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Cop LandRating:
Release Date: 13 January, 2004 Retail Price: $9.99 Sorry, this product is not currently available. Cast: Complete Cast (17 total) |
Cop Land Reviews
A modern Western fable
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.
Stallone's Worst Film
Cop Land
The film starts by showing some off-duty cops. One drives away, and is struck by a speeding car. When he tries to get them to pull over, they point a long barrel object at him. This officer fires some shots at the fleeing car, it crashes, and both occupants are dead. Drugs are found in the car, but no weapon (or so it seems).
Next we see the Freddy, the Sheriff of "Garrison NJ", across the river from New York City, handling small town problems. Many NYC cops chose to live in this small town. Some of them share a secret scandal. There are interpersonal conflicts among them. Internal Affairs is searching around to find that missing cop, who seems to have gone off a bridge. [Can you believe this?] The Sheriff wants to know what is going on in his town. The missing policeman is a liability to his friends who are hiding him; so they try to eliminate this problem. [Can you believe this?]
The policeman who went into hiding escaped from his friends and co-workers, and shows up at Freddy's house; but he needs to run off again! So Freddy goes to visit the IA detective and tell what happened. But his information is rejected! [Can you believe this?] So now the story changes tone and Freddy begins his own investigation. But the rogue cops are aware and warn him off. And so the story plods on to its ending, when the good guys finally win.
There are no "Sherrifs" in any small town in NJ, that is an elective county office. "Police Chief" is the correct title, and they are appointed by the local politicians. I think those wide-brimmed hats are to be found only west of the Delaware. These campaign hats are a relic of the 19th century militia. Bergen County is located across from New York, its many small town could be a site like "Garrison". Really "Fort Lee"? I don't know why Hollywood avoids any such story about a locale on the West Coast. Too close to home?
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