Cop Land
Copland promotional poster
Directed by	James Mangold
Written by	James Mangold
Starring	Sylvester Stallone Robert De Niro Ray Liotta Harvey Keitel Peter Berg Janeane Garofalo Annabella Sciorra Robert Patrick Michael Rapaport John Spencer Arthur J. Nascarella
Music by	Howard Shore
Editing by	Craig McKay
Release date(s)	August 15, 1997 (U.S. release)
Running time	104 min / USA:116 min (director's cut)
Language	English
IMDb profile

Cop Land (1997) is an American dramatic film written and directed by James Mangold with an ensemble cast featuring Sylvester Stallone, Harvey Keitel, Ray Liotta, Robert De Niro, Robert Patrick, Peter Berg, and Michael Rapaport. Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (522x755, 81 KB) promotional poster for the American theatrical release of the film Copland (1997) Source URL: http://www. ... James Mangold (born December 1964) is an American film director born in New York City, New York best known for the independent film Heavy, winner of the best directing prize at Sundance; Cop Land starring Sylvester Stallone, Robert DeNiro, Harvey Keitel and Ray Liotta; Girl, Interrupted, which won the Best... Sylvester Gardenzio Stallone[1] (born July 6, 1946) is an Academy Award-nominated American actor, director, producer and screenwriter. ... Robert Mario De Niro, Jr. ... Ray Liotta[1] (born December 18, 1954) is a Golden Globe-nominated American actor. ... Harvey Keitel (born May 13, 1939) is an Academy Award-nominated American actor from New York City. ... Peter Berg (born March 11, 1964 in New York City) is an American actor and film director. ... Janeane Garofalo (born September 28, 1964) is an American stand-up comedian, actress, political activist, writer and former co-host on Air America Radios The Majority Report. ... Annabella Sciorra as Det. ... Robert Patrick (born November 5, 1958) is a Saturn Award-winning American film and television actor. ... Michael David Rapaport (born March 20, 1970) is an American actor and a comedian. ... For other persons named John Spencer, see John Spencer (disambiguation). ... Arthur J. Nascarella is an American character actor who has appeared in dozens of films, most often playing mobsters and cops. ... Howard Leslie Shore (born October 18, 1946) is an Oscar, Golden Globe and Grammy Award-winning Canadian composer, best known for composing the scores to The Lord of the Rings film trilogy and films of David Cronenberg. ... Craig McKay is an Emmy-winning American film editor, probably best known for having edited The Silence of the Lambs, for which he received his second Academy Award nomination. ... This article is about the day of the year. ... The year 1997 in film involved some significant events. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... For the band, see 1997 (band). ... This article is about motion pictures. ... James Mangold (born December 1964) is an American film director born in New York City, New York best known for the independent film Heavy, winner of the best directing prize at Sundance; Cop Land starring Sylvester Stallone, Robert DeNiro, Harvey Keitel and Ray Liotta; Girl, Interrupted, which won the Best... An ensemble cast is a cast in which the principal performers are assigned roughly equal amounts of importance in a dramatic production. ... Sylvester Gardenzio Stallone[1] (born July 6, 1946) is an Academy Award-nominated American actor, director, producer and screenwriter. ... Harvey Keitel (born May 13, 1939) is an Academy Award-nominated American actor from New York City. ... Ray Liotta[1] (born December 18, 1954) is a Golden Globe-nominated American actor. ... Robert Mario De Niro, Jr. ... Robert Patrick (born November 5, 1958) is a Saturn Award-winning American film and television actor. ... Peter Berg (born March 11, 1964 in New York City) is an American actor and film director. ... Michael David Rapaport (born March 20, 1970) is an American actor and a comedian. ...

Story

The film takes place in fictional Garrison, New Jersey, a small town across the Hudson River from New York near the George Washington Bridge where a large number of residents are New York City Police Department officers. Stallone plays the quiet Freddy Heflin, the hearing-impaired sheriff of Garrison who admires his friends who are cops. Helfin had wanted to join the NYPD, but was rejected due to his injury. Although nominally the sheriff, Freddy's actual authority is limited to handling minor civil issues. This article is about the U.S. state. ... , The Hudson River, called Muh-he-kun-ne-tuk in Mahican, the Great Mohegan by the Iroquois,[1][2][3] or as the Lenape Native Americans called it in Unami, Muhheakantuck, Θkahnéhtati[4] in Tuscarora), is a river that runs through the eastern portion of New York State and... New York, New York and NYC redirect here. ... For the bridge in New York that crosses the Harlem River, see Washington Bridge. ... NYPD redirects here. ... A hearing impairment or hearing loss is a full or partial decrease in the ability to detect or understand sounds. ... Look up Sheriff in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

