The Case of the Golden Purse: Bateman and Bellini are a dynamic doughnut duo

by DREW ROWSOME -

Look out Sabrina, Kelly and Jill (and Cagney and Lacey . . .) there's a hot new cop duo on screen. Though the budget for The Case of the Golden Purse was probably not equal to the cost of Farrah Fawcett's hair maintenance for a single episode (even adjusted for inflation), I certainly hope that Tim Horton's supplemented with some product placement cash. Yes, The Case of the Golden Purse not only deals with hot cops, drag, bad hair days, blowjobs and corruption, but also doughnuts.

The Case of the Golden Purse was produced for the RT Collective's In Your Pocket series of short films and screenings for the Inside Out Film Festival. Director Raymond Helkio took the theme of "Partners in Crime" and with the assistance of stars David Bateman and Paul Bellini (Mouth Congress), created a delightful romp with guns and glaze. Like all good action flicks it is mainly an excuse for the action sequences, but there is also room for comedy, romance and a sight gag for the ages. 

It takes less time to view the film than it would for me to describe its joys, and the potential for spoilers prevents me for waxing further. But with a fun score by Stewart Borden and some slick cinematography, The Case of the Golden Purse is quite entertaining and worth seeking out. 

Of course all three of the creatives are subversive satirists so the question remains: what does it all mean? Is it just, as billed, an exploration of the creatives' admitted fetish for men in uniform? Is it an oblique commentary on the Pride policing controversy? A scathing critique of the nefarious influence of capitalism? An insight into gender roles and phallic symbols? A paean to deep-fried dough and powdered sugar? 

Does it matter as long as you laugh?