RIPD

US, 2013, 96 minutes, Colour.
Jeff Bridges, Ryan Reynolds, Mary Louise Parker, Kevin Bacon.
Directed by Robert Schwenke.

What film would have its leading man shot to death within the first ten minutes? Well, RIPD. But this is not to spoil a plot, because right from the beginning we learn that the hero is dead. Then we get an instant flashback to the situation where he dies. While the film is about action on earth, the plot also takes us into a very bureaucratic version of the afterlife, at least in the police department, RIPD, the Rest in Peace Department.
Nick Walker (Ryan Reynolds) dies and time stands still, action is frozen. He finds himself in a tornado-like whirlwind and sucked up into the skies and suddenly sitting at a desk opposite Miss Proctor who is the administrator for the RIPD. She does a quick explanation, which is helpful for the audience, and informs us all that the squad is to go back to earth and bring ‘deados’ - evil types who have died but have remained hidden on earth - back to the office or eliminate them. So far, so odd.

While Nick is ordered to go back to earth, he is also given a partner. This turns out to be Jeff Bridges, looking like Buffalo Bill or Wild Bill Hickock or some other characters from the 19th century west, which is, in fact, when he came from when he arrived at the RIPD. Bridges must have enjoyed his role as Rooster Cogburn in the remake of True Grit and he does quite a similar role here, boisterous, loud and strident at times, with a touch of humor.

By this stage, or earlier, most movie fans will be thinking that this is Men in Black RIPD-off. This time the men are not in black. In fact, on earth they have different appearances so that they are unable to communicate with their loved ones. Nick looks like an old Chinese gentleman. Roy is a more than glamorous young woman. The audience principally sees the two agents as they are, with some humorous moments when we see how the characters are perceiving them in their disguise, with appropriate and inappropriate responses.

Nick had a loving wife, Julia, but deceived her by burying some gold that had fallen into his and his partner’s hands. The partner is played slimily (literally at the end) by Kevin Bacon. We see him shoot Nick, play the sympathetic friend before he reveals his true self.

In between pursuing ‘deados’ with all kinds of special effects, climbing buildings, car chases, and exploding monstrous ‘deados’, as well as returns to Miss Proctor and her reprimands, they uncover a plot to gather together gold pieces to make and ancient column of gold which, when completed, would return all the dead back to earth where they could live forever.

Needless to say, this is not an entirely plausible plot! It is based on a comic novel and so feels free to do what it likes with life and death, police work from the afterlife, and mayhem in downtown Boston…

While the leads do their best, they don’t have such screen presence as Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones, so there may not be RIPD 2. However, as an amusing pastime, it will entertain an undemanding audience.


1. A popular entertainment? Critical savaging?

2. The title, the humour of the police department from the afterlife?

3. Tone, plot, characters, action, the blend of thriller comedy?

4. Earth, ordinary life, the police, cases, action? The contrast with the afterlife? Officers, characters and tasks? The decor and costumes of the afterlife?

5. The special effects, action, the characters? The musical score?

6. The situation with the gold, honesty and dishonesty, the raid, Bobby and Nick, Nick being shot?

7. Nick, going to the afterlife, the frozen world and his walking through it? Meeting Proctor, allotting of tasks, his being assigned to Roy?

8. The avatars, the elderly Chinese for Nick, the glamorous blonde for Roy? The effect in seeing them, people encountering them?

9. Roy, from the 19th century, the cowboy, Jeff Bridges and his the bosky style, Send? Is personality, his quotes? Nonchalance? Nick, the tensions? Their driving and arguing? There avatars? Proctor supervising?

10. The Staff of Jericho, the gold, Bobby and his police work, actually dead soul? Real life as his cover? Is planning to get the dead souls? The nickname of Deadies?

11. The quest for the gold, the variety of dead souls and the attacks, the fights, in the streets, the buildings? The souls and their assembling? Nick and Roy and the confrontation with Bobby?

12. Good versus evil, the world being saved?