The real power in town belongs to the corrupt NYPD cops, primarily Ray Donlan (Keitel), who constantly reminds Heflin that he is only a local sheriff and is not really one of them. Consequently, Heflin spends most of his days listening to his vinyl records and longing for his high school sweetheart (Annabella Sciorra), who he saved from drowning at the cost of his hearing and who dumped him for a dysfunctional marriage with another cop, Joey Randone (Peter Berg). Matters are further complicated by 'Figgsy' (Liotta), another corrupt NYPD officer who is a friend of Heflin's. Figgsy also has an ongoing rift with Randone, and is convinced his former partner was killed before he talked to Internal Affairs about Donlan and his group. Annabella Sciorra as Det. ... Peter Berg (born March 11, 1964 in New York City) is an American actor and film director. ...

Starting the action off, Murray 'Superboy' Babitch (Michael Rapaport), Donlan's nephew, gets sideswiped on George Washington Bridge by a couple of kids. Thinking they fired on him, he returns fire and they are killed in an ensuing crash. Worried about a possible racial incident, Donlan decides the best solution is to fake Babitch's death by suicide by jumping off the George Washington Bridge. When another corrupt cop is caught red-handed trying to plant a weapon on one of deceased motorists to justify the shooting, their fellow corrupt cops (Harvey Keitel, Robert Patrick, John Spencer and Arthur J. Nascarella) fear Babitch will testify to internal affairs about police corruption. Michael David Rapaport (born March 20, 1970) is an American actor and a comedian. ... For the bridge in New York that crosses the Harlem River, see Washington Bridge. ... Harvey Keitel (born May 13, 1939) is an Academy Award-nominated American actor from New York City. ... Robert Patrick (born November 5, 1958) is a Saturn Award-winning American film and television actor. ... John Spencer can refer to different people: John Spencer, 1st Earl Spencer (1734-1783) John Spencer, 3rd Earl Spencer (1782-1845), British politician John Spencer, 5th Earl Spencer (1835-1910), British politician John Spencer, 8th Earl Spencer (1924-1992), father of Diana, Princess of Wales John Spencer (British politician) (1708... Arthur J. Nascarella is an American character actor who has appeared in dozens of films, most often playing mobsters and cops. ...

De Niro plays Lt. Moe Tilden, an NYPD internal affairs officer investigating Mafia connected corruption amongst the officers living in Garrison. His jurisdiction ends at the George Washington Bridge, but the men he watches live across that bridge. Smelling a coverup in Babitch's "death", Tilden asks Heflin to provide internal affairs with information on the corrupt cops. Even though they are corrupt and work in a different city, Heflin views them as allies and brothers, able to accomplish what he could not. His reluctance to betray his friends derails the investigation. The internal affairs (United States terminology) division of a law enforcement agency investigates incidents and plausible suspicions of lawbreaking and professional misconduct attributed to officers on the force. ... Police officers in South Australia German state police officer in Hamburg A police officer (also known as a policeman or police constable, and colloquially as copper, cop or bobby (on the beat)) is a warranted worker of a police force. ... This article is about the criminal society. ...

Although the cover up at first seems successful, Donlan is told by his PDA President Vincent Lassaro that without a body, the case will not stay dead. Donlan decides that Babitch should be killed. However, they botch the job and in doing so reveal to Heflin that Babitch is actually alive. Heflin is forced to confront the truth about his childhood friends and try to bring them to justice. When he realizes his error he returns to Tilden seeking help, but Tilden rejects his plea. Heflin steals several NYPD files on the cases when he is leaving the office. He returns home to find Figgsy packing to leave, and admonishes him for abandoning him.

