Cop Land (1997)

“Bein’ right is not a bulletproof vest, Freddy” – Gary “Figgsy” Figgis

Number of Times Seen – at least 5 (Theater, Video, DVD, 27 May 2013)

Brief Synopsis – A small town sheriff of a town filled with NYPD cops must decide what is the right thing to do when he believes that crimes are being committed by the citizens of his town.

My Take on it – How does a director working on his second picture get a cast like this? Sylvester Stallone, Harvey Keitel, Robert Patrick, Ray Liotta, Robert DeNiro, Annabella Sciorra, Peter Berg, John Spencer, Janeane Garofalo, Noah Emmerich and Michael Rapaport are all in this movie in prominent parts. I honestly don’t have an answer. It just baffles the mind.

If this was a movie by Scorsese, Spielberg or Tarantino, I would understand, but James Mangold? He hadn’t even directed Girl, Interrupted (1999) or Walk the Line (2005) yet. If any of you have an answer, let me know.

Regardless, this movie happens to be great. It delves into a theme of police corruption, but does so in a unique way.  I was very pleased watching this movie every time that I’ve seen it.

It was nice seeing Stallone as the anti-hero protagonist.  He put on 40 pounds for the role and moves slower than we normally expect from him, making his character more realistic.

This movie would have been better had the running time been expanded and they gave us more time to get to know all the characters involved.

Go see it!!

Bottom Line – Great movie, Great cast, intriguing plot and storyline. Go see it. Highly recommended!!

Rating – Oscar Worthy