Lee Eisenberg
The first thing to know about "Bad Company" is that the producer is Jerry Bruckheimer (who produced a couple of Michael Bay's explosion-laden movies) and the director is Joel Schumacher (who brought the Batman franchise to its nadir in the late 1990s). That, plus the casting of Chris Rock in his usual sort of role, tells you pretty much everything that there is to know about this movie. I will say that I liked the interactions between Chris Rock's and Anthony Hopkins's characters, and also when Rock BSes the villain.Basically, it's not any sort of movie to take seriously. Just nice, brainless fun. Assuming that you tolerate brain candy.
blanche-2
Take a talented comic, put him in an old plot, and you've got "Bad Company," a 2002 film also starring Anthony Hopkins, Chris Rock, Peter Stormare, and Gabriel Macht. This film was scheduled for release in late 2001, and because some of it was filled at the World Trade Center, the release was delayed until June of 2002.Officer Oakes (Hopkins) of the CIA is involved in an undercover job dealing with the purchase of nuclear arms when his partner (Rock), who was the man inside, is killed. Operatives find a lookalike, Jake Hayes, a guy who scalps tickets and does about anything he can to make a living. He couldn't be more different from his lookalike, who turns out to be his twin. They were separated in order to be adopted more easily.Jake accepts the assignment to become "Michael Turner" for a lot of money, because he's just been dumped by his girlfriend (Kerry Washington) who is moving away, since Jake hasn't made it so they can get married. He has nine days to become Harvard graduate Kevin Pope, who worked undercover Michael Turner. Problems ensue, one of whom is his brother's girlfriend, Nicole (Garcelle Beauvais).We've seen this film in one form or another a million times. Chris Rock is so talented and funny, however, that he makes it very enjoyable. Anthony Hopkins is completely wasted. Not only that, but he seems to know it.This is a good rental, light, and fun.
pc95
Not sure who coerced Anthony Hopkins to enter into such a bland, standard, project, but luckily for all of the rest involved with "Bad Company", he single-handedly keeps the movie from going under. What is supposed to be a bunch of laughs draws a few chuckles at best. The story stretches plausibility beyond razor thin, as if something so bumbling could happen with nuclear weapons. On top of such a poor conception of plot and story, the general music for this movie has been conjured inside take your pick: out of an elevator or supermarket playlist. Chris Rock was miscast here and should not be involved with anything less serious than comedy. Yeah, he knows how to throw out 1-liners, but this movie is "trying" to pass as an action movie. OK as a free library rental thanks to Hopkins.
xredgarnetx
BAD COMPANY is probably the worst spy thriller I have ever seen, and I've seen hundreds of them as a former film reviewer and lifelong movie nut. A CIA veteran played by a sleepwalking Anthony Hopkins must train a schlub played by a very unfunny Chris Rock to pose as an illegal arms buyer in just a few days, and don't ask why. Rock is to purchase a "thermonuclear device in a briefcase." Everything that can go wrong does, but mainly the film is a series of short scenes depicting an aging Hopkins and his crew running around interspersed with scenes of a seemingly endless army of black-garbed assassins trying to rub out Rock -- again, don't ask why. It's simply lazy writing. To give you an idea of how bad this movie is, there is a prolonged fight between one of Hopkins' agents and one of these black-garbed assassins. Problem is, we barely know the agent and have no feeling for him, but the fight goes on at great length as if this CIA guy were the second coming of James Bond. And decent supporting players like Brooke "Crossing Jordan" Smith and Peter "Fargo" Stormare are utterly wasted. What could Joel Schumacher have been thinking? I confess I fell asleep before the big finale. One firefight too many, methinks. I can only hope everyone was blown to kingdom come in the end.
AD
