Customer Reviews

Cop Land

5 star:		(28)
4 star:		(27)
3 star:		(16)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Sylvester Stallone can act. There. I said it. And as ridiculous as that statement may appear to some readers, you really do owe it to yourself to take a look at "Cop Land," and see just how good of an actor Sylvester can be!

Who would believe that Stallone could appear on the same screen as Harvey Keitel, Ray Liotta, and Robert De Niro, and hold his own? Certainly not this viewer, and I admit that when I originally went to see the film it was BECAUSE of Keitel, Liotta, and De Niro. So you can imagine just how surprised I was that Stallone wasn't blasted off the screen by the combined talent of his heavyweight co-stars.

Stallone plays "Sheriff Freddy Heflin," the law in the small, New Jersey town of Garrison, just across the George Washington Bridge. What makes Garrison special is that a large percentage of the residents are cops who work the other side of the bridge; hence the nick-name of "Cop Land." There are very few burglaries in Garrison, in fact, there is very little CRIME in Garrison period, so Freddy's days seem to be an endless round of completing paperwork for littering violations, cautioning the occasional drunk, and rescuing children's soft toys from being run over in the road.

This is a shame, because Freddy wants to be a REAL cop, he wants to work the other side of the bridge, but an injury sustained when he saved a women who's car ended up in the river has left him deaf in one ear. Poor Freddy would never pass the physical, but the town showed its appreciation by allowing him to be the Sheriff... kind-of a consolation prize.

But all is not well, there's something rotten in the town of Garrison, a corruption that's eating at the towns soul, and this corruption is personified in the character of "Ray Donlan," played by Keitel. When a fellow cop is involved in a questionable double homicide, Donlan initiates a cover-up that will have explosive consequences for the quiet town of Garrison, but especially for himself and Sheriff Heflin. The fall-out will also engulf the Sheriff's best friend, "Gary Figgis," played by Ray Liotta, another "real" cop, but one who's sick of the corruption and is getting out. Also involved is IAD staffer "Lt. Moe Tilden," played by De Niro, who's been tracking Donlan and his team, and is determined to bring them down.

This is an excellent ensemble cast that really shines in their roles, and Stallone, as I said before, is a revelation. He piled on about 40lbs to play the part, so what we see is not the pumped-up, testosterone driven action man we have come to know and love, but a quieter, humbler, slightly "slow," kind-a bumbling character. Sad and ineffectual, he's barely tolerated by Donlan and his cronies, who's company he so desperately wants to keep.

The story is tight and economical, the dialogue has the ring of authenticity to it, and there's a bitter-sweet romantic sub-plot between Freddy and one of the town's residents that works perfectly within the story. There's a scene where he's asked, by the woman he secretly loves, why he didn't marry, "All the best girls were taken," he replies, and you can practically see the big guy's heart breaking in two!

Don't be put off because Stallone has top billing, this is an excellent film that works on many levels, with a clutch of superbly realistic performances driven by a well constructed story, I would recommend it highly.

Cop Land is a homage to police corruption films like Sidney Lumet's Serpico and Prince of the City. In many respects, Cop Land is also a modern western, complete with a High Noon-style showdown. Miramax previously released this film on a movie-only DVD. This new version is a huge improvement but is it worth the upgrade?

Definitely.

"Cop Land: The Making of an Urban Western" is an excellent retrospective featurette. Stallone to be interested in the role but the actor wanted to something different, to go back to his starving actor roots. After him, came De Niro and then everyone else followed.

Next, there is a "Storyboard Comparison" that allows one to watch part of the film's climatic shoot-out simultaneously with the storyboards for it.

There are two deleted scenes with optional commentary.

Rounding out the extras is a solid audio commentary with director James Mangold, producer Cathy Konrad and actors Sylvester Stallone and Robert Patrick. Not surprisingly, Mangold and Stallone dominate this track. Stallone comes across as a very humble and gracious guy. Mangold keeps everyone talking, acting as an informal moderator and asking everyone questions. This is a really good track and definitely worth a listen if you're a fan of this movie.

Cop Land features a killer cast and allows them to flex their acting chops with a top-notch screenplay. This DVD is a definite improvement over the previous bare bones edition and is worth the upgrade. Miramax has finally done this film justice with an excellent special edition.

this is a great movie! and dvd was in terrific shape, i really thought this had an interesting story to it.

James Mangold's Copland was a victim of ridiculously high expectations on its release, but seen away from the hype it's a satisfying modern Western fable with Sylvester Stallone's half‑deaf, rather slow on the uptake sheriff slowly realising that his town of New York cops is a nest of murderous corruption. It all ends in a showdown that makes imaginative use of sound but left the critics expecting something more cerebral floundering. Stallone and Ray Liotta are exceptionally good in a strong cast, with only Robert De Niro turning in a phoney and predictable slice of by-the-numbers hamming ("Go-TO-lunch! Go-TO-lunch!"). The director's cut doesn't add a great deal - the racial subpliot is still relegated to the deleted scenes bin - and the new sound mix unfortunately loses one great use of sound (when Stallone plays records, in the old cut he could only hear them in mono), but unlike more and more recent directors' cuts it doesn't weaken the film either.

