Undeniably the slickest, funniest and smartest comedy to hit cinemas in 2012, 21 Jump Street should also be the first real evidence that Channing Tatum has the talent his name has yet to become synonymous with.
A witty script by Jonah Hill and his team leads to a film which packs in plenty of big action sequences, hilarious set pieces as well as a lot of heart, and it's refreshing to see a team of comedians in their element and with material worthy of their talents.
Whilst I have never been a Jonah Hill fan, his loveable shtick is better than his more recent fare, finding a sympathetic character in Schmidt who fits in better at school than when he was younger. He may also be in the role which comes closest to being the dislikeable, arrogant son-of-a-gun but Hill keeps you on side. It's an accomplished performance, and when you mix in his contained role in Moneyball you have to confess that he is finding a deserving place in and amongst the Hollywood royalty.
The star of the film though is Tatum, who plays Jenko with a sense of cool calm dryness that provides the film's touching heartbeat. Whilst Tatum has largely been used for his looks in the past, he shows his comedy chops are top of the line, and that his passion for the art is strong. It's undeniably a career best role, and we should only hope he finds himself in films like this more often.
It may be mad, chaotic and take a little too long to set up its premise, but 21 Jump Street packs in more laughs per minute than anything in a long while and has some fine comedy actors making the most of their supporting roles. It even manages a hilarious and shocking cameo that I'm sure everyone will love whether you watched the original TV series or not.
It's 100% pure outrageousness, but it's hilarious as well. People should seriously take a trip to Jump Street. It's worth the trip.
8/10
Adam
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