Boot (2015)

“The door’s not gonna open itself Boot!” – Sergeant Reynolds

Number of Times Seen – 1 (19 Sep 2016)

Brief Synopsis – A veteran cop on his last day on duty has a final ride-along with a rookie cop in order to show him what it means to be a cop.

My Take on it – This is a short but sweet film that I was personally able to connect with on multiple levels.

15 years ago, I became an auxiliary police officer and would volunteer to take 3-4 8 hour shifts a week in addition to my regular 9-5 job meaning my nights and weekends were also packed.

I loved this volunteer work and it became such a pleasure to spend my spare time patrolling the streets.

After about a year and a half of this,  I decided that I finally found my calling in life, so I began the process of enrolling in the force full time.

The exams weren’t so easy and tested both my mental and physical skills.

After a grueling nine months, I finally was able to pass the final stage and was ecstatic that I had finally made it.

I quit my job and began preparing myself for my new life as a full fledged policeman.

I began the police academy and after completing the three stages of courses, I began my everyday job patrolling the streets.

Unfortunately, despite my experience as a volunteer, the reality of it all was much different.

I became quite disillusioned with the politics involved and no longer felt the patriotism that I felt beforehand.

At that point, I knew my career as a cop was completely over.

Now that I’ve completely bored you with my life story, I can now discuss this movie a bit more. 😉

This film does a great job of showing us two very different yet sobering perspectives of what it means to be a cop.

The rookie view which is filled with lots of energy, enthusiasm, patriotism and of course the dreamers look at what could (and probably should) be.

The veteran’s view, on the other hand, is really more grounded because the veteran has seen what it means to do the job and has no illusions as to the kind of grueling work it can be.

During the character’s conversations, we learn a lot about their childhoods and what made them choose the life as a cop.

These conversations help develop these two characters so well that we easily can understand them and their actions.

I’m personally really glad that I saw this because it’s proof that even a short film like this can carry such meaning with it.

For those interested, here’s the link to watch the film. I personally think it deserves much more exposure.

Bottom Line – Short but sweet film that gives us the dual perspectives of the job of a policeman; the rookie viewpoint and the veteran. Was able to connect on a personal level with both characters and their outlooks on life. The added benefit of learning what kind of childhoods they had that led to their choices to be cops was also laid out for us superbly. So glad I watched this. Highly Recommended!

MovieRob’s Favorite Trivia – All squad cars used in the film are real UCPD patrol cruisers lent to the production by the department. (From IMDB)

Rating – Oscar Worthy

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