Cop Land (1997)

User Rating:

6.9/10   

Director:

James Mangold

Writer (WGA):

James Mangold (written by)

Release Date:

15 August 1997 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

No One Is Above The Law.

Plot:

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

Plot Keywords:

Sheriff | Police | New York | Corruption | Internal Affairs

Awards:

1 win

Cast

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

Also Known As:

CopLand (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated R for violence, strong language and brief nudity. (also collector's series)

Runtime:

104 min | USA:116 min (director's cut)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

USA:R (certificate #35498) | Iceland:16 | Netherlands:12 (TV rating) | Netherlands:16 (original rating) | South Korea:12 | UK:15 (original rating) | UK:18 (video rating) | Philippines:PG-13 | Australia:MA | Belgium:KT | Brazil:14 | Finland:K-16 | Germany:12 | Mexico:B | New Zealand:R16 | Norway:15 | Singapore:NC-16 | Singapore:PG (cut) | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | Portugal:M/16

Filming Locations:

Cliffside Park, New Jersey, USA

Company:

Miramax Films

Trivia:

In the scene in which Ray Liotta confronts Robert Patrick in the bar, the dart that Liotta shoves up Patrick's left nostril was made out of rubber.

Goofs:

Factual errors: "Municipal" Sheriffs don't exist in the State of New Jersey. All Sheriffs in New Jersey are elected at the County Government level to a three-year term and are a Constiutional position. For a small town in New Jersey Freddy Heflin would have had to be the Police Chief or similar rank. It may also be noted that no police officers in New Jersey wear tan uniforms. That uniform is far more likely seen out in the Western states.

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.

Movie Connections:

References Sweet Smell of Success (1957)

Soundtrack:

Darkness on the edge of town

The Good & Bad Of 'Cop Land'

This star-studded cast was more impressive than the story, which is probably one reason this film wasn't a big box-office success. The names might draw people into the theater but it just wasn't a good enough story to attract more fans.

Only small-town sheriff "Freddy Heflin" played by Sylvester Stallone, is a good guy while the others, all New York City cops, are shown to be crooked. You can overdo the bad-guy thing, too, which Hollywood does and then probably doesn't understand why the movie isn't appealing to the masses. With Harvey Keitel, Ray Liotta, Robert De Niro, Robert Patrick, Peter Berg, Michael Rapaport, Annabella Sciorra and others, this should have done better.

Having said all that, I go on record as saying I enjoyed the film, finding it intense in parts and it kept my interest. Could it and should it have been better? Yes. It's too hard-edged, profane and too sleazy. But if you like a tough crime film, here is one. I would watch it a second time.