Amazon.com: Cop Land : Stallone, De Niro, Keitel, Liotta: Movies & TV (original) (raw)
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Reviewed in the United States on June 14, 2014
Most people think I am crazy when I mention that Stallone can act. While most will agree he is good in the roles that are custom made for him such as Rambo or the self-penned Rocky (which is why no one could have played the character better, having written the story and created the character, he knew every nuance). Most are surprised when he rises above the action-adventure genre and delves into a much richer much or demanding role. With top notch proven dramatic actors such as Robert De Niro and Harvey Keitel as well as the intense acting of Ray Liotta it's hard to believe that not only can Stallone hold his own but he can still steal a scene. The writing is top notch, the acting is great. Everyone has a reason to be there, and we know why. While we kind of felt pity for Stallone's Sheriff, we understood. having lost the use of his left ear due to a water rescue earlier in his life, of the woman he would grow to love who was forever out of reach, he was unable to join the police force and was forced to settle for a job as Sheriff in Cop Land. So named because most of those living within it's confines were all blue, working in the major city but escaping there to spend time with their families. Settling into a life where the grit and grime of the big city couldn't reach them.
We can sympathize with Stallone's character for his hero worship, and we can see the wheels turning when he realizes they are way less than perfect. We see his life crash around him and we can see the effects it has on him through his eyes, through his behavior and through his simple-man rationalizations. The end result is his coming to a point where he realizes he is the only one who can do anything to stop the plague of corruption that has settled into his normally quiet domain. There is a scene at the carnival where he is confronted by one of the crooked cops and we can see through his actions how he "changes" from the happy-go-lucky look the other way sheriff into the "take action" man he needed to be in order to do the right thing.
Throughout the movie there are subtly nuanced scenes that shows you there are grey areas in right or wrong, things most of us would turn the other way on. Such as his taking quarters out of a parking meter to play pinball. but the subtler scenes shows us there are still lines that no one should cross. And Stallone's ability to take us on a personal journey how his character evolves to become the man that he needed to be is worth the price of this blu ray alone. A great cop thriller with lots of things to keep your attention. I'd highly recommend it.
16 people found this helpful
Reviewed in the United States on February 19, 2012
Highly recommended for fans of this underrated movie - this Canadian release is the ONLY way to get the original theatrical cut enhanced for widescreen TVs. The original DVD of the theatrical cut is non-enhanced, meaning it will look "window-boxed" on your widescreen TV (i.e. - black bars not only on the top and bottom, but on each side as well). The domestic Blu-ray includes ONLY the "director's cut," which not only adds material - it re-edits some scenes, changing one element of the story significantly AND has a totally different ending.
For my money, the theatrical cut is the only version of the movie. Spoiler alerts ahead, necessary to discuss why this version is so superior to the "director's cut." In the theatrical cut, Stallone's Sheriff Heflin is painfully naive to think he can house Superboy (Michael Rappaport) in his office without Ray (Harvey Keitel) finding out. That works though, because Heflin is not the most sophisticated law enforcement officer. In the director's cut, Heflin actually goes into the bar where Ray and the other cops hang out and blatantly announces that he has Superboy in custody. Instead of naive, he looks totally stupid. The other big change, and again a necessary spoiler, is the ending. In the theatrical cut, we have a brief coda in which we see Heflin still on the job, doing what he always did (in other words, his acts of heroism gained him nothing in material terms - no promotion, etc - making his selfless actions even more admirable and poignant). In the director's cut, this is completely missing, with a highly abrupt ending that makes it unclear what became of Heflin after the film's climax.
All of this might not bother the average first time viewer. But to me, the changes ruined the movie. Since writer/director James Mangold has basically disowned the original theatrical cut, I didn't think it would ever see the light of day on Blu-ray. This Canadian version (which has the alternate title "Detective" in small print on the cover) has been out for a few years. It is not a perfect transfer by any means, but contrary to what some other reviewers have claimed - it IS 1080p high definition. The main problem with this transfer is that the source print has dirt specs on numerous scenes. The picture is generally sharp and miles ahead of the old non-anamorphic DVD of the theatrical cut. For me, having some scenes slightly marred by specs of dirt was an acceptable trade-off to have a 16:9 formatted high definition version of this definitive cut. Get it while its still in-print if you love "Cop Land."
10 people found this helpful
Top reviews from other countries
5.0 out of 5 stars Good old movie
Reviewed in Canada on March 28, 2024
Lots of good actors and action
5.0 out of 5 stars Buenos actores...
Reviewed in Spain on October 21, 2024
5.0 out of 5 stars Sûrement le meilleur film de Sylvester Stallone
Reviewed in France on June 16, 2022
J'ai vu ce film lors de sa sortie en salle, en 1997. Sly a dû prendre au moins 20 kg pour jouer ce flic de la ville-dortoir de Garrison, dans l'Etat du New Jersey, "de l'autre côté du pont". Ayant sauvé une jeune fille de la noyade lorsqu'il était ado, il en est resté sourd d'une oreille et n'a pas pu intégrer le corps des "vrais flics" du NYPD. Cela n'empêche pas qu'il a la justice chevillée au corps et fera tout pour que les flics ripoux payent l'addition. Un très bon film servi par une pléiade de bons acteurs (même les seconds rôles sont impeccables). A posséder dans toute DVDthèque.
IVAN GABRIEL MENDEZ MARTINEZ
5.0 out of 5 stars Excelente Película
Reviewed in Mexico on September 11, 2018
Entrega en tiempo y muy buena oferta
recomendada
5.0 out of 5 stars If you liked Rocky Balboa.. Cop Land has nothing to do with it.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 20, 2020
As a long-standing Stallone fan.. The Rocky films, Rambos, Cobra, Judge Dredd, even his more recent ones like The Expendables or Escape Plan - I've seen them all.
What those films have in common though is that they are all of a similar genre(The Expendables even being in existence purely based on its predecesors) - Action films.
Cop Land is something different. It shows Stallone in a different light, a working man. The local sheriff with the dodgy ear who just wants to earn his real badge.
With an all-star cast to top it off, this is actually one of my favourite Stallone films and probably one of his lesser known ones to boot. Definitely worth a watch if you're a fan of his work.
£6 for the Blu-Ray was a steal as well. Quality is great as expected.