The Parole Officer

The Parole Officer
Theatrical poster, featuring supposed quotations from other Coogan comedy characters.
Directed by	John Duigan
Produced by	Duncan Kenworthy Andrew Macdonald
Written by	Steve Coogan Henry Normal
Starring	Steve Coogan Om Puri Steven Waddington Ben Miller Emma Williams
Music by	Alex Heffes
Cinematography	John Daly
Editing by	David Freeman
Distributed by	DNA Films Universal Pictures
Release date(s)	10 August 2001
Running time	93 min.
Country	United Kingdom
Language	English

The Parole Officer is a 2001 British film, directed by John Duigan. It was the first feature film to star comedian Steve Coogan. The film follows a mismatched group of former criminals as they assist their probation officer in proving his innocence after a murder accusation.

Plot

Simon Garden is a well-meaning but ineffectual probation officer. At the beginning of the film, he is facing a tribunal after his entire department in Blackpool submit complaints against him, Garden having only had three successes in his career. He is therefore transferred to Manchester.

In Manchester, when looking into the case of a "client", Kirsty, a juvenile delinquent who had had Class A drugs planted on her, Simon witnesses the murder of an accountant by corrupt police officer Detective Inspector Burton. He is discovered, chased from the building by two bouncers and after being cornered, ends up falling into a canal. However, he has inadvertently left his wallet containing identification at the crime scene and is duly framed for the accountant's murder by DI Burton. Simon goes to the police with the story, but ends up being interviewed by Burton, who is leading the investigation. He releases Simon, but threatens him with prison unless he keeps quiet about his drugs scam and the murder.

Simon first decides to leave Manchester for good, but then remembers that a CCTV camera had filmed the whole event. He realises that this security tape will clear his name and show that Burton was the real murderer. Unfortunately, it is sealed in a safety deposit box in a bank. Thus, he enlists the help of his successful ex-clients and between them they devise a cunning plan to retrieve the tape from the bank.

The group, including Kirsty, invent a GOTLER (George-operated time-lock equalising robot) reand use their own tactics to work as a team in retrieving the tape. However, one night, DI Burton and several police officers search the house for the head of the murdered accountant. Simon finally notices it boiling in the saucepan. He, and the others, except Kirsty because of her young age, are taken to jail. Simon explains too late to his partner Emma about the plan, and he is locked up. Fortunately, Kirsty smashes off the prison wall in an all-important rescue, and the group races to the bank in a last-ditch attempt.

Once there, they sneak onto the roof, activate all of Manchester's alarms and climb into the building. Simon uses the robot to activate the door, and they grab the tape. A man of disguise, called Victor, turns up, but the group are collecting money as well, before he vanishes. Once the job is done, the group flees from the bank, but not before Simon is briefly delayed by toughened glass windows. They finally arrive at the police station, where DI Burton is earning a bravery award for saving Kirsty from a burning car earlier in the film. Despite being attacked by Burton's sidekicks, Simon finally proves his innocence by revealing the tape to the public, and Burton is arrested. Amidst the celebrations, Simon and Emma link with each other and kiss.

Production

Despite the film being set in Manchester, much of the filming actually took place in nearby Liverpool. Notably, the bank in the film where the heist takes place is the former Bank of England building on Castle Street.

Cast

• Steve Coogan – Simon Garden
• Om Puri – George
• Steven Waddington – Jeff
• Ben Miller – Colin
• Emma Williams – Kirsty
• Stephen Dillane – Inspector Burton
• Lena Headey – Emma
• Justin Burrows – Mills
• John Henshaw – Cochran
• Omar Sharif – Victor
• Jenny Agutter – Sarah, Victor's wife
• Richard Sinnott – Bank Manager
• Simon Pegg -Deflated Husband

Critical reception

The film currently has a 67% rating on the reviews aggregator Rotten Tomatoes. Most reviews favourably compared the film to Ealing Studios' heist comedies of the 1950s and 60s, although noted aspects of vulgarity.

For example, Philip French, writing in The Observer stated "The film is mildly amusing and more than competently acted [but] contains very little that's original and nothing that throws any light on contemporary life. Indeed, all that distinguishes Coogan's film from British heist pictures of the 1950s and 1960s is the vulgarity and excursions into grossness." Similarly, Neil Smith, writing for BBC Movies online noted "What follows mixes the light-hearted antics of The Lavender Hill Mob with such high brow gags as Simon chundering on a roller-coaster or disposing of a phallus sculpture in a ladies' loo."

This aspect in particular generated criticism from Alexander Walker, writing in the Evening Standard "It's a bog-standard caper comedy with deviations into gross-out interludes to please the American teens and any dumbed-down Brits." However, Matthew Bond of The Mail on Sunday was more complementary, stating "It's rude, silly and a midsummer gem."

Derek Elley, writing the Variety was also complementary, noting "Though much of the film revolves round the persona of Coogan...overall it's more of an ensemble piece than a one-man showcase, and better for it."

External links

• The Parole Officer at the Internet Movie Database