Returning to work, Heflin recognizes a man in one of the the old case files, and realizes that it is an officer and a friend of Donlan, who works in the prison where Figgsy's partner was killed. The case is Figgsy's partner's murder, which clearly implicates Donlan. His deputies listen to his discovery with skepticism, and one, Cindy Betts (Janeane Garofalo), also abandons him. Following up on the leads he talks to Rose Donlan (Cathy Moriarty) who gives him Babitch's location. Heflin finds Babitch and takes him to jail, where his second deputy abandons him in fear that the corrupt cops will come to take Babitch by force. Now alone, Heflin attempts to take Babitch to New York to turn in to Tilden, but is ambushed by Donlan and other cops, who take Babitch and leave Heflin deaf in his good ear. Cathy Moriarty (born November 29, 1960, in New York City) is an American actress. ...

The film's climax involves Heflin walking through Garrison, injured and now totally deaf, knowing they've taken Babitch to Donlan's house. A shootout follows, and Heflin is saved when Figgsy arrives, having had a change of heart. The two kill all of the corrupt cops in the house and grab Babitch. They successfully take him to New York, where Tilden accepts Babitch into custody, giving Heflin all of the credit for bringing him in. The film ends with Tilden telling Heflin to come inside.

Cast

Sylvester Stallone as Sheriff Freddy Heflin

Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Sylvester Gardenzio Stallone[1] (born July 6, 1946) is an Academy Award-nominated American actor, director, producer and screenwriter. ... Sylvester Gardenzio Stallone[1] (born July 6, 1946) is an Academy Award-nominated American actor, director, producer and screenwriter. ... Harvey Keitel (born May 13, 1939) is an Academy Award-nominated American actor from New York City. ... Ray Liotta[1] (born December 18, 1954) is a Golden Globe-nominated American actor. ... Robert Mario De Niro, Jr. ... Peter Berg (born March 11, 1964 in New York City) is an American actor and film director. ... Janeane Garofalo (born September 28, 1964) is an American stand-up comedian, actress, political activist, writer and former co-host on Air America Radios The Majority Report. ... Robert Patrick (born November 5, 1958) is a Saturn Award-winning American film and television actor. ... Michael David Rapaport (born March 20, 1970) is an American actor and a comedian. ... Annabella Sciorra as Det. ... Noah Nicholas Emmerich (born in February 27, 1965 in New York City) is an American film actor who first broke out in the cult hit Beautiful Girls. ... Cathy Moriarty (born November 29, 1960, in New York City) is an American actress. ... For other persons named John Spencer, see John Spencer (disambiguation). ... Frank Vincent (born Frank Vincent Gattuso on August 4, 1939) is an Italian-American actor. ... Malik Yoba (born September 17, 1967 in Bronx, New York) is an African American actor. ... Arthur J. Nascarella is an American character actor who has appeared in dozens of films, most often playing mobsters and cops. ... Edith Falco (born July 5, 1963) is an American television, film and stage actress best known for her lead role as Carmela Soprano on HBOs award winning hit series The Sopranos, as well as Diane Wittlesey on the HBO show Oz. ... hes cool Victor L. Williams (born September 19, 1970 in Brooklyn, New York) is an American actor. ... Paul Calderon, an American actor, was born in Puerto Rico. ...

Production

De Niro and Keitel had worked together on three previous films, Mean Streets in 1973, Taxi Driver in 1976 and Falling in Love in 1984. Due to the film's modest budget, all of the actors worked for scale. The entire main cast (with the exception of Robert Patrick), and most of the supporting cast and extras, were born or raised in New York City or the New York metropolitan area. Numerous supporting actors in Cop Land would later appear in The Sopranos, including Annabella Sciorra, Edie Falco, Frank Vincent, Robert Patrick, Frank Pellegrino, John Ventimiglia, Arthur J. Nascarella, Bruce Altman, Janeane Garofalo, Paul Herman and Tony Sirico. For other uses, see Mean Streets (disambiguation). ... This article is about the 1976 American film. ... Falling in love is a mainly Western term used to describe the process of moving from a feeling of neutrality towards someone, to one of love. ... The Screen Actors Guild (SAG) is an American labor union representing over 120,000 film and television principal performers and background performers worldwide. ... Robert Patrick (born November 5, 1958) is a Saturn Award-winning American film and television actor. ... New York, New York and NYC redirect here. ... New York–Northern New Jersey–Long Island is the most populous metropolitan area in the United States and is also one of the most populous in the world . ... This article is about the television series. ... Annabella Sciorra as Det. ... Edith Falco (born July 5, 1963) is an American television, film and stage actress best known for her lead role as Carmela Soprano on HBOs award winning hit series The Sopranos, as well as Diane Wittlesey on the HBO show Oz. ... Frank Vincent (born Frank Vincent Gattuso on August 4, 1939) is an Italian-American actor. ... Robert Patrick (born November 5, 1958) is a Saturn Award-winning American film and television actor. ... Raos Restaurant was founded in 1896 in East Harlem, New York City. ... John Ventimiglia (born July 17, 1968 in Ridgewood, Queens, New York City) is an American actor, most famous for his role as Artie Bucco on the HBO television series The Sopranos. ... Arthur J. Nascarella is an American character actor who has appeared in dozens of films, most often playing mobsters and cops. ... Bruce Altman is an American actor and television actor. ... Janeane Garofalo (born September 28, 1964) is an American stand-up comedian, actress, political activist, writer and former co-host on Air America Radios The Majority Report. ... Paul Herman (born March 29, 1946) is an American actor. ... Genaro Anthony Sirico, Jr. ...

