MovieChat Forums > Our Idiot Brother (2011) Discussion > The cop in the beginning was kind of cru...

The cop in the beginning was kind of cruel....huh?

posted 12 years ago by Scott-101
26 replies | jump to latest

The cop used some somewhat underhanded tactics, don't you think? He tried to play nice with the guy and certainly misled him. He also insisted on paying just so he can legally book him as a dealer and charge him as such.

WTF is up with that guy? It's one thing if you're running a sting on a dangerous guy in the neighborhood or a sex offender or a burglar or someone committing practically any other crime, but marijuana is decriminalized enough that it's not worth a cop's time to try to sting people at farmer's markets with a bag of pot.

And then the parole officer (while sort of a nice guy) treated him as retarded? It was funny because I initially missed the first scene of the movie, so I thought Ned might have done something really stupid like go up to a cop and say "do you want to buy weed"?
Then I see the scene myself and Ned just get duped by a huge a-hole. I think the film is supposed to make us aware of that incongruity. How we live in a world where if you're honest and trust people, sometimes you get screwed and while the world (in the form of that parole office) wants to make you feel like it's your fault, sometimes it's just a dumb world.

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[–] ladive 12 years ago

Yup. To me that whole scene is a metaphor for the war on drugs. Completely pointless. Waste of money. Non-violent offender goes to jail.

[–] 12 years ago

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[–] JazzSamurai 12 years ago

It's not entrapment. He had a chance to walk away and fell for it. If he had stuck to "even if I did know I couldn't tell you" and "no way man free of charge" then he would probably be okay, but he eventually traded drugs for money.

Entrapment is when you are basically tricked into doing something you normally wouldn't ENTIRELY because of circumstances controlled by the police.

[–] 12 years ago

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[–] Robb_Banks 12 years ago

if a law enforcement official solicits you for narcotics and you oblige,without the transfer of money,can they not book you for possession?

[–] blake_alexander 12 years ago

Not trafficking, only possession which is only a fine. But it was a pretty big bag and having it at the shop may have given them enough reasonable doubt to charge for trafficking.

[–] nutsberryfarm 11 years ago

he's a...cop.

Where there's smoke, there's barbecue!

[–] actionmanrandell 11 years ago

they could but you would only serve a few nights in jail

[–] actionmanrandell 11 years ago

the thing is ned was not a drug dealer he grew plants and then sold said plants the weed was for his own personal use so yes the cop did entrap him. he would have never even sold the weed if the cop did not insist on giving money

[–] dkgambler 12 years ago

Couldn't agree more. My blood boils when politicians joke about their prior pot use while nonviolent users rot in jail.

[–] SamGGD 10 years ago

Yup. To me that whole scene is a metaphor for the war on drugs. Completely pointless. Waste of money. Non-violent offender goes to jail.

Well said, completely agree.

Hilarious scene btw.

See you at the party, Richter!

[–] kay_cee_d 10 years ago

I think its weird that cops have arrest quotas. I mean….I'm sure there are times when there aren't may crimes committed. I would think that would be a good thing! I really don't see why cops would need to justify their jobs. I think their jobs are justifiable just because they're there to protect and serve the public. That's a good enough reason IMHO!

[–] FeistyCadavr 12 years ago

Apart from big time dealers/drug rings where gangs and violence are involved, yes, the war on drugs is stupid.

A small bag of reefer is not something you should spend 8 months in jail for, give me a break.

America's prisons are overpopulated as it is. Save the space for real criminals.

That said, Ned was dumb, I would have never sold to a cop. But I guess that's the point of Ned's character. He's too trusting of people.

[–] kay_cee_d 11 years ago

I agree, and I'm not even remotely into drugs. I have never done drugs in my life. Heck I sometimes forget that marijuana, pot and weed were all the same thing (though that could just be because I'm a bit of a ditz sometimes). I think it was totally unfair what the cop did and it really IS a waste. He's just a dumb nice guy who really didn't deserve to be put in jail. I don't think they really gained anything or got a real drug dealer off the streets. Its weird to me.

[–] al666940-3 11 years ago

Have you guys ever heard of arrest quota?

The beat cops need to justify their jobs. If no crime nor detainees are produced, then whose position you think is in risk of being chopped?

They got to arrest people for whatever reason just to meet their arrest quota. Most cops have them...

[–] IMDB_Vits 11 years ago

Not really. Putting the "Is it OK to smoke weed?" debate aside, that's the process of being undercover: they pretend to be friends with the criminals.

