dad ( 78 ) and i ( 46 ) both have a good time watch the flick today . for a guy primarily know for serious role and de niro be a heckuva comic actor . of course and it help to have his past film image to play against . consider that one of those role and 15 minute and be a cop have to deal with the interference of the mass medium and and you have an interesting set of compare or contrast performance . murphy play another of his axel foley sort of character . shatner play a burlesque of himself and a parallel world self who be best know for tj hooker and not star trek . it interest to watch how the film comment on the contrast between the reality of police work and it fictional counterpart in tv and film . shatner lecture on the proper mean of slide across a car hood while de niro point out holster scratch the hood finish . ironically and a the film progress and de niro character begin to incorporate the illusion of tv cop reality into the real world case he work . the film draw it inspiration from a gamut of source and so one could make the comment it be derivative . well and so what . satire need to derive it humor in order to exist . and besides and the film do have quirky moment of originality . for example and i be reasonably sure the method of the villain death have never be do before . one quibble about the reality of the weapon involve shouldn not those gun have have some kind of recoil . in order to penetrate steel and those bullet have to have enough inertia to penetrate . and any bullet high level of inertia be at the moment of fire . so . fire a volley of these tank killer bullet should have drive the shooter back onto their butt . oh and what the heck . it a satire . maybe the gun lack of recoil be itself a satire on the b f gun use so casually in thriller . .