Filmmaker Ron Shelton was in theaters just a few months ago with "Dark Blue," a police drama set against the sobering backdrop of the L.A. riots. While the folks at Columbia's marketing department have worked hard to make the Harrison Ford-Josh Hartnett buddy picture look like something of a grittier "Beverly Hills Cop" or at least another "48HRS.," even an uninspired facsimile would have been more welcome than this forced, ungainly vehicle that stalls each time it threatens to actually start. Given the public's unquenchable thirst these days for anything that smells comedic, the picture (given a sneak preview during the weekend) might nab a bunch of unwitting suspects initially, but word will likely get out before the long haul.

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