Sons of Anarchy star Kim Coates: Comic movie Officer Downe is groundbreaking

The behind-the-scenes team responsible for the new action movie Officer Downe has been making some pretty big claims about the comic book adaptation, which receives its world premiere on June 3 as part of the LA Film Festival. Back in February, Officer Downe producer and Crank co-director Mark Neveldine declared on The Movie Crypt podcast that the film is “better than any Marvel movie or DC movie ever made.” And Officer Downe screenwriter Joe Casey recently told EW that the film “makes Crank look like The English Patient.”

So, what does the film’s star, Kim Coates, have to say on the matter? “It’s f–king groundbreaking, man,” says the actor, best known for playing “Tig” Trager on Sons of Anarchy. “Wait till you see it. Wait till you see the special effects. The special effects are insane. They’re phenomenal. We didn’t leave anything out from the comic book. Not one thing. My gun weighed 16 pounds. I could barely pull the trigger on day one. Seriously. I was in the gym for two months before the film. I’m naked a few times. We’re not holding anything back. I can’t wait for people to see it.”

Based on the ultra-violent graphic novel by Casey and artist Chris Burnham, Officer Downe concerns an LAPD cop (Coates) who is repeatedly brought back to life to continue his brutal campaign against the criminal community. “This character is a real guy, he’s a real cop, he believes in the badge,” says Coates. “Didn’t have a girlfriend, didn’t have a wife, didn’t have dogs or cats. He had just his badge. And he dies. And they put him on ice for 20 years. Because he was a cop’s cop. He just fought all the bad guys. And now L.A. is a mess. It’s Gotham City times 20, with bad guys. It is horrifying what’s going on in the city. And they find a way to bring him back. But is he part Frankenstein? Is he part RoboCop?”

Officer Downe is the directorial debut of Shawn Crahan, better known as Slipknot percussionist and co-founder “Clown.” “He’s crazy,” says Coates of Crahan. “We hit it off from the get-go. We had dinner, and he truly believes that we’ve worked together before in some other universe. Sure, alright, sure. He was ready to learn and share, and he had an incredible kinetic energy. He’s ferociously talented.”

Coates tends to be cast more often in supporting parts than starring roles and admits it is nice to be playing the title character in a movie. “I have been No. 1 on the call sheet before,” says the actor, whose many other credits include Fox’s Prison Break and 2011’s ice hockey comedy Goon, as well as its forthcoming sequel. “I have had a few films that were in a way my movies, but people didn’t see them. Officer Downe has that chance of hitting the mainstream, and, yeah, I am Officer Downe, and it’s called Officer Downe. I’m just really proud of everyone that worked on this film. We should all be proud. Because it’s a crazy movie.”