Bad Company

<div class="section1"><div class="Normal"><span style="" font-weight:="" bold="">Cast:</span>Anthony Hopkins, Chris Rock <br /><span style="" font-weight:="" bold="">Directed by:</span>Joel Schumacher<br /><br /><img src="/photo/15345785.cms" alt="/photo/15345785.cms" border="0" />Over the last few decades, Hollywood has regularly belted out action comedies in which a black street-smartie forms an unlikely alliance with a shoot-first-ask-questions-later white lawman.Remember Eddie Murphy-Nick Nolte (48 Hours), Danny Glover-Mel Gibson (the Lethal Weapon series) and Will Smith-Tommy Lee Jones (Men In Black)? In one of the most intriguing odd-couple pairings in recent years, British stalwart Anthony Hopkins shares screen space with the scattershot American TV comic Chris Rock. While Bad Company sticks to the formula, it has some savvy and humorous moments, a brisk tempo and enough plot peregrinations to add upto a fairly okay popcorn entertainer. Originally scheduled for release last Christmas, the $70 million espionage caper was delayed because of the event of September 11. In its newly packaged form, a New York hustler (Rock) is recruited <img src="/photo/15345793.cms" alt="/photo/15345793.cms" border="0" />by the CIA to foil the evil plans of a bunch of propaganda-spouting terrorists. Sir Hopkins is the seasoned Establishment officer assigned to whip the amateur undercover agent into shape. Director Schumacher (Batman And Robin, 8MM) displays a serviceable slick style, blending action with dry wit adroitly. The most engaging aspect of the movie is the sparring between its two main protagonists. Hopkins is compellingly watchable as always, while the energetic Rock may well give Eddie Murphy and Wesley Snipes a run for their big bucks in future. To be with him is to be in fine, livewire company. </div> </div>