The extras aren't plentiful, but they are god: an engaging audio commentary, two deleted scenes, a good featurette and a storyboard comparison.

Director James Mangold makes good use of Sylvester Stallone in this cop corruption saga while capturing the mentality of a small New Jersey town atmospherically named "Garrison" (Fort Lee?), a town that serves as an inbred bedroom community for the NYPD blue. I could tell by the foliage that most of this was filmed during an eastern seaboard summer: I could feel the humidity and it made me want to wring out my shirt and slap some mosquitoes.

Stallone is very good as Sheriff Freddy Heflin, who was rejected for the NYPD because of a bum ear suffered saving a beloved girl's life. He's the simple sap who's not so simple, slow to anger, but once aroused, look out! (Compare to the ingredients of the Stallone Formula.) De Niro plays an Internal Affairs investigator while Harvey Keitel is his mortal enemy, a corrupt sleaze-ball cop. What I want to know is, was the choice of the name Figgis for Ray Liotta's part a director's inside joke? Incidentally, Liotta is entirely believable as a testosterone/coke-hyped cop wanting OUT.

The story is reasonable as these things go, and the old style Western shoot `em up near the end tolerable. I found some of the plot devices, such as Figgis finding Freddy in the burnt out house, and one of the corrupt cops popping up in the back seat of Freddy's patrol car, a little too convenient. (But a contrivance is better than lollygagging the plot.) I also thought the rationale for the cops' violent turning on their own a little underdeveloped and especially difficult to appreciate near the beginning of the film. The ensemble of corruption and degeneracy fully revealed however made sense. The sound track is excellent and the cinematography and backdrops make New Jersey along the Hudson almost picturesque.

What Mangold proves here is he can conjure up an action/adventure ditty with the best of them. He's already made an excellent art film, Heavy (1995), and a superior and original coming of ager, Girl, Interrupted (1999). I believe that the romantic comedy and the epic cannot be far behind. For a young director with his talent, the only question (aside from money, chance and the availability of the box office buffos) is does he want to be a cinematic artist or a commercial artist? I hope he can be both.

Best joke: "I didn't know they allowed classical music in New Jersey."

In the DVD documentary, Sylvester Stallone mentions the amazing fact of him co-starring in this film with Robert De Niro, since they went into completely different film genres after both actors were nominated for Best Actor in 1976: Stallone for Rocky and De Niro for Taxi Driver. They had their superficial similarities, with both actors portraying angry, vengeful working-class Italian-Americans - but Stallone and De Niro represented opposite poles of post-war America.

De Niro's Vietnam vet Travis Bickle in Taxi Driver (1976), flawed boxing champ Jake La Motta in Raging Bull (1983) and comedian-wannabe Rupert Pupkin in The King of Comedy (1983) lived and created the American nightmare of obsessive, lonely nobodies gaining public recognition through savage violence and mediocre showbiz.

In contrast, Stallone's boxing champ Rocky Balboa in Rocky (1976), in contrast, believed and represented the American dream of wholesome opportunity, fame and love for lonely nobodies. His Vietnam vet John Rambo also, like the 1970s antihero created by novelist David Morrell and De Niro's Bickle, brought the war to America in First Blood (1982) but then single-handedly brought about Reagan-era Cold War victories in Rambo: First Blood Part II (1985) and Rambo III (1988). His country singer-wannabe in Rhinestone (1984), unlike De Niro's Pupkin, uncritically and unambiguously celebrated the Rocky "bum making it big" theme, as did Stallone's Rocky-esque transformation of Travolta's 1970s angry anti-hero Tony Manero of Saturday Night Fever (1977) into a 1980s Broadway star (with Rambo physique) in Staying Alive (1983). Unlike De Niro's honest portrayal of the brutal behaviour of gangster Noodles in Once Upon A Time in the West (1984), Stallone tried to make a blue-collar hero out of the corrupt trade unionist Johnny Kovac in F.I.S.T. (1978, see my Amazon review of this DVD).

Thus, De Niro has been regarded as the best actor of his generation, whereas Stallone received an award for worst actor of the twentieth century. By the mid-1990s Stallone lost all professional credibility with his monosyllabic, muscular superheroes and was looking at something completely different in order to save his foundering career. And what better opportunity than this ensemble film with a cast of New York Method Actor gurus who appeared in critically acclaimed films directed by the likes of Martin Scorsese and Abel Ferrara. Robert De Niro, who appeared in seven Scorsese-directed films,including Mean Streets (1973), Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, King of Comedy, Goodfellas (1990) and Casino (1995). Harvey Keitel, having delivered some of his best performances under both Scorsese (including Mean Streets and Taxi Driver) and Ferrara. Ray Liotta, who delivered an impressive performance in Goodfellas. Cathy Moriarty, who delivered an impressive debut film performance opposite De Niro in Raging Bull. Frank Vincent, playing strong supportive parts in Raging Bull, Goodfellas and Casino. Annabella Sciorra, who appeared in two Ferrara films in the 1990s (The Funeral and The Addiction).

