Polis Evo 3 Review: The Buddy Cop Duo’s Best Film to Date

Malaysia’s favourite buddy cop flick returns with an explosive third film in the franchise. After a staggering change in direction for the second film (frankly, we loved it), the teams at SKOP Productions, Astro and Black Flag took a step back and relooked at the direction of the franchise. In Polis Evo 3, the creators found their best recipe.

Reprising the roles of Inspector Sani and Inspector Khai are Zizan Razak and Shaheizy Sam respectfully, followed by the return of Nora Danish and Eyka Farhana as well. Joining the main original cast is Sharnaaz Ahmad, a man no stranger to villainous antics as he takes on the role of Reza Rashid, Khai’s former partner. After a tragic assignment, Reza disappeared for ten years before hunting his old crew down for vengeance.

With Syafiq Yusof at the helm, the overall direction of the film was a question mark. Will it be similar to the first film, given his sense of comedy in Abang Long Fadil 3? Or will he follow the feels of the second film and bring the movie to a darker route?

Instead, Syafiq Yusof brought into the franchise something even Star Wars couldn’t in their final trilogy - balance in the Force. The young director balanced the usual explosions, martial arts and overall carnage of action films with a sufficient amount of comedic relief; just enough before cringiness kicks in.

However, Syafiq did admitted his struggles in finding that balance during the press conference as compared Polis Evo 3’s realisticness and Abang Long Fadil’s action comedy style. Personally, he gave the film justice.

Action and comedy aside, one of Polis Evo’s main draws is the chemistry between Zizan’s Sani and Sam’s Khai. After two movies, the conflict placed in the third movie tested the grip of their brotherhood; portraying a stellar writing of character development across the franchise.

This time around, the duo was aided by a dream team of specialists starring One Cent Thief actor Syafiq Kyle, comedian Douglas Lim and Farali Khan. The team assembled specifically for Ops Siong has the perfect blend of tension, banter and seriousness - and we hope the duo gets to keep this team in the next movie (if there’ll be one).

Sharnaaz Ahmad also pulled a masterful performance as Reza, a sinister villain hungry for revenge. Of course, we’ve seen such character tropes in other films before - but given Sharnaaz’s actual demeanour based on his videos, his delivery as Reza sent chills down our spines. Possibly the scariest antagonist in the Polis Evo franchise.