Being aged 55 I could see from the get-go that this film was clearly a black pastiche on the many, many, buddy cop TV series and movies from my more ‘youthful’ days. At that time any cop film and others beyond this genre had to have this format. McDonagh, like his film directing brother, paints his canvas with broad brush strokes, when it’s finished you can see the brush marks and the occasional brush-hair sticking to the work but if you like it you are going to like it regardless.

McDonagh and his two leads have pulled off a difficult task they have made two wholly criminal police officers charismatic and likable. Particularly as Skarsgard especially did not seem to approach this role in that way.

Everything that happens from beginning to end is preposterously violent and over-the-top but no matter I was drawn to the story in front of me to such an extent that what might normally bother me with ‘ridiculousness’ did not really register. I winced at the crunches and cracks and laughed at the offhand comments and wisecracks that more often than not accompanied many of the crunches and cracks.

Micheal Pena, once again playing a cop, I think he might actually be one now, plays his role straight and with his usual aplomb. It must make a change for him that his character is slick, smartly dressed and on top of situations. He is well supported by Alexander Skarsgard all gangly limbs and foul-mouthed, it is to his great credit he makes his romance with the lovely Theo James somehow lovely and gentle amidst the mayhem and swearing.

Many have criticised the film for being disjointed and ‘all over the place’ but for me, this is the strength. There is no strong driven plot, it’s fairly simple, and for the audience, the story does not follow laid down railway tracks. Halfway through I could not have told you who was going to survive, who was going to ‘win’ and where everyone would end up.

It is not often a cop film starts off in New Mexico but halfway through the cops find themselves in Iceland.

All of the main and supporting actors seem to be in on the director’s vision with everyone playing, what they must have known is a pastiche, straight as an arrow. In particular the two female leads whilst not having as much screentime as their male counterparts have an important bearing on the story and make their roles count with great acting.

I found this a typical McDonagh film, be this John or Martin, and for me this films hit the right spot more often than it missed it. Having said this I can understand why others don’t get or like them. They are most definitely an acquired taste.