Cop

source: Cop

Trailer—Cop

Cop

James Woods hams it up beautifully as the "cop" with a REAL bad attitude, and Charles Durning adds a nice touch as his police buddy. Over the top, overacted and hard to believe, but pretty damn fun to watch, with one of the greatest "smack you upside the head" endings I've ever seen in my twenty-six years on this planet. Check this one out and have a good time.

One cup of coffee away from a psycho ward or one cigarette puff short of nuclear meltdown, James Woods is always a fascinating study for an audience that thrives on the unpredictable. This movie could have used more of his patented bug-eyed nuttiness. As it stands, Woods plays the role of unconventional cop in pretty conventional fashion, which, coupled with a murky, uninvolving script and slack direction, amounts to subpar and generally uninteresting slasher fare. There are moments of genuine quirkiness, as when he seemingly ad-libs a cynical remark suggesting that sex rather than sensitivity is what motivates his interest in Lesley Ann Warren. But those moments are few and far between, and I suspect the film went from production directly to video release without a commercial run. Woods should give up the lover-boy fling and stick to his specialty--being the edgiest guy in Hollywood. That should be enough for anyone.

But when it comes to the review of this movie, it's all good news. James Wood is Lloyd Hopkins, the jaded cop who throws himself into one particular case after his wife, Penny, leaves him. Adapted from a James Elroy novel, this crime drama turns out pretty good. And while not reaching the heights of L.A. Confidential in some ways, for me it come close and exceeded that great movie in other ways thanks to an understated acting chops of James Woods. That guy remains a criminally under-rated actor. In my mind, he's one of the greats. Plus the ending is so VERY good. My Grade:A Where I Saw it: Starz Action

James Woods is our hardboiled detective as he navigates the dark web of a mass murderer. Woods' wife and child have recently left him, and he is under investigation at the police department. He is unwilling to give up the case, and no one is going to stop him. "Cop" displays Film Noir disillusionment and it's bleakest and the dark ending (not going to be spoil it) only adds to the Noir-iness. In the 1980's Film Noirs started to come out again, beginning with remakes like "D.O.A.", and new originals like "To Live and Die in LA." In this revival, "Cop" is a crown jewel, a wonderfully mysterious tale of man willing to risk and loose everything to find a killer. As a Noir enthusiast, I highly recommend this film. It may be overacted at times, and the detective may seem a little to gung ho to be believable. But, Woods'es excellent performance is able to hold the film together. It is a thriller from start to end, and overall a very enjoyable film. Watch it, trust me.

There are times that this feels like a TV Movie. In fact, if it were not for the presence of James Woods that is all this would be, a good TV movie. As it is, Woods acts his socks off without overdoing it. He manages to pull this up to a much higher standard, very watchable stuff, in fact. There is nothing really ground shaking in the script and, to be truthful, it kind of gets a bit lost at a couple of points. Like others have pointed out, the dark twisted aspect of the original book do not quite come across to the screen, but nevertheless is a very passable transition. In summary, not one to watch for your main film on a Saturday night, but certainly worth a look on any other night.

Extremely entertaining film about a cop (Woods) who tries to hunt down a criminal who is murdering women downtown in an apparently random order. I saw this on AMC one Friday night, very late, and I was blown away. Great acting, particularly by James Woods, and just a very fine film with a good fade-to-black ending. It's sort of dumb and predictable sometimes, but it's one of the best endings I can remember in recent years. 4/5 stars. John Ulmer