Cop Land hit movie theaters in the summer of 1997. By this point, Sylvester Stallone was at the height of his career and had become one of Hollywood’s biggest action heroes of all time. Yet, his leading role in Cop Land was a major swerve in direction.
Despite a stellar supporting cast, including Robert De Niro, Harvey Keitel, and Ray Liotta, Cop Land fell under the radar somewhat and wasn’t quite the summer blockbuster it set out to be. However, in the years following its release, it has become a cult classic in the urban western genre. Not only is it an underrated movie, it is one of Stallone’s most underrated roles. So, let’s explore this hidden gem and why it didn’t take off the way it should have.
What Is the Plot of Cop Land?
While Cop Land may have been marketed as another hero role for Sylvester Stallone, it was actually a much more subtle and understated take on heroism, serving up much more of a crime drama rather than an action vehicle. The plot follows Freddy Heflin (Stallone), the Sheriff of Garrison, a suburban New Jersey community that is populated by New York City cops. Freddy himself lives in the shadows of these men, once aspiring to be a cop himself, his dreams were thwarted by an accident that left him deaf in one ear. However, he gets his chance to shine when he begins to suspect that the men he once admired may be linked to organized crime. With internal affairs closing in, led by De Niro’s Moe Tilden, Freddy must rise to the occasion even if it means shattering his image of the perfect town he once loved so much.
Why This Movie Didn’t Become a Modern-Day Classic
Cop Land didn’t tank at the box office by any means, grossing $63.7 million worldwide against a budget of $15 million. However, it has never been held next to other popular crime dramas of its era. It’s safe to say that many moviegoers went into the movie expecting an action thriller, given that this was pretty much all Stallone was delivering at the time. But really, his role as Freddy Heflin was much more akin to the Rocky Balboa of the first Rocky movie – a down-trodden man who has never been given the chance to display his full potential.
The film garnered a healthy amount of positive praise from critics, however, prestigious reviewers like Roger Ebert slammed the film for its “unconvincing showdown” and lack of “clarity”. But where the movie really failed to gather steam was with its audience. Although it enjoyed a record-breaking opening weekend gross of $13.5 million for Miramax, who were fresh of the success of Pulp Fiction, word of mouth slowed things down. As mentioned, many went into the movie expecting sheer carnage from Stallone, when what they actually got was a much slower-paced character study. Even the movie’s final shootout was executed in this way, opting for an entirely slow-motion sequence. To that, it’s safe to assume that many went away feeling cheated of an action movie, spreading the word of letdown and anticlimax. However, this was not director James Mangold‘s vision in the first place. He set out to craft an urban western movie about a man realizing his potential amidst a battle that was bigger than him, and in that, Mangold succeeded.
How Cop Land Damaged Sylvester Stallone’s Career
As mentioned, Cop Land‘s budget was $15 million, which at the time, was rather low. James Mangold was new to the scene, so it makes sense that he would not be given a large amount of money to play with. With the top-four billed actors being heavyweights, and the supporting cast consisting of rising stars like Robert Patrick, Michael Rapaport, and Peter Berg, it’s beyond impressive that this film got made on such a small budget. What’s even more impressive is the fact that Stallone was commanding up to $20 million for a role at the time. So, how did Mangold afford him? Well, Stallone took a mere salary of $50,000 for his rendition as Freddy Heflin.
Stallone began his career as much more of a dramatic actor, earning an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor in a Leading Role for Rocky in 1977. Yet, the 80s and early 90s saw him lose this image as he became one of Hollywood’s top action stars alongside the likes of Bruce Willis and Arnold Schwarzenegger. By signing up to Cop Land, Stallone sought to prove he still had what it took to be a dramatic actor. He ditched his ripped physique and gained 40 lbs, and delivered a much quieter performance. However, the issue was, large studios became bitter about his career move. When featuring on his daughter’s podcast Unwaxed, Stallone said: “They go, ‘well, that doesn’t make us look good because you’re doing this for free and why would we pay you?’ Anyway, it began a real bad spiral for about 8 years.” Stallone’s career really slowed down during this time. However, he managed to get himself back on top with the release of Rocky Balboa in 2006, which re-ignited his career and led to movies like Rambo, and The Expendables series.
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