Cop Land

UK Release Date: 05 December 1997

Certification: 15
Director: James Mangold
Cast: Peter Berg, Noah Emmerich, Harvey Keitel, Ray Liotta, Robert De Niro, Robert Patrick, Michael Rapaport, Sylvester Stallone, Frank Vincent

Rating: 66%

Review:

1997's Cop Land is a film of its time. Back when investigations into the police force were seen on screen every few months - Internal Affairs, L.A. Confidential and Training Day. Cop Land may lack originality, but for the most part it's a solid crime film. 

The cast is stacked. Full of big name, A-list actors akin to that of one of Scorsese's works. Yet, it's Sylvester Stallone that steals the show with a terrific performance. Sheriff, Freddy Heflin, hindered by being partially deaf is portrayed superbly by Stallone. Emotionless, unwavering and torn by inner turmoil. The audience is continuously  rooting for Heflin despite his unadventurous persona. Harvey Keitel and Robert Patrick are both decent enough villains, menacing without any significant characterisation. The late Ray Liotta is great as always. And Robert De Niro is fantastic but he needed more screen time. His line delivery was excellent - "I offered you a chance to be a cop, and you blew it!"

James Mangold's direction is top-notch in his second feature length film. With a filmography consisting of 3:10 to Yuma, Ford v Ferrari and Logan - Mangold is one of my favourite working directors. A lot of the shot selection in the third act is stellar. The use of the infamous dutch angle in the final shootout creates unease and a certain nausea that immerses the audience into the conflict. 

However, Cop Land struggles to remain coherent. Areas of the film simply feel flat as a result of a string of uninteresting sequences. This is mainly down to how Cop Land is paced. It's all over the place in that sense until the film reaches the third act which is a slick and streamlined half an hour or so.