Cop Car (2015) (18/25)

Two kids find a cop car and take it for a joy ride. There’s a version of that story that might be a funny coming of age comedy, but that’s not what director Jon Watts is going for. Cop Car is the tale of two children in way over their heads, as a despicably corrupt police officer, played threateningly by Kevin Bacon, pursues them on foot.

It’s not going to end well for anybody, and even the scenes that play like jokes — like when the pre-teens decide to see how bulletproof vests work — are overwhelmingly terrifying if you have any concept of child safety. Cop Car defies genre conventions to put its young leads in increasingly dangerous situations, gradually exploding the concept that playing at cops and robbers is wholesome fun. Maybe even in movies.