Review of Cop Land (1997) by James H — 01 Mar 2010

This movie was recommended to me when it was still in theaters 13 years ago. Looking back, I now wish I didn't let it slip off my radar. While not perfect, this movie is easily one of the best Stallone movies around. 'The hell you talkin' about fool?' You may be crying, but I assure you, for a movie that doesn't have Stallone jumping through explosions, it's easily one of his better performances.

The reason behind this is that he plays the opposite of what he's usually type cast as. He's not tough as nails, intimidating, wild man who's willing to start shooting if his lunch bill has a 18% gratuity added without his consent. He never looks for trouble, conforms and if it looks like other cops (not even on duty) start trouble, he'd rather look the other way than do something about it. He's not lazy, just someone who easily backs down.

The plot itself could have been a Mafia film with Cops filling in for the mobsters. Harvey Keitel and Ray Liotta are good as usual as the 'Don' fill in and ex-corrupt cop, but they resort to screaming their lines half the time, which for some reason is a decision directors like to make when using them. Watching how each event turns into the next is interesting, mainly due to the double crossing that happens when things don't go as planned.

As far as things that nagged me, I think the movie focused a little too much on Stallone's character. As interesting as he was, there was a shit load of other things going on in the background while he did shit like talk to the woman he pines for. It's because he turns his head so much that we occasionally have to push through a boring scene or two.

Overall, if you like cop films like Dark Blue or Training day, you'll enjoy this title. It's not something to wait over a decade for, but it's a good rental on a Friday night.