Starring Sylvester Stallone, Harvey Keitel, Robert De Niro, Janeane Garafalo, Peter Berg, Annabella Sciorria, Ray Liotta, Cathy Moriarity, Michael Rapaport. Written and Directed by James Mangold.
Copland is the nickname an Internal Affairs Investigator (De Niro) gives to Garrison, New Jersey, a quiet little town where most inhabitants are NYPD cops. Unfortunately, these cops are have obtained very low interest mortgages through the mob in exchange for looking the other way from the mob drug trafficking. These cops are led by Ray (Keitel), an extremely vicious vetern cop who virtually runs Garrison. Garrison is virtually crime free, other than the NYPD activities, and the pleasant, overweight sheriff Freddy Heflin (Stallone) likes his town and the cops, because he longs to join the NYPD. But he can't, because he is partially deaf as a result of rescuing a girl from drowning, a woman who he still loves but can't have because she's married. One night, a young cop (Rapaport), a nephew to Ray, guns down too (as it turns out) unarmed youths, so Ray fakes the cop's death to avoid the inevitable scrutiny, and give him a chance to start a new life somewhere else. De Niro arrives in town trying to enlist Freddy's support in finding the young cop, and in bringing down the bad cops. Of course Stallone is torn over what he should do, because of his loyalty to the cops, and desire to become one.
Stallone is excellent. He put on a reported 40 pounds, and he walks and slouches like a man whose dreams have been crushed and whose pride has evaporated. The rest of the cast is also first rate. Keitel especially is fine as the ruthless, power-mad cop. Garafalo is outstanding as a competent, professional deputy recruited into the sheriff's who wants out because of the corruption in the town, and Freddy's willingness to turn a blind eye. With a cast this good, I was very much looking forward to seeing this movie. Unfortunately, the movie is a bit disappointing, and doesn't live up to its promise. The predictability of Freddy's redemption takes away a lot of the suspense. A lot of unlikely events occur. A cop who received $198,000 in an arson he committed that accidently kills his girlfriend, after he gets away, suffers pangs of conscience and turns around to come back and help Freddy and risk going to jail. Another cop sleeps with Ray's much older wife knowing what a vicious psychotic Ray is. But not only that, he's married to the gorgeous Sciorria, and no explanation is offered why he might want to be unfaithful to her. The ending, while exciting, is also unlikely and far-fetched. Much of the movie is good - it just should have been better. Where is Scorcese when you need him?
