The Kid Detective (2020): A Very Dark Adventure (Written By Jaeden Noel)

 

The Kid Detective is the newest film on the shelf to get put into theatres in the sure but slow revival of theatres around the world. Directed by Evan Morgan, the film stars Adam Brody as Abe Applebaum, a once renowned child detective who seems to struggle in his middle age. When a fresh murder case of a teenage boy is brought to his attention by the boys girlfriend Caroline (Sophie Nélisse), he stops at nothing to make sure he gets to the bottom of it. 

This was an interesting film, it's extremely unique in the sense that I've never seen anything quite like it. It's combination of comedy and elements of a noir detective thriller throw it into a category of its own. Adam Brody gives a realistic performance of a washed up has been that no one has faith in, making the film almost a redemption story at it's core.

The screenplay, also penned by Evan Morgan is VERY dark. Despite being a comedy, it's sense of humour is extremely bleak, along with other elements of the film. It's not going to work for everyone, but a large chunk of viewers are sure to appreciate its courage to go where it does. The story moves along well for the most part. The situations Abe and his presumed "sidekick" Caroline (Sophie Nélisse) find themselves in throughout the film are engaging and always important to the overall case, but many of the gags do get run into the ground. Theres two running gags throughout the film, one of them in which Abe has to hide in closets. After awhile, it does get a little boring as we are literally just watching him sit in closets, but the pay off for the gag is hilarious making it all worth it. 

The ending, which I wont spoil is absolutely mind-blowing. It's twist is absolutely unpredictable and unexpected. Even the last 10 seconds alone speak wonders as a commentary on guilt. But that's all I'll say for now about that. The cinematography in the film is absolutely gorgeous too. The contrast between the bright colours of Abe's childhood vs his modern life were portrayed perfectly, emphasizing our main characters struggle to tee. 

The only glaring problem is the pacing. Regardless of everything, the film is relatively slow. Feeling more like 2 hours than a 100 minute film. It easily could of shaved some time off by cutting down a few scenes, but other than that, it's a perfectly fine fun watch. 

At the end of the day, The Kid Detective isn't going to be the film that saves cinemas as we know it, but it's definitely worth checking out sooner than later. 

The Kid Detective gets A 3.5/5!

Still Courtesy of Level Film (Route504)