Cop Land

Starring: Sylvester Stallone, Harvey Keitel, Ray Liotta, Robert De Niro, Peter Berg, Janeane Garofalo, Robert Patrick, Michael Rappaport, Anabella Sciorra, Edie Falco, Method Man
Directed by: James Mangold
Rating: R
Genre: Crime, Drama, Thriller
1997

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: An ineffective sheriff (Sylvester Stallone) of a small town made up mostly of NYC cops begins to suspect something illegal is going on in his town when the founder (Harvey Keitel) seems to be covering up the alleged suicide of a hero cop (Michael Rappaport). When an Internal Affairs cop (Robert De Niro) descends on the town, the sheriff must decide whose side he is on.

Review:

Tim: I enjoyed Cop Land. It is the type of gritty crime drama that tells an interesting story and is helped by an impressive cast. While this is definitely a movie similar to dozens of other films, it also stands a bit apart, too. It doesn't try to do too much- instead focusing squarely on the story it is trying to tell. I was entertained and engaged with the story and the characters. This was a very good movie.

The main draw here is the cast. Sylvester Stallone packed on 40 pounds to play the ineffective "Sheriff of Cop Land" (best line of the movie?). I have to admit, watching Stallone in a very un-Stallone role was one of the highlights of the movie for me. Stallone certainly has greater acting ability than many people would first thing. He is quite good here, playing a quiet, reserved role that is a major departure from his more flashy ones. I really enjoyed his performance.

The supporting cast is very impressive. We have Harvey Keitel in his charismatic, nasty mode. He was perfect for this role. We also have Ray Liotta as a messed up cop dealing with a number of issues. We have Robert De Niro in a small but important role as an Internal Affairs investigator. Robert Patrick embraces his unlikable side to play a tough cop, and even Janeane Garofalo makes an unlikely appearance as a female cop. The cast is made up of a number of big names, and some familiar faces whose names might still escape you. I would not have liked this movie as much if it were not for the very strong cast.

While Cop Land features many of the staples of the subgenre, there is something inherently entertaining about watching cop movies. Here, we have a number of corrupt cops, with just a few searching for the truth. These movies have always been appealing, from Serpico to today. Copland continues that tradition of good storytelling, impressive perfomances, and an exciting, occasionally thrilling story.

I do wish that Cop Land would have given us something new or unique, but there is something to be said about a movie that doesn't want to rewrite the genre- instead, it just wants to tell an effective story, operating within the well-established boundaries of the genre. That is what Cop Land does- it gives us exactly what we would expect from a film like this- but it gives us that in a strong, enjoyable fashion. I really liked this movie, and I think it is one of the better corrupt cop movies I've seen.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Serpico, Assassins, Get Carter, City by the Sea, Heat