Directorial, Not Police Misconduct

I've known quite a few cops in my lifetime and when asked which television show most accurately depicts the daily life on the job, they almost universally respond "Barney Miller". That's because unlike shows like "CSI", "NCIS" and any of the other ones that feature gunplay in every episode, their average day was mostly about sitting around and chatting and pushing paper around their desks. Not the sort of exciting stuff that would satiate a television audience.

"Police, Adjective" is a Romanian police drama and it follows the "Barney Miller" formula - policework as drudgery. However, what made "Barney Miller" entertaining was the comedic interplay between the characters. There is no humor in "Police, Adjective". Translated, that means that the only thing left is Cristi (Dragos Bucur), a cop that trails a kid in the hopes of making a minor league drug bust. Cristi is your prototypical ruggedly handsome and disheveled policeman. He broods and shows no other emotions until the absurdity of his task wears him down. By that time we are all worn down.

Writer-director Corneliu Porumboiu is most determined to show us the boredom of being a detective and a big round of applause because he achieves what he has set out to demonstrate. Unfortunately for the audience we are forced to witness the eternal ennui. Throughout, he shows Cristi tailing his prey, following them down the street for extended periods. When we are not watching Cristi following the drug user, we are watching Cristi watching the perp while he leans against a pole of garbage can or wall.

With about fifteen minutes left in "Police, Adjective", we are finally presented with at least a little bit of human interaction and conflict. The scene involves immense condescension towards Cristi. It made me feel condescended to, as well. It's sophomoric nonsense presented as deep thought.

I've met a few critics who felt that this last scene justified everything that came before it and even made them think they had watched something worthwhile. I, on the other hand, found the whole miserable thing to be an exercise in police abuse.