tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post6453679611261671220..comments2024-03-05T21:05:36.848-05:00Comments on CommentaramaFilms: Film Friday: Cop Land (1997)AndrewPricehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comBlogger45125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-669036181729379202013-08-05T12:39:47.035-04:002013-08-05T12:39:47.035-04:00djskit, Definitely. This movie is full of things t...djskit, Definitely. This movie is full of things that you miss the first time and that gives it a high re-watchability.AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-21225218784689988642013-08-05T12:29:54.151-04:002013-08-05T12:29:54.151-04:00Just saw this on Netflix based on your recommendat...Just saw this on Netflix based on your recommendation. This is one of those times I read the first paragraph, stop, see the movie, then read the rest.<br /><br />I totally missed the bombsquad gal connection earlier in the movie - another reason to re-watch.<br /><br />Another character line - DeNiro: "That was two weeks ago...you had your chance to be a cop and you blew it!" At first he comes off like a indifferent, defeated, jerk (totally plausable)- at that point, you have no idea of where the plot is going next - then you realize, he was trying to stir the pot.djskithttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13497045723185560102noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-73596065642711724992013-06-17T17:04:12.311-04:002013-06-17T17:04:12.311-04:00Eric, I like Wahlberg a good deal as well.Eric, I like Wahlberg a good deal as well.AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-26416249937324101612013-06-17T12:33:30.105-04:002013-06-17T12:33:30.105-04:00Ditto Mark Wahlberg in The Fighter. I'm certa...Ditto Mark Wahlberg in The Fighter. I'm certainly not comparing their talent levels (Wahlberg's entertaining at what he does, but he's no Liotta), but being a movie's anchor apparently not something to be lauded.EricPhttp://www.threedonia.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-57702369270600570772013-06-17T12:00:35.074-04:002013-06-17T12:00:35.074-04:00Eric, That's pretty amazing isn't it? He&...Eric, That's pretty amazing isn't it? He's the lead and everyone but him get an award! He must have a lot of enemies in Hollywood.AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-62560954442480134562013-06-17T02:10:54.650-04:002013-06-17T02:10:54.650-04:00GoodFellas (how is everyone around the flippin'...GoodFellas (how is everyone around the flippin' centerpiece, who carried the movie, nominated and he gets bupkus???? Pissed for life on this one), Something Wild, Cop Land, Dominick & Eugene, Narc. Not the biggest fan of Field of Dreams, but always worth skipping to Ray channeling his Henry Hill laugh/cackle after the "Ty Cobb wanted to play ... we told him to stick it!" line. EricPhttp://www.threedonia.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-58061128981782982742013-06-16T22:24:53.112-04:002013-06-16T22:24:53.112-04:00Voz, LOL! Yeah, he sucked in that... and who didn...Voz, LOL! Yeah, he sucked in that... and who didn't? What a horrible movie. Good point about Boll. He's awful!AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-75360113488391580862013-06-16T22:24:18.055-04:002013-06-16T22:24:18.055-04:00tryanmax, You're welcome. I ran into that too...tryanmax, You're welcome. I ran into that too the first time, it definitely can fool you.<br /><br />I agree that general audiences wouldn't like this. Its too hard, too ambiguous for them to follow. Which again, fits with the pattern I've seen where the critics actually think like general audiences even as they pretend to be erudite and learned and "subtle."AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-87469669231683147862013-06-16T22:17:26.116-04:002013-06-16T22:17:26.116-04:00Thanks for the heads up on this. Very good. It had...Thanks for the heads up on this. Very good. It had me fooled more than once, which I like. But I don't think that general audiences would much appreciate it. tryanmaxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09881154741574720094noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-72136628346031976392013-06-16T20:09:17.705-04:002013-06-16T20:09:17.705-04:00You didn't like him in In the Name of the King...You didn't like him in In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale? j/k<br />You should start a column on the terrible mess that is Uwe Boll and how he is only a lesson in what not to do when making a movie...Voznoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-44914384805723143432013-06-16T15:47:37.703-04:002013-06-16T15:47:37.703-04:00Eric, My favorite role of Liotta's is still Go...Eric, My favorite role of Liotta's is still <i>Goodfellas</i> and then this one.AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-74278533836619687272013-06-16T15:46:30.064-04:002013-06-16T15:46:30.064-04:00Voz, Definitely agree about this not being a formu...Voz, Definitely agree about this not being a formulaic cop movie. This is a rather unique plot all around and none of the characters are cliches.