Horst in Translation ([email protected])
"Wrong Cops: Chapter 1" is a 13-minute live action short film from 2012, so this one has its 5th anniversary this year and it is mostly known for 2 people today. The first would be writer and director Quentin Dupieux, the inventor of Flat Eric, Mr. Oizo and Flat Beat. The second is Marilyn Manson who plays a teenage boy who needs a cop to talk some sense into him about his music taste. It's actually hilarious how he randomly keeps calling Manson a hooker or prostitute on several occasions. So yes the MVP here is actor Mark Burnham, but that's also very much thanks to the script. After selling drugs early on hidden in the bellies of dead rats/mice (as absurd as entertaining) in a little introduction, the film moves on to the core plot involving Manson and Burnham and Zabriskie, perhaps the most established actor/actress from the bunch. So yes this was a film that was not scared of taking some very absurd paths and decisions in order to achieve a fairly unique approach to comedy and from that perspective the film works really well. Even if I just saw it I am in the mood to check it out again at some point in the near future and that says a lot about how well it is. I see Dupieux did quite a bit of Wrong stuff in his career and there also seems to be a sequel or remake or something that would explain the title of this one here. At least it has Manson play the character again. I am definitely not a Marilyn Manson fan music-wise, but you don't need to be to have a fun time with this under a quarter of an hour. I certainly recommend checking it out. Closer to 4/5 than 2/5. Thumbs up.
