Cop Land (1997)

The sheriff of a suburban New Jersey community populated by New York City policemen slowly discovers the town is a front for mob connections and corruption.

Director:

James Mangold

Writer:

James Mangold

Stars:

Sylvester Stallone, Harvey Keitel, Ray Liotta

1 win.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Sylvester Stallone	...	Freddy Heflin
Harvey Keitel	...	Ray Donlan
Ray Liotta	...	Gary Figgis
Robert De Niro	...	Moe Tilden
Peter Berg	...	Joey Randone
Janeane Garofalo	...	Deputy Cindy Betts
Robert Patrick	...	Jack Rucker
Michael Rapaport	...	Murray Babitch
Annabella Sciorra	...	Liz Randone
Noah Emmerich	...	Deputy Bill Geisler
Cathy Moriarty	...	Rose Donlan
John Spencer	...	Leo Crasky
Frank Vincent	...	PDA President Lassaro
Malik Yoba	...	Detective Carson
Arthur J. Nascarella	...	Frank Lagonda

Storyline

Sometime in the 1970's, police officers from New York wanted a safe haven to live, away from the dangers of the streets of New York, this is when they established a "Cop Land" in the small New Jersey town of Garrison. Freddy Heflin who was always admired by the New York cops wanted to become one, but because he was deaf in one ear this prevents him from achieving his goal, but has become sheriff of Garrison. Recently there have been a dark omen surrounding the NYPD, and Freddy is now investigating on this case, then Internal Affairs officer Mo Tilden is also on the case and asks Freddy for help, but Freddy could not. Now Freddy suspects that a New York cop named Ray Donlan might be one of the many cops who is corrupted by the mob and other criminals. Now, Freddy must find a cop who is nicknamed "Superboy" who can testify against Donlan and protect him, before Donlan finds Superboy and kills him.

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Plot Keywords:

sheriff | nypd | police | internal affairs | new york city | 

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Taglines:

No One Is Above The Law.

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for violence, strong language and brief nudity

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

15 August 1997 (USA)

Also Known As:

CopLand

Filming Locations:

New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$10,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

DEM 1,854,272 (Germany) (30 January 1998)

Gross:

DEM 5,118,405 (Germany) (20 February 1998)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Miramax Films, Woods Entertainment, Across the River Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

104 min 116 min (director's cut) 120 min (extended director's cut)

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

There is a disclaimer at the end of the credits which states "This film is a work of fiction. It is currently illegal for New York City Police officers to live outside the state of New York."

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Goofs

When Sherriff Heflin is first talking to Lt. Tilden on the street (When Tilden believes Heflin just wrote him a parking ticket), Heflin is not wearing his gun belt. Then when he turns around to yell at some kids fighting in the ally he has it on.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Moe Tilden: [narrating] Every precinct has its cop bar - a private club - all blue. For the 3-7 it was the Four Aces, just across the river.

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Crazy Credits

Normally, the credits display the actor's name on the left side with the character's name on the right. The credits here are reversed.

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Connections

Referenced in Jersey Girl (2004)

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Soundtracks

"Show You What They See"
Written by Ralph Power
Performed by The Smokin' Joe Kubek Band (as Smokin' Joe Kubek Band)
Courtesy of Rounder Records Corp.
By Arrangement with Ocean Park Music Group

User Reviews

not a bad turn for Stallone

Mangold's second film, the corruption drama "Cop Land" stars Sylvester Stallone as Freddy Heflin, the much-denigrated sheriff of tiny Garrison, New Jersey, a community which - thanks to a technicality - is populated almost entirely by members of the New York City Police Department.

When young cop Murray "Superboy" Babitch (Michael Rapaport) becomes embroiled in a controversial shootout which leaves two black youths dead, he apparently commits suicide rather than face the wrath of an official investigation. In reality, however, he flees to safety back home in Garrison. In the wake of the controversial events, NYPD Internal Affairs lieutenant Moe Tilden (Robert DeNiro) arrives in Garrison to uncover the truth. He attempts to enlist Freddy to watch the watchmen, including Superboy's uncle, veteran cop Ray Donlan (Harvey Keitel); coked-out Gary Figgis (Ray Liotta); and Joey Randone (Peter Berg), the husband of the woman (Annabella Sciorra) Freddy loved and lost. A rich, complex film about redemption, "Cop Land"'s portrayal of Freddy's struggles to prove his worth mirrors Stallone's own return to thoughtful, character-driven drama after years of vacuous action roles. Like Freddy, he faces an uphill battle, fighting for respectability in the face of a superb cast including Janeane Garofalo, Cathy Moriarty and Paul Calderon.