<br /><br />Liotta can overact (which is why the comparison to Oldman above is so good), but it usually fits the role.AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-46880310341930532032013-06-16T14:53:09.509-04:002013-06-16T14:53:09.509-04:00Voz, if you haven't seen Dominick and Eugene, ...Voz, if you haven't seen Dominick and Eugene, highly recommend it. Liotta and Tom Hulce doing some of their best work, and Ray's not in over-the-top mode. Still, that said, when you burst on to the big-screen seen as brilliantly and explosively as he did in Something Wild, I rarely want him any other way. Simmering to psycho, always worth watching. Well, except Corinna Corinna, but I won't digress ...EricPhttp://www.threedonia.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-11249261589635667162013-06-16T14:08:21.821-04:002013-06-16T14:08:21.821-04:00I especially liked how it wasn't a formulaic c...I especially liked how it wasn't a formulaic cop movie...De Niro's character is Internal Affairs but he's not the bad guy...and speaking of Mangold, I liked 3:10 to Yuma and Knight and Day...neither of them are amazing movies but are consistent and not dumbed down from how I saw them. I usually think Liotta can seem to be overacting but he has been in a lot...one of his more memorable roles that stood out to me was Control with Willem Dafoe and Michelle Rodriguez...a very little known movie but a great movie.Voznoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-50783259729356367922013-06-16T11:43:06.863-04:002013-06-16T11:43:06.863-04:00Eric, You're welcome! Glad I inspired you! :D...Eric, You're welcome! Glad I inspired you! :D<br /><br />Totally agree... could you imagine this being your first cast? That would be amazing. And he did so well with it too. It's too bad the critics weren't fair to it. This film really does deserve more.<br /><br />On the awards, the only thing I can think of is that the critics didn't get the film and maybe they were pushing other films that year.<br /><br />Good call on comparing Liotta to Oldman! Liotta isn't someone you think of when you think about films, but then you realize that he's been in so much and he's always been great.AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-5472809691070338292013-06-16T11:01:57.912-04:002013-06-16T11:01:57.912-04:00AP, thanks for the inspiration to finally buy a mo...AP, thanks for the inspiration to finally buy a movie I've loved since seeing it in the theatre! Stallone should have at minimum been nominated for any awards that year, yet was relegated to only winning the Stockholm Film Fest Best Actor?!?! Miramax specializes in effective award-season campaigns, so guessing Sly really must have pissed in the Weinstein Bros. cornflakes. Maybe a fellow tinkle from writer/director James Mangold, who also tends to get overlooked far too often for how deftly he handles his casts. Can you imagine making this movie, with this overly lauded cast (except the criminally underappreciated Ray Liotta, who has to be the US' version of Gary Oldman for the times the Academy's ignored him), as your major studio debut? Mangold, you lucky bastard!!!<br /><br />Added appreciation for making me want to pop in The Commitments, too.EricPhttp://www.threedonia.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-47111601528857859762013-06-16T02:03:23.731-04:002013-06-16T02:03:23.731-04:00K, I'm glad you liked it! This is one of thos...K, I'm glad you liked it! This is one of those forgotten films that I think deserves a lot more notice than it got.<br /><br />Very good point about the tongue. One of the great things throughout this film is how they get you to remember key points. You absolutely remember the tongue story because it stands out as unique and it clearly identifies her as "bomb squad." It also has a feel of being the kind of story cops really tell, which gives the movie a solid "insider" feel and it keeps you from realizing that you're being told "hey, pay attention to this woman!" because it feels natural.<br /><br />Another example that I really like is how Liotta knocks over the beer can when he's teaching Freddie how to get through town fast -- "A brother is down and he's bleeding." Bang, you see the beer flowing out and you instantly get the total visual. Moments like that populate this film and I see that as both excellent writing and excellent directing.<br /><br />I think Stallone underplayed it because he wanted to be the exact opposite of characters like Judge Dredd and the cops he'd played. He wanted this character to really stand out by comparison and I think he does it.<br /><br />That said, this may have been that period.AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-16368224728773049372013-06-16T01:48:52.847-04:002013-06-16T01:48:52.847-04:00Loved the movie. Thanks Andrew.