Two melancholy songs from Bruce Springsteen's 1980 album The River, "Drive All Night" and "Stolen Car", along with an effective Howard Shore score, help set the atmosphere. Springsteen redirects here. ... The River is a double album by Bruce Springsteen released in 1980 (see 1980 in music). ... Howard Leslie Shore (born October 18, 1946) is an Oscar, Golden Globe and Grammy Award-winning Canadian composer, best known for composing the scores to The Lord of the Rings film trilogy and films of David Cronenberg. ...

Reception

Stallone's understated performance against type - he gained considerable weight for the role - was praised by critics and he received the Best Actor award at the Stockholm International Film Festival. Cop Land was accepted into the main competition at the Cannes Film Festival, but Miramax declined the invitation. Stockholm International Film Festival is an annual film festival in Stockholm, Sweden. ... The Cannes Film Festival (French: le Festival de Cannes), founded in 1939, is one of the worlds oldest, most influential and prestigious film festivals. ...

Despite critical praise for the film and Stallone's acting, and opening at number one, the film's $45 million domestic gross ($65 million in 2006 ) was portrayed as a disappointment. However, in retrospect, the film's $25 million budget made the take a fine return, especially considering the dark content and tone. Since then, the film has found a second life on cable television and home video and DVD and is considered to be one of Stallone's best performances and an important film in Mangold's portfolio.

Director's cut release

Cop Land: Director's Cut was released to DVD in June 2004. Features include the original 112-minute cut, restoration of deleted scenes and scenes extended, addition of New York band Blue Öyster Cult's "Burnin' for You" to the soundtrack, and a new audio commentary with James Mangold, Sylvester Stallone, Robert Patrick and producer Cathy Konrad. Also included are a "Shootout Storyboard Sequence" and "The Making of an Urban Western" documentary. DVD (also known as Digital Versatile Disc or Digital Video Disc - see Etymology) is a popular optical disc storage media format. ... Blue Öyster Cult is an American rock band formed in New York in 1967 and still active in 2008. ... Burnin for You is a popular single and song by American rock band Blue Öyster Cult from their album Fire of Unknown Origin from 1981. ...

Legacy

Stallone stated on the Opie and Anthony Show in 2008 that the film "hurt" his career, and that he had trouble getting roles for eight years, due to the film's failure and the mix of views on whether he was leaving action movies for more character-driven content. Stallone has described this as "the beginning of the end, for about eight years".^[1] Opie and Anthony Opie (Gregg Hughes, b. ...

The 1957 film 3:10 to Yuma is one of Mangold's favorite movies, and the character Freddy Heflin is named after the lead actor of that film, Van Heflin. In 2007 Mangold remade 3:10 to Yuma with Russell Crowe and Christian Bale. Van Heflin (December 13, 1910 – July 23, 1971) was an Academy Award-winning American film and theater actor. ... Russell Ira Crowe (born April 7, 1964) is a New Zealand-Australian[1] actor. ... Christian Charles Philip Bale (also known professionally as Christian Morgan Bale; born 30 January 1974) is a Screen Actors Guild Award-nominated, Saturn Award-winning Welsh actor[2][3] whose film credits include Empire of the Sun, American Psycho, Equilibrium, The Machinist, Batman Begins and the upcoming The Dark Knight. ...

References

External links

• Cop Land at the Internet Movie Database
• Cop Landat the Rottentomatoes
• Cop Landat the Metacritic