Cop Land - Exclusive Director's Cut (Collector's Series)  (1997)

Starring: Sylvester Stallone, Harvey Keitel, Ray Liotta, Robert De Niro, Robert Patrick, Peter Berg, Michael Rapaport

Director: James Mangold

Rating: R

Distributor: Buena Vista Home Entertainment

Release Date: June 1, 2004
Review posted: June 1, 2004

Spoilers: None

Reviewed by Christopher T. Bryan

SYNOPSIS

Cop Land refers to Garrison New Jersey, a fictional town that rests in the shadows cast by the skyscrapers of New York City. NYPD officers flock to Garrison in order to escape the rough and tough streets of the Big Apple. Stallone plays Freddy, Garrison’s sheriff who admires the cops who reside in his town, but has never been able to join their ranks due to his bad ear. The big city cops use Freddy’s admiration to bully him around while they break laws. Freddy’s duties as sheriff are basically reduced to that of a traffic officer, but soon he discovers a conspiracy that has been occurring right under his nose and he has to decide whether he will continue to be bullied, or stand up for the justice that he believes in.

CRITIQUE

I remember Cop Land as the movie that was supposed to redefine Sylvester Stallone’s career. It was touted as his return to dramatic acting, away from the effects laden, high-octane action films that his reputation is built on. Sly’s career was not redefined, however with a superb supporting cast Cop Land makes for a movie that is surprisingly not disappointing.

The race tensions, and depictions of New York City as a filthy crime-ridden town are dated, but the strength of Cop Land comes from the actors and not necessarily the script. Stallone should have received more credibility from this role than he received. Beyond proving that he can gain weight like the rest of us, he shows that he can portray a flawed character that doesn’t have the punch to back up his words. What surprised me most is that Stallone actually holds his own in a cast that includes the talent of Robert De Niro, Harvey Keitel, and Ray Liotta. While Stallone is exploring new territory acting-wise, the others cast members, for the most part, play very familiar roles.

Moreover, the film’s narrative is hard to follow at times. There were certain points where I felt a nagging sensation that I should rewind out of fear that I had missed something. My questions were eventually answered; however attentiveness is key to understanding how all of the characters are interrelated.

The final scene is engaging and well directed. The usual contrivances are present, the hero shows up in the final moment to save the day and himself from his fall from grace, but that is what we want from this type of movie anyhow, isn’t it?

THE VIDEO

Cop Land is presented in 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen, in other words the video is enhanced for 16x9 televisions. The color is crystal clear and the image is crisp throughout.

THE AUDIO

Cop Land is presented in 5.1 Dolby Digital Surround Sound. The sound filled the room and was well balanced. There were two spots where I noticed a sudden muteness in the dialogue; I think it must have come from the editing process, although it was hardly noticeable and didn’t distract from the film. Subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing are available, as are French subtitles.

THE EXTRAS

Deleted Scenes with optional commentary: There are two scenes featured. Both play up the racial aspect of the film. It was a good decision to cut both scenes as there were already plenty racial subtexts present in the film. One scene makes Freddy (Stallone) out to be a much weaker character than in the final film and this would have tainted the audience’s perception of him, as would the other scene that depicts him as racist.

The Shootout Storyboard sequence just compares the storyboards with the final shootout. Interesting, but not necessary.

The Making Of An Urban Western - Behind The Scenes is a featurette that includes a lot of on-set interviews. It describes how the film got picked up and how some of the actors got involved. Today these are available all the time on VH1, but were a little rarer in 1997 when Cop Land originally came out in theaters.

Feature Commentary with Director James Mangold, Producer Cathy Konrad, Actors Sylvester Stallone and Robert Patrick: Sly and Mangold are the two big talkers here. Lots of patting each other on the back for a job well done. The commentary is worth it for the discussion of an on-set clash of egos between De Niro and Keitel.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Cop Land did not get its due credit during its run at theaters. In retrospect it is a film that displays some great acting and a promising new director. This is a film that has aged well, and a new DVD gives Cop Land some freshness that will hopefully make this film accessible to a new audience.

VERDICT: RECOMMENDED

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