While you're...Loved the movie. Thanks Andrew. <br /><br />While you're cataloging good story telling technique, the bomb squad girl idea impressed me. I hate it when some character isn't distinguished enough early and then turns up later and I don't know or can't remember who they are - thereby missing a story telling point. No problem even though she only showed up for 10 seconds - the tongue in the bag story did the trick. Nice. <br /><br />Nitpick: Stallone underplayed his role a bit too much. Was this made during that short period when playing retarded people was a fast track to an oscar? Khttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16289856510554336990noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-81838323872318604512013-06-16T00:58:19.619-04:002013-06-16T00:58:19.619-04:00Voz, Glad to hear it! I'm always happy to hea...Voz, Glad to hear it! I'm always happy to hear that a review has helped someone enjoy a movie more. :)<br /><br />I think the ending is fantastic. It's very disorienting and it's very different to see an incompetent Stallone basically getting lucky rather than controlling the situation. And then things like the gun jamming and he doesn't seem to know how to clear it are pretty unique on film as well. It all makes for a very unexpected and tense ending.<br /><br />And you're right, that line had a great double meaning. It's one of those lines that says so much once you stop to think about it.AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-11638124487086120342013-06-16T00:31:32.886-04:002013-06-16T00:31:32.886-04:00Just rewatched this and after reading your insight...Just rewatched this and after reading your insights into the film, I enjoyed it even more so this time...the climactic sequence was done beautifully with the muffled sounds and Stallone's line of "I can't hear you Ray." He physically can't hear him but finally is able to ignore the nonsense that Ray has been feeding him for 10 years.Voznoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-15298460054485181922013-06-15T19:26:50.095-04:002013-06-15T19:26:50.095-04:00GypsyTyger, I agree on all points.
On the bar fig...GypsyTyger, I agree on all points.<br /><br />On the bar fight, think about how much information gets passed that never gets laid out for the audience through exposition:<br /><br />1. "you don't open a methadone clinic." This line means that Liotta's girlfriend is a heroine addict. Yet, we're never told that specifically -- you have to reason it through to get the meaning. Why is that important? Well, (1) it tells us that Liotta loves her, even though that is never said -- otherwise, why would he put up with a drug addict. That means his grief is genuine. (2) It also explains why she dies. She dies because she comes home unexpectedly. Why did she do that? I can almost hear Ebert say, "They never tell us." But they did. She said "I needed some." If you don't realize that she's a drug addict, then this makes no sense. But if you do realize it, then it makes total sense and it also explains why she would be unpredictable, which explains why Liotta is so shocked when she's caught in the blast.<br /><br />2. "It's not my fault you can't look at him!" Think about that line. It's totally unexplained until Freddy steals the file that tells us what happened to Tully. Yet, it's enough to let you know both that there is something really creepy inside Ray (and that's the first time you see rage inside him... "get him out of here!") and that the insiders all know what happened. That explains why the older guys aren't the least bit shocked when Ray says they need to kill Superboy. And keep in mind, Ray never actually says that they need to kill Superboy either... it's just implied.<br /><br />3. "Don't shut me out Ray!" What does this mean? It means that Figgsy is on the inside, but that there is tension with Ray. It means that things have reached a boiling point. It raises the possibility that one or the other will need to get rid of the other -- which precedes the fire and which precedes Figgsy pushing Freddy to "come sideways" at Ray. I think it's a very fair read that Figgsy used Freddy as a weapon against Ray... <br /><br />.... now ask yourself this. When Figgsy comes back at the end, does he come back because he feels bad for Freddy or to make sure that Ray dies? I think it's a little of both. Watch him turn the gun on Ray and I think you get a sense that Ray was his target all along -- he was going to kill Ray no matter what.<br /><br />4. "I'll take care of it." That statement shows both that Freddy is a lapdog AND it comes across as so naive. It shows that Freddy doesn't have a clue what is going on yet he suggests he can fix things just by hanging out with Figgsy. That's another strong character moment that gets reinforced later with "your plan is the plan of a boy." It shows Freddy to be childish and naive.<br /><br />Then you add the moment you raise about "where were you when the fire happened" and you do see a real change in Freddy. But again, you don't have another character say, "Gee, Freddy certainly has changed and he is now more heroic." You just have to understand that this was the first time in the film Freddy stood up to ANYONE and that it meant that things had changed.