Directed by:
James MangoldScreenplay:
James MangoldCinematography:
Eric Alan EdwardsComposer:
Howard ShoreCast:
Sylvester Stallone, Harvey Keitel, Ray Liotta, Robert De Niro, Peter Berg, Janeane Garofalo, Robert Patrick, Michael Rapaport, Annabella Sciorra (more)Plots(1)
Sylvester Stallone gives off a critically-acclaimed performance in this tense drama as Freddy Heflin. Freddy had big dreams of being a New York policeman all of his life, but after an accident left him deaf in one ear; he was ruled out of this ever happening. Freddy settled for a simple job as a Sherriff for a small town outside of New York populated by policemen, referred to as 'Copland'. When an up-and-coming policeman is caught up in a pursuit gone wrong and subsequently kills himself, Freddy stumbles upon evidence that leads him to believe the policemen in his town are not who they appear to be. Freddy must now decide whether to take a stand and go against the men he idolizes or honour the policeman's code and protect them. But is this his chance to prove himself? Can he be the policeman no one believed he could? (Lionsgate Home Entertainment)
(more)Reviews (3)
Sly looks good here with his beer belly, but that doesn’t make him a character actor, though at least he tries and I had no problem believing him in the role of an honest cop. Some of the great actors alongside him, on the other hand, don't try very hard, acting giant De Niro's performance is not very good. The story, corruption in the ranks of the police, is nothing original, nothing I haven't seen countless times in other films. Still, I can't say that I was bored, also thanks to the well-crafted conclusion. Mangold was just cutting his teeth in his second directorial venture, but even that was enough for a fairly pleasant movie.
()
Despite all those stars, it’s nothing but average. I don't understand De Niro's participation at all, his role was terribly bland and quite unnecessary in the overall context. The only ones who stand out are, surprisingly, Stallone as the sheriff, and Keitel as the corrupt cop. The film's attempt at some character psychology deserves praise, as well as the fact that it doesn't play at being more than what it really is, and that it doesn’t throw any shocking twists or big action set-pieces. It's just another American fairytale of good guys versus bad guys, of which many have been made, and much better and more entertaining. 60%
()
The screenwriter and director in one failed to fully exploit the potential of a pretty decent theme and a stellar cast, but I really enjoyed watching those young men :-) It's a real shame that James Mangold couldn't get more out of this theme. Had he been able to do that, it would have been a very decent four-star thriller.
()