Copshop + Malignant

Two Joe Carnahan films in one year? How did we get so lucky?

While Copshop lacks the video-game inventiveness of Boss Level, the story of hitmen attempting to take out shady FBI informant Teddy Murretto (Carnahan go-to Frank Grillo) within the jail of a modest Nevada police station nevertheless crackles with the filmmaker’s textbook amusing characters, darkly funny dialogue, and expertly enacted action sequences. As hired killer Bob Viddick, Gerard Butler proves that under the guidance of Guy Ritchie (and now American Guy Ritchie) his particular set of skills can be put to good use, while Toby Huss (Reno 911!) is a blast as the psychotic, trigger-happy Anthony “I go by Tony now” Lamb. But it’s the rapport between Grillo and Alexis Louder’s rookie officer Valerie Young that grants the film its heart and gives viewers characters worth caring about. Their interactions take Copshop in unexpected directions and make it far more successful than the average shoot-‘em-up.

Grade: B-plus. Rated R. Starts Sept. 17 at AMC River Hills 10, Carolina Cinemark, and Regal Biltmore Grande

(Photo: Briarcliff Entertainment/Open Road Films)

With Malignant, James Wan desperately wants to add another Insidious or Conjuring to his resumé, but may have stepped away from horror too long to realize those dreams. His return to the genre after an Aquaman detour is grounded by the intricate production design and slick cinematography that define his work, yet the story of a Seattle woman (Annabelle Wallis) and her mysterious connection with a monstrous, psychokinetic killer proves so unintentionally funny that it ceases to feel like a Wan film. Inane even in a heightened scenario where characters barely blink at the supernatural, the narrative may be giallo-influenced to some degree, but the filmmakers’ brand of schlock comes off as blatantly weird for weird’s sake rather than something that tonally fits the material. As such, the eventual full-tilt gonzo direction Malignant takes is so jarring and removed from the rest of the film that it plays like a separate project altogether.

Grade: D. Rated R. Now playing at AMC River Hills 10, Carolina Cinemark, and Regal Biltmore Grande, as well as streaming via HBO Max through Oct. 10

(Photo: Warner Bros.)