‘Cop Land’ Covers Tough Territory, Requires Thought
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IRVINE — In “Cop Land,” a mild-mannered sheriff’s deputy (Sylvester Stallone) must choose between protecting the corrupt and powerful New York cops who populate his New Jersey suburb or taking them on. (Rated R)
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With explosive blockbusters fading in these dog days of summer, kids looking for a movie might understandably pick “Cop Land.”
The stars alone promise something special: We get not only Sylvester Stallone (in a new and different role as the meek Freddy Heflin) but also Robert De Niro (as an NYPD internal-affairs investigator) and Harvey Keitel (as a murderous cop on the take). Not to mention Janeane Garofalo (as Freddy’s sidekick) and Ray Liotta, Robert Patrick, Peter Berg and Michael Rapaport as the gang of cops beholden, perhaps, to the mob for the low interest rates on their suburban homes.
But more than likely, kids who pick “Cop Land” will leave the theater in a daze, zoned out by a combination of great acting, crude cop talk and a long, confusing plot.
“It was too long and had too many characters,” said Mike Esfahani, 14, of Irvine, who rated the movie a C plus. His cousin Borna Kabousi, 14, visiting from Canada, gave it a B but said he found the end confusing. The whole thing required a bit too much thinking, he said. Borna admitted that without the star roster, he might have stayed home.
Some kids were thrown by the sight of Stallone, of “Rocky” and “Rambo” fame, portraying a character who’s hard of hearing, overweight and powerless.
“I think it was sort of a boring role,” said Roger Zhao, 10, of Mission Viejo. “He was just like this sort of deaf guy, and he didn’t know how to fight. In other movies, he’s better at fighting and stuff.”
In this movie, Stallone is a reluctant hero whose most valiant act occurred years earlier when he rescued a drowning teen-age girl and consequently lost the hearing in one ear. Thus unable to qualify for the NYPD, he works across the river in Jersey, giving out speeding tickets and investigating complaints about garbage. Then Moe Tilden (De Niro) challenges him to do the right thing and find “Superboy” Babitch--a cop whose suicide was faked after he killed two unarmed boys on the George Washington Bridge.
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Those eager to see the massive explosions and gigantic firearms usually associated with action pictures will be disappointed in “Cop Land.” So will those who think a film without big bangs is benign. Ironically, small scenes involving more personal and intimate violence proved even more disturbing to some children.
A collective “eeewwww” arose from the audience during a bar fight in which one cop shoved a dart up another’s nose. Villains ultimately shoot Freddy from behind in his one good ear. Wounded, he retaliates, villain by villain.
“It was scary,” said a 9-year-old girl whose mother requested that her daughter not be identified.
Her 11-year-old brother was more curious about the technical details. How could he accomplish this rampage if he was so badly wounded?
Ultimately, the movie offers a message--stated, in fact, word for word--that no one is above the law. But still, many left feeling confused and unsatisfied.
“It was OK, but it had a sort of bad ending,” 10-year-old Roger said. “It just . . . sort of . . . ended.”
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Parent Perspective: The constant stream of strong language surprised many parents.
Sylvia Dennis, who came with her 14-year-old son, Trenton, said, “I assumed this was rated R because of the violence. This had more foul language than fighting.”
George Zhao said that although his English is limited, he understood the rough language.
He was displeased that police were depicted as untrustworthy. In retrospect, he said he would not have brought kids, Roger, 10, or Sarah, 7. “If I know this is a movie like this, I don’t think so,” he said.
* FAMILY FILMGOER, Page 21
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