Cop Land

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General		Extras
Category	Thriller	Theatrical Trailer(s)	Yes, 1 - 1.33:1, 16x9 enhanced (windowboxed), MPEG 2.0
Rating		Other Trailer(s)	None
Year Released	1998	Commentary Tracks	None
Running Time	100:41 Minutes (Not 105 Minutes as per packaging)	Other Extras	Cast & Crew Interviews  Featurette - Making Of Cast Biographies
RSDL/Flipper	No/No	Cast & Crew
Start Up	Movie
Region	4	Director	James Mangold
Studio Distributor	Roadshow Home Entertainment	Starring	Sylvester Stallone  Harvey Keitel  Ray Liotta  Robert De Niro  Peter Berg  Janeane Garofalo  Robert Patrick  Michael Rapaport  Annabella Sciorra
Case	Brackley
RRP	$34.95	Music	Howard Shore

Video		Audio
Pan & Scan/Full Frame	None	MPEG	5.1
Widescreen Aspect Ratio	1.78:1	Dolby Digital	5.1
16x9 Enhancement		Soundtrack Languages	English (MPEG 5.1, 192Kb) English (Dolby Digital 5.1, 448Kb/s)
Theatrical Aspect Ratio	1.85:1	Miscellaneous
Macrovision	Yes	Smoking	Yes
Subtitles	None	Annoying Product Placement	No
		Action In or After Credits	No

    The film mainly revolves around an incident in which Murray "Superboy" Babitch (Michael Rapaport) mistakenly shoots a pair of African-Americans after they horse around with him on the road. The execution of this sequence is somewhat hackneyed and implausible in that it is impossible to imagine how a car being driven by two dead men can come to such a sudden turn and stop, but this is not quite as important to the overall plot as what follows on from this event. In any case, not longer after the shooting, some fellow policemen from Garrison and attempt to cover Murray's tracks for him, which doesn't go unnoticed by the pair of paramedics at the scene. A series of dodgy dealings occur, which motivate Murray to jump from the side of the bridge to where it is presumed he drowned. Of course, this is merely an incident that could happen to any well-meaning police officer, but Murray just happens to be Ray's nephew, and all sorts of corrupt and shady dealings occur to conceal the truth. Fellow officers Gary Figgis (Ray Liotta), Joey Randone (Peter Berg), and Jack Rucker (Robert Patrick) assist Donlan in covering up the events, while a race ensues to locate Murray before Ray and his cronies, intent on covering up the something rotten in their town, find him and silence him forever.

    All in all, this is a very slow race, but one that is made very satisfying by the manner in which the characters are extensively fleshed out: they seem like ordinary human beings rather than mere characters in a story. As the film progresses through its story it really begins to make you actually care about the motivations of the characters, especially the few good guys. Sylvester Stallone even tries to act in this film, and while he is certainly not going to win any Oscars for his efforts, he does prove that he has an understanding of some of the basic elements of his job. Cop Land overall is a slow, mildly-paced thriller that is quite satisfying to watch as the clean, safe image of Garrison is slowly peeled away to reveal a corrupt, ugly interior that doesn't stretch credibility at all. Harvey Keitel and Robert De Niro are in fine form as always, and Ray Liotta definitely seems to have put some forgettable efforts such as Unlawful Entry behind him.

Video

    The transfer is presented at an aspect ratio of 1.78:1, complete with 16x9 enhancement, and I must again implore film studios: if you are going to transfer a 1.85:1 film to DVD, then transfer it in the proper ratio rather than in 1.78:1, as it creates doubt in the minds of the consumers as to whether they are getting the full picture or not. The transfer was very clear and very sharp at all times, although it is not quite as sharp as you would expect from a contemporary transfer. Some of the night-time shots suffer from a lack of clarity, but this is more the fault of the way in which the sets and locations were lit rather than the transfer. Shadow detail was satisfactory, although something of a letdown for such a recent film. There was no low-level noise at any point in the film.

    The colours were well-saturated, giving the town of Garrison a certain sense of displacement from its neighbouring cities. There is a slight hint of oversaturation apparent from time to time, but this can easily be overlooked.

    There were no MPEG artefacts at any point in the film. Film-to-video artefacts consisted of some small amounts of shimmering from the usual culprits, especially venetian blinds, but this was well-contained when you consider how many opportunities for this artefact are presented in the film. Film artefacts were a mild problem in the first and last thirty or so minutes of the film, but they were otherwise absent, giving the impression of a very clean print during the more sedate parts of the film.

Audio

    The dialogue was always clear and easy to understand, even from Sylvester Stallone, although there was a word or two here and there that I decided to go back to in order to make sure that I heard it right. Audio sync was never a problem at any point in the film, although the rapid and forceful speech during some sequences would have really tested the recording mixers.

    The music in this film was composed by Howard Shore, and a couple of contemporary tunes are used to flesh out certain moments in the story, usually some exchanges in the local bar and at Freddy's home. The score music enhances the on-screen action quite well, but it is not especially memorable for any particular reason. Much of the film does not lend itself too well to being enhanced by scoring, so I believe that the film score generally does well with the limitations it has been given.

    The surround channels were moderately but consistently used to support the ambient sounds and the music, as well as the occasional special effect. The climax of the film is well-supported by the overall soundtrack, with the distorted feel of the sound which is used to put the viewer in Freddy's place being made rather effective by the placement of shrill sounds such as gunshots and barking dogs in indistinct regions of the surround mix. During most of the film, the surround field makes for an outsider's perspective on the action, while the climactic sequence allows a more immersive experience. The subwoofer was called upon occasionally to support the music and special effects, but was otherwise silent.

Menu

Theatrical Trailer

Featurette - Making Of

Cast & Crew Interviews

Cast Biographies

• 16x9 Enhancement

    The video quality is very good.

    The audio quality is good.

    The extras are numerous, but ordinary.

Video
Audio
Extras
Plot
Overall