<br /><br />I think this thing is so brilliantly written.AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-12695990378334756392013-06-15T19:01:22.295-04:002013-06-15T19:01:22.295-04:00Another thing that worked very well was Stallone&#...Another thing that worked very well was Stallone's status as an outsider.<br />Freddy Heflin was an outsider,the town sheriff who couldn't get on the NYPD.Keitel,Liotta and DeNiro all played NYPD cops.Well in real life Stallone was an outsider.DeNiro and Keitel had worked together in Mean Streets and Taxi Driver.DeNiro and Liotta had worked together in Goodfellas.All three men had worked for Scorcese.Stallone hadn't done any of that.Those three actors off camera had shared experiences that Sylvester Stallone didn't have. Freddy Heflin really came across as an outsider and so did Stallone.You mentioned the great character driven lines.At one point Keitel makes some crack about DeNiro,and DeNiro just blows on his coffee and says "Is that how it happened?" Just a quiet little exchange,but so much menace,not seen,but insinuated by the faces and eyes of DeNiro and Kietel.<br />You pointed out that Cop Land is about loyalty and you're right.But it's also about idealism.Moe Tilden,however tired and world weary he may be,is the enforcer of ideals as the Internal Affairs Lt.Ray has abandoned his ideals altogether. Gary Figgers is struggling with how to hold on to his.Freddy Heflin over idealizes the New York cops. Loyalty is Idealism's younger brother.<br />And lastly,Patrick is used in another pivotal scene.When he tells Stallone that he should be investigating Liotta's character about the fire,Stallone says "Where were you that night?" At the beginning of the movie Stallone wouldn't have responded that way.Patrick's character is used to show how Stallone's character is starting to sand up to the cops who previously overlooked him. This is an important step on the way to the decision Stallne makes that sets up the climax of the film,but it's easy to overlook at the time.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-83635307791427686802013-06-15T18:41:06.053-04:002013-06-15T18:41:06.053-04:00Sorry to respond back so late,I've been tied u...Sorry to respond back so late,I've been tied up with painting and yard work. First things first- Bev,way cool!<br />Andrew,"This film relies more on context than exposition." Absolutely. I've been thinking about how the bar fight is used to show the relationships between the characters.Ebert et al probably just saw a bar fight. Let's take a look at it,though.<br />The subject of Liotta's girlfriend comes up. Robert Patrick says "At least I ain't shacked up with no 'Rican whore. You're just supposed to f__k 'em Gary,not open up a methadone clinic." Ordinarily the next shot would be of Liotta,the man who had just been insulted.But the next shot is of Keitel.And Keitel doesn't look at Patrick,who made the vulgar remark,he looks at Liotta.Keitel knows that Liotta isn't going to take that,because they have a history together.You have to watch though.The movie never stops and explains their history. The viewer has to pick it up.The scene then shifts to Liotta,who I've always considered an underrated actor.He doesn't overact.You see the anger build in him as he absorbs the insult,it goes through his jaws and his eyes and then he hits Patrick. As Patrick realizes that what he thought was just going to be a smartass remark and a smirk is evolving into a trip to the dentist he goes for his gun. Liotta keeps him from getting it,but not because he responds to it,because he anticipated that Patrick's character would pull his gun,even in this intramural fight with another cop.These guys know each other.But you have to watch and pay attention to realize it.<br />Continued<br />GypsyTyger Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-7204321904164197512013-06-15T11:34:22.020-04:002013-06-15T11:34:22.020-04:00Thanks Patriot, I think you'll like this one.
...Thanks Patriot, I think you'll like this one.<br /><br />I know what you mean about the downloads. I prefer the discs for that reason.AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-56301659084578347962013-06-15T07:46:59.114-04:002013-06-15T07:46:59.114-04:00Haven't seen this...or really even heard about...Haven't seen this...or really even heard about it, but I'm not a film geek like most folks here at Commentarama. But now I can say I read celebrity gossip....thanks Bev!!<br /><br />Andrew....the film is now on the official Patriot list of films to watch on evenings when I'm not paying $14.99 for the latest b'buster on Amazon Prime! <br /><br />I wish there was a way to burn a film to disc that you just "bought" off these pay sites. I still like the act of being the movie player in the film projection room like I did years ago when the little Patriot's were all together and not scattered around the globe.<br /><br />Very perceptive review Andrew......as always!Patriothttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01533169053860540075noreply@blogger.com