I'm usually not a fan of sequels of any kind. Eleven years ago, the original ''Bon Cop Bad Cop'' portrayed the divergences and similarities between Anglo- and Franco-Canadians perfectly in a movie filled with diversified humour, stunning action sequences and a whole lot of suspense and tension plus some entertaining cultural elements related to ice hockey being Canada's national sport. This movie had a huge impact on my teenage years and is still one of my favourite films of all times. It was clear that a potential sequel couldn't be any better than this.
And yet, ''Bon Cop Bad Cop 2'' was more than just a positive surprise and is in fact as great as the perfect original movie. The creators managed to achieve this stunning result by developing a balanced mixture of trademarks from the original film and refreshing new elements instead of just copying what had been done eleven years earlier. They kept the talented two main actors Colm Feore and Patrick Huard who have great chemistry on and off the screen, the diversified humour including amusing cultural inspirations, inside jokes for Canadians and raw comedy elements plus a solid dose of action and tension. The movie includes a handful of new elements such as a convincing story line expanding to the United States of America that fits surprisingly well in times of Trump's presidency and the rise of terrorism all around the world, two main characters that have clearly influenced each other both negatively and positively but who have also become more mature and serious in a credible way and an overall more brutal and sinister tone that makes the action sequences even more explosive, the suspenseful elements even more gripping and the humorous parts even more relieving.
Even though this movie also focuses on Canada's diversified cultures, it might be more accessible internationally because it's easier to relate to the characters and their everyday life problems as well as to the story line involving two countries now. To be honest, this film is much better than any flick mixing elements of action, comedy and thriller cinema that has come out of the United States in the past ten years. More people should watch this movie as well as its brilliant predecessor. I have never liked sequels but now I hope that there is going to be another film of this franchise in the future. This movie makes me proud to live in Canada.