He seems cruel because anyone who's not nice to such a naive and caring man appears to be that way.

[–] hitfan 11 years ago

Cops are in the business of manufacturing criminals. They are not your friends. Cops need to meet quotas for numbers of arrests and such--their pay raises and consideration for promotion is based on the number of people they arrest and who get successfully prosecuted.

Ned was an easy target for that sociopath of a cop. Going after real criminals takes time, effort and actual hard work. Ned's kind and generous nature allowed him to be taken advantage of.

As much as I dislike the war on drugs and how much i dislike people going to jail for it, marijuana is still illegal. So until that prohibition is overturned, people need to operate under that assumption.

[–] jpowers4667 11 years ago

"Cops are not your friends".

Come back and say that when someone breaks into your house, steals your car, or assaults you. You're an idiot. Who in the hell do you think you're going to call when someone is shooting at you? The ghostbusters??

There are crooked cops, but there are just crooked people in general. Bottom line is we need them. They put their lives on the line every day to protect schmucks like you who are too narrow-sided to see the big picture. You're mad over a little weed, but you fail to realize the real war on drugs is towards heavy narcotics...they can't really discriminate because you think it's unfair. You think they give a damn what you think?

Those real criminals you all are talking about are in prison because of cops. You would all be crapping your pants if they weren't there to protect you when you needed them.

[–] jaemostoriginal 11 years ago

Even then, cops aren't your friend. They're just doing their jobs. What they're paid to do.

[–] Nikon11 11 years ago

I agree.

People who bitch about cops don't really understand the protection that they receive.

I'm not a pot-smoker, but don't really care if others do. But I'll say that the few people who I know, who smoke pot regularly, don't come off as the brightest bulbs. They may have been stupid before the started smoking, though - who knows.

[–] hitfan 11 years ago

"Come back and say that when someone breaks into your house, steals your car, or assaults you. You're an idiot. Who in the hell do you think you're going to call when someone is shooting at you? The ghostbusters?? "

If any of those things happen to me, the cops will be doing their duly-appointed role of investigating the crime that was committed AFTER THE FACT. Cops aren't in the business of stopping crime, they're in the business of investigating crimes. Live shoot-outs are rare exceptions.

"Those real criminals you all are talking about are in prison because of cops. You would all be crapping your pants if they weren't there to protect you when you needed them."

It would be nice if I could have a cop guarding my house 24/7 but such a luxury cannot be afforded to every single home owner. By the time you call the police for help, the crime has been committed 99.9% of the time and by the time they get to you, the criminal has been long gone.

"Bottom line is we need them. They put their lives on the line every day to protect schmucks like you who are too narrow-sided to see the big picture. "

Yeah sure, police are needed. That's what I pay taxes for. And since they get paid then the so-called "putting their lives on the line" is part of the job description. I don't need to defer and worship cops.

Getting back to my point: police have always, and always be in the business of manufacturing criminals. What do you think speed traps and honey pot hooker traps are for?

[–] Nikon11 11 years ago

Cops aren't in the business of stopping crime, they're in the business of investigating crimes. Live shoot-outs are rare exceptions.

?? The very existence of the police, is a method of stopping crime that you seem to be ignoring, or refuse to acknowledge. You don't believe that there'd be more, and more violent crime if there were no police force?

You seem incredibly naive, and just plain unappreciative of the fact that the police, while I agree, sign up for jobs with certain risk factors involved, do put their lives in danger to protect the rest of us.

[–] southpole8700 8 years ago

Lmfao @ that. My place got broken into a few months ago and the cops did absolutely NOTHING....they turned around and walked away. Guess they had jaywalking tickets to go write since finding my missing belongings wouldn't make any money for them

[–] My_Pot_Drank_My_Granny 11 years ago

I mean, yeah it comes off as kinda dickheady, especially after they expand on how gentle and trusting Ned is, but the cop was still just doing his job. I don't think they ever reveal how big the operation is, but the farm is at least run by stoners, so maybe that small bust was part of a bigger investigation involving the farm.

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Shutup, monkey. I got company, dude.

[–] simbob4000 11 years ago

I remember reading about something like what happened at the start of this movie few years ago. Only in that instance the cop was pretending to be in pain from cancer.

[–] duanereilly 11 years ago

total douche bag of a cop (most are), it gets established in the opening lines of the conversation that the cop knows ned as he comments on the rubarb that he has previously purchased off him, so he knows he is a naive and easy target.