy Mode work, and it does. Demonstrating the strengths and likability of Smith, reminding you he is still a really funny and insightful guy, it just
didn’t translate with the theatrical version of COP OUT, but that could also have a lot to do with Smith only directing and not writing the film. The COP OUT Blu-ray is a good place to start moving on after the Twitter incident.

COP OUT is available on Blu-ray Combo Pack, DVD, and for download July 20.