On C List of Movie Reviews

(For optimum viewing, adjust the zoom level of your browser to 125%.)


Cop (1988)

Rate: 8
Viewed: 4/20

Cop
4/20: Based on James Ellroy's novel Blood on the Moon, director James B. Harris makes no apologies for going neo-noir in Cop while unabashedly breaking every rule in the police handbook.

I wonder if James Woods signed up for the politically incorrect role so he could blow the sucker away at the end. If that's the case, I don't blame him. Again, it's another terrific performance by James Woods. His personal style is all over the film.

Yeah, there are a lot of times that have made me go, "Hmm...okay." None is more obvious than the part when Detective Hopkins apprehended the guy in his car, shot him to death, and went home with the deceased's girlfriend while leaving his partner behind to clean up the mess. The most amusing moment is when he rolled his eyes after listening to Kathleen McCarthy's super-boring talk.

The supporting cast is excellent: Charles Durning, Lesley Ann Warren, Randi Brooks, Raymond J. Barry, and Charles Haid. Most importantly, it's the direction that keeps the film on point in order to be gritty and dark. That way, the characters can be real even if they come off as idiots.

All in all, a film can go a long way when James Woods is at his best, and that's the case for Cop.