Looking at Cop Out from the outside, you can probably see all the possibilities. Bruce Willis in a role that's a twist on what he normally does. Tracy Morgan and Sean Michael Scott rolling as silly versions of themselves—with a bit of violence run in the mix. And then there's the director, the uncontainable Kevin Smith, who has brought us a few funny movies... and some duds as well. But I guess that means I'm starting to slide out of the optimism I began with, a rather fitting review for Cop Out.

Jimmy (Willis) and Paul (Morgan) are cops of the unconventional variety who end up finding themselves in knee-deep with a drug-running Hispanic mafia type who happens to have an interest in sports, and a special edition baseball card that Jimmy needs to sell to pay for his daughter's wedding. Jimmy is the standard guy for Willis: he's divorced, disgruntled, and up against a new man in his ex-wife's life who is decidedly more reliable than he is. And nothing about what goes down in this breakneck "comedy" will ease his sorrows.

Paul has problems of his own, and they revolve around his too-beautiful wife and his inability to believe that she actually loves him the way he is. This might be one of the more interesting aspects of the film, because it speaks to the ways that we betray ourselves and ruin our relationships based on our own insecurities and shortfallings. Paul proves to be a man worthy of honor and valor, but underneath he's incredibly insecure, and in need of some standing strong in his conviction and belief.

This one doesn't aim for anything too high-brow but somehow, it's a bit of a surprise that this didn't end up as straight-to-DVD release. I guess that means the sole purpose of having Willis and Morgan in the mix was to somehow end up stronger than the below-average script would normally allow for. It wasn't the worst movie I've ever seen, but if you have better options, go for it!