And, believe it or not, Stallone did not only LEAD this impressive ensemble cast, he managed to pull off a critically acclaimed performance that shocked his critics. And, like De Niro's La Motta in Raging Bull, his strong performance was also marked by Method Actor devotion translating into substantial (30 pounds) weight gains to play the overweight sheriff. (Compare the scene of a fat Stallone lying on the bed in the director's cut with a bloated, drunk La Motta just before he is arrested by the police.)

I thought it would take years for Stallone to gain back my respect after making such ... as "Eye See You," "Get Carter," "Driven," and "Avenging Angela," but I've realized that popping my copy of "Cop Land" into my DVD player can stave off the disappointment for at least two hours. Stallone isn't impressive in the role, but he does it well, and that's a satisfying return to dramatic acting. Also present in the film are some of my favorite actors, including Ray Liotta, Robert De Niro, and Harvey Keitel. Ray Liotta is perfect for the role, and the seemingly ever-present Michael Rappaport, who has a knack for popping up in movies with unexpectedly important roles, is enjoyable as usual. The story is easily followed from beginning to end with little interruption in thought process, which be a good thing or a bad thing, depending on the viewer. Janeane Garafalo and Noah Emmerich ("Truman Show") play Stallone's deputies, both of whom don't have much play in the final third of the film. Action and drama blend well in this one, the story of a small town made up of mostly corrupt New York cops, with Stallone as the town's chief determined to prove he's a true policeman. This one is a definite recommendation.

Cop Land is an interesting and at times gripping film primarily for Stallone's excellently performed, well-designed character, and the utter lack of romanticism of the story. It is low-key, deliberately paced, and rather stark at points. There are sequences of direction which are quite well-handled and affecting. The major detracting factors are the unnecessary and unwelcome tag-on "moral message" at the end of the film (luckily, it is delivered solely through the use of a very brief last-minute narration, and so can be easily ignored and dismissed), and Ray Liotta. He's just really quite bad. Aside from the fact that he is over-acting painfully, and miscast, he also constitutes the films one truly, excruciatingly cliche moment. And it comes in the middle of such an otherwise fantastic scene! It took away so much ... <sigh>. To tell the truth, I could've done without Janeane Garofalo too. Nothing against her in particular, but she just seemed out of place ... like ... "Hey, look -- it's Janeane Garofalo as a poorly-scripted cop. How cute." Still, although not exactly a great film, this movie does have some interesting things going for it -- it's worth seeing if you're interested in seeing it, so long as you're not expecting an action movie, or something that is working off of typical Hollywood sensibilities.

Copland should have been nominated for an oscar.. It is a shame that hollywood is so biased. This movie truly represents what drama is all about.. Sly does outstanding work as freddy and deserved much more credit for his performance... Great film to watch !! A shame it has so much profanity. That is the only negative comment I have about the film..

Here's the deal: Take Stallone ("Rocky"), De Niro ("Heat"), Liotta ("GoodFellas") and Keitel ("Mean Streets") and put them together and you have probably one of the best ensemble casts you can assemble for a movie. Make a great screenplay and idea and you got a great movie on your hands. The characters are all cops (some crooked, some not) and they all have great lines and play their characters with real authenticity. I live in New Jersey and regularly visit the towns where the film was shot (although it's amazing that in the seven or eight years sinse filming how the locations have changed so dramatically). The realism of the mannerisms and speech patterns are so on target it's scary. It always helps when the cast is really from the East Coast. The cops (whether crooked or not) are all pretty depressed in general displayed by the fact that they are all fat and sluggish, smoke like chimneys and drink like fish at local hangouts. Let's face it fellow Jersey folk: that familiar suburbian boredom of any small Garden State town has lead us all into a "Figgs"-like self-destructive phase. None of the stars of this film took their regular million dollar paychecks (if they hadn't taken pay cuts this film would never have been made) and they all put on the needed weight and sport the bad hair and clothes, showing that the stress of their work-a-day lives has pushed personal hygene and general happiness on the back burner. The movie is more of a character study (much like "Mean Streets" or "Pulp Fiction") with twists and turns and surprises. Garrison, NJ is a fictitious name (probably derived from nearby Harrison) and the movie was filmed across the river from NYC in the run-down (but relatively livable) Edgewater and neighboring towns before Starwood and other hot shot developers built up the waterfront land with condos, stores, restaurants and many other attractions--making the area congested and city-like, a dream for tourists and shoppers. Views of the Manhattan skyline are prevalent at all times and being an East Coaster, I can identify with a lot of this films' themes. Probably one of Stallone's best performances, I'd highly reccommend CopLand to be viewed more than once. If you are a JerseyGoomba like me and a Soprano fan you will particularly enjoy this flick with supporting roles from the likes of Edie Falco before she was Carmela and watch out for Davey Scatino, Gloria Trillo and, well you keep your eyes peeled for the rest. Wish I could have seen cameos by Pesci and Pacino as possible gangsters and maybe Travolta in a small role. Would have made CopLand even better!! I hope for a sequel some day, films like this DO have an audience even if box office receipts are not of the "Matrix" level.