{{for|the route patrolled by a police officer|Beat (police)}} {{Use mdy dates|date=February 2026}} {{Use American English|date=January 2025}} {{Infobox film | name = Police Beat | image = Police_Beat.jpg | director = Robinson Devor | writer = Charles Mudede<br/> Robinson Devor | starring = Pape Sidy Niang <br /> Eric Breedlove <br /> Sarah Harlett <br />Anna Oxygen | producer = Jeffrey Brown <br /> Alexis Ferris <br/>Barnaby Dorfman | cinematography = Sean Kirby | editing = Mark Winitsky <br /> Joe Shapiro | distributor = Northwest Film Forum | released = {{Film date|2005}} | runtime = 90 minutes | country = United States | language = English<br/>Wolof }} '''''Police Beat''''' is a 2005 American crime film directed by Robinson Devor and written by Devor and Charles Mudede<ref name= "distributor">{{cite news |last=Chang |first=Chris |url= https://www.filmcomment.com/article/police-beat-robinson-devor-review/ |title=Distributor Wanted: Police Beat |work=Film Comment |date=July 2005 |accessdate=September 13, 2020}}</ref><ref name= "picks">{{cite news |last=Shearer |first=April |url= https://seattlemag.com/life-style/new-town-hunkering-down-siff-film-picks |title=New in Town: Hunkering Down with SIFF Film Picks |work=Seattle Magazine |date=March 5, 2020 |accessdate=September 13, 2020}}</ref> It follows the life of an African-born Seattle bicycle officer simply known as "Z" for a week. While Z goes about on his policing duties, he finds himself mentally preoccupied with his girlfriend who has gone on a camping trip with an old male friend. This obsession with the absence of his girlfriend and the escalating jealousy and paranoia makes him unfazed by the crimes he witnesses, which take place in locations all over Seattle (including the Arboretum, Gasworks Park in Wallingford, and the Boeing factory in Renton) on different levels of depravity.
The story is narrated by Z in his native Wolof language (the language of Senegal and parts of Mali, the Gambia, Côte d'Ivoire, and Mauritania), though he makes the transition to English when interacting with those around him.<ref name= "movie">{{cite news |last=Macaulay |first=Scott |url= https://filmmakermagazine.com/2309-if-youre-in-new-york-go-see-this-movie/#.X17bAWhKjIU |title=If You're in New York, Go See This Movie! |work=Filmmaker |date=April 28, 2006 |accessdate=September 13, 2020}}</ref> ''Police Beat'' provides an interesting glimpse into the life of a new immigrant to the United States that focuses less on the protagonist's experience as a new citizen and more on his response to life in an American city. His observation of both human vice and social outlook is contrasted with his conservative sense of duty, both to his work as a police officer and his relationship with his girlfriend.
Based on real police reports that appeared in Charles Mudede's column "Police Beat" for the weekly ''The Stranger'', the film also provides a snapshot of Seattle in the early 21st century.{{citation needed|date=December 2019}}
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== * {{IMDb title|id=0383965|title=Police Beat}} * [http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/10006764-police_beat/ ''Police Beat''] at Rotten Tomatoes
Category:2005 crime drama films Category:Films set in Seattle Category:2005 films Category:Fictional portrayals of the Seattle Police Department Category:American crime drama films Category:2005 English-language films Category:2005 American films Category:English-language crime drama films Category:Wolof-language films
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