Copland Directed by James Mangold
Starring: Sylvester Stallone, Harvey Keitel, Ray Liotta, Robert De Niro, Peter Berg, Janeane Garofalo
Synopsis: A small town sheriff who feels obligated to a popular but dirty cop must decide whether or not to betray him when a victim of attempted murder asks for protection.
This is a drama, not an action flick. This time, nstead of playing Rambo, or Rocky or any other superheroic type of guy, Sylvester Stallone plays a sweet, slow-witted, pot-bellied, likeable sheriff of a small town who wanders sadly an gently through a town that doesnt have much excitement. The film is called "Cop Land" because the New Jersey town that Sylvester patrols is mostly inhabited by cops who work across the bridge in New York. Theres an atmosphere of conpsiracy since throughout the film, it is made known that the mob has connections with dirty cops who have connections with dirty politicians, but all of these clues or not followed up on or explained. I loved the film and thought it was a great bit of normal-guy type heroism and drama.
Opinion: Whether or not you enjoy the film hinges entirely on one key point - - it depends on how you interpret Sylvester Stallones character. If you interpret Stallones character as a smart guy, then youre going to wonder why he didnt investigate all those conspiratorial threads and why things are left "hanging" unexplained. If you interpret him as a slow-witted guy, then youll be happy with this film, because the film is essentially a morality play, with the moral that even a gentle, confused guy can make a moral decision to do the right thing.
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