Well into the new dark crime comedy Greedy People , I had to check IMDb to make sure this wasn’t some movie one or both of the Coen brothers had actually made and somehow I didn’t realize before diving in. Nope, it was Potsy Ponciroli who directed, and Mike Vukadinovich who wrote it. No Coens anywhere in sight except as the clear inspirations for this entertaining movie of which the masters behind Blood Simple and Fargo would probably approve, and might even have made at the beginning of their illustrious careers.
So get this for a plot. New and very inexperienced cop Will ( Himesh Patel ) arrives in the small East Coast town of Providence for his new job as a deputy, partnered with quirky vet Terry ( Joseph Gordon-Levitt ). With a pregnant wife ( Lily James ) and their loving dog in tow it seems like a good career move.
However, Will soon discovers Terry is not exactly the brightest bulb, but rather a freewheelin’ guy who gives him the 411 on the town while driving him along the beat, only to pause for a little afternoon delight with a married townie he gets it on with as Will waits in the cruiser. When the newbie mistakes a minor police call for an actual burglary and is unable to get Terry’s attention, he drives off and takes matters into his own hands — quite disastrously — as he enters the address given and freaks out the female resident, Virginia (Traci Lords). She hysterically overreacts to the intrusion and, after building to a physical altercation with Wi.