An Israeli drama directed by Nadav Lapid, Policeman is a peculiar beast that unfurls in fits and starts, yet never fulfils its dramatic potential. Following a clutch of young anarchists who decide the filthy rich in their country are responsible for untold communal suffering, the film has a brooding undercurrent that should have been explosive. Instead, it falters at every turn, yielding bewilderment when it should be enlightening and exciting. The film moves from the introduction of Yaron (Yiftach Klein), a macho anti-terrorist squad policeman, to the more interesting story of a young man increasingly out of his depth in an anarchist cell. The two disparate stories only conflate when the anarchists carry out their tawdry plot. Lapid's point is valid. The enemy isn't necessarily the oppressed Palestinians, but the people in power in Israel. Frustratingly, his way of exploring this fascinating and timely subject is too experimental to have much impact. In more assured hands this could have been a masterstroke of storytelling and political espionage.
Stars: 2/5
Cast: Yiftach Klein, Yaara Pelzig, Michael Moshonov
Director: Nadav Lapid
Running Time: 105 mins
Rating: R16
• Policeman is out now.
