With the recent trend of Hollywood pitting a star female duo together in a film as buddy cops, hustlers, swindlers, etc., it wasn't going to be too long before South Korea followed suit and sure enough, 2019 gave us “Miss & Mrs. Cops” by Jung Da-won.
Foul-mouthed hot shot cop Park Mi-young used to be a part of an elite all-women's task force in the Seoul Metropolitan police department, but as the sole breadwinner of the family after the birth of her son, she transferred to the Civil Complaints department in the Force. Now, she spends her days sat behind a desk handling civil complaints, gossiping with her colleague Yang Jang-mi and sucking up to her superior in order to save her job from an impending lay-off. Her troubles only increase when her young police officer sister-in-law Jo Ji-hye gets transferred to her department on disciplinary action for assaulting a civilian. When girl has an accident after coming to their department seeking help against a group of spy cam perverts, the two get unofficially involved in a race against time to catch the gang before they release the girl's illegally obtained intimate video online, after the police department proves to be preoccupied with bigger fish.
With the recent Burning Sun Club scandal that rocked South Korea, involving Kpop celebrities filming their sexual encounters without consent and illegally sharing the videos, the film couldn't have been more timely with its subject matter. Despite tackling an evil that plagues modern society the world over but is specifically thriving in Asia, the film takes a very humorous approach with its buddy cop story. The story or its execution doesn't offer anything particularly new, in fact often reminding of the Hwang Jung-min starring “Veteran” all the way down to its ultimate showdown at the end, but it remains entertaining and fresh, thanks to its lead central pair of actors. After all, who doesn't enjoy watching female police officers fly kick the bad guys into yesterday?
While the film doesn't take itself too seriously, it does make some veiled and some not so subtle points about the police system in the Korea. Specifically, it tries to expose the red tape and bureaucracy that exists within the male-dominated police force. The sheer disrespect shown to the problems the female victims face is tragically accurate. The film's Korean title for the film is “Girl Cops”, which makes more sense when it explores the plight and treatment of female police officers, some who've even worked for years on end in the force. The depiction of the men in the film is also interesting, with them being either bumbling, idiotic husbands, police officers more concerned with performance reviews and promotions or the bad guys taking advantage of the females. It could, however, have done without the blatantly racist treatment of foreigners in Seoul.
Action scenes pop up every now and then, often using slapstick comedy, and while they could have been handled better, they don't fail to entertain. They involve everything from fisticuffs, flying kicks, exploding warehouses and even a half-decent car chase sequence. Lee Sung-jae's cinematography shows off the Seoul Metropolitan area well, while the music keeps the action sequences thrilling.
In Ra Mi-ran and Lee Sung-kyung, the film has an endearing and charismatic central pairing that keeps things fresh and the audience's interest piqued with their chemistry. Ra Mi-ran brings the usual impeccable comic timing that she has displayed often in smaller supporting roles to her rare lead role. Her action scenes are truly funny. The incredibly beautiful Lee Sung-kyung, who usually does dramatic roles and is not as often seen on the big screen as she is on the television drama format, embodies Ji-hye well. Her comic timing, used rarely but effective in television shows, is on full display here. Their male counterparts don't get a lot to work with, but the two big name cameos were a surprise and the first one, in particular, by one of South Korea's biggest superstars is hilarious.
With humour, action, a dark central subject, a dash of melodrama and a woman empowering storyline, “Miss and Mrs. Cops” has a little bit for everyone and is a breezy fun film with decent rewatch capabilities.
