Cop Land (1997)

COP LAND is surprisingly underwhelming.  Neither a meaty cast nor 
a meaty plot can do much for writer-director James Mangold (HEAVY).  
His epic-flavored movie-- about big-city police corruption that 
spills over into the small town where most of the cops live-- is 
missing *something*.  Maybe it's the pacing, which is as sluggish 
and slow-moving as Sylvester Stallone's dimmer-witted hero.  Maybe 
it's the abundance of characters, which renders the first hour more 
than a little difficult to follow.  (I still don't know who the 
victim of the fire was.)  Maybe it's the plot, which veers toward 
implausibility when the bad guys throw a party for someone who is 
supposed to be dead.  (The party as a symbol for the cop's ever-
increasing arrogance?  Maybe.)  Whatever the reasons, COP LAND 
amuses but never entirely entertains.  Even the big finale, admit-
tedly a kicker with its nifty use of sound and silence, lacks 
enough emotional punch.  With Robert De Niro, Ray Liotta, Harvey 
Keitel, Michael Rapaport, Janeane Garofalo, Robert Patrick, Cathy 
Moriarty, Annabella Sciorra, and Peter Berg.  (Rated "R"/107 min.)

Grade: B-

Copyright 1997 Michael J. Legeros
Movie Hell is a trademark of Michael J. Legeros