Cop

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

I thought the story line for cop was excellent, which isn't surprising given that it's based on James Elroy's Blood on the Moon. I haven't read this but I really enjoyed the actual story line itself. I feel like the execution of the movie lets the story line down in many ways. There are parts where it is brooding and tense, and then there are parts that are plain ridiculous (such as Llyod picking up a girl straight out of a murder him and his partner committed!). The moments that are a bit ridiculous detract from the overall tone and quality of what could have been an excellent movie. What keeps the movie alive and gives it credibility is James Woods. He is spectacular overall and saves this from becoming substandard. He is unpredictable and at times mesmerizing. The opening scene and closing scene are both really memorable moments of him and it's a pity the rest of the film doesn't match up to his quality. I do have to mention that some of the support acting was also strong enough to hold up and make the film more credible. Lesley Ann Warren and Charles Durning were both solid as the slightly creepy Kathleen and the stereotypical cop partner Dutch. I was going to rate this a 6 out of 10 in my mind as it approached the last few minutes. However the final scene itself was so unexpectedly clinical and enjoyable, that it merited another notch up the rating ladder. If you watch you will see for yourself.It just enhances the performance of James Woods and makes you regrettably realize that this movie could have been so much more.

Cop is based on the book 'Blood and the Moon' by James Ellroy. I have not read the book that the film is based on; although I am a big fan of the first three books in Ellroy's 'L.A. Quartet'. It is often said of Ellroy that his writing got better as it went along; and assuming that this film is closely based on the book, I would say that there's a good chance that is true as the story here is not exactly solid. The entire film hinges on one major and quite unbelievable coincidence that boggles the mind if you care to think about it. However, it's the style and atmosphere that saves it; and that's the main reason I loved this film! The plot focuses on your everyday hard-bitten cop, Lloyd Hopkins, who after investigating the murder of a woman in Los Angeles, comes to believe that a serial killer may be operating in the area. Naturally, the police captain doesn't believe a word of it and Lloyd is forced to investigate on his own; leading him to a revelation closer to home than he was expecting.

Director James B. Harris creates a fabulous atmosphere for the film to take place in and ensures that L.A. seems to be every bit the gritty and sleazy location needed to facilitate a tale like this. Similarly, James Woods fits the central role like a glove and is always believable in the role; even when the plot is getting out of hand. The first half of the film is really rather good and plausible; but then the twist hits and it really requires a suspension of disbelief from the viewer. It's not that the twist could not happen; it's more the way that it does happen which comes off as silly. It's just far too convenient and the whole film is turned on its head from that point on. Still, the atmosphere is retained and the story continues to be gripping; which are the film's strongest elements. Certain elements of the film are rather nasty, and indeed the book was originally denied by many different publishers for being too graphic! Still, a lot of it focuses on dialogue and from what I know of Ellroy, this part of the film is quite faithful. It all boils down to a rather hurried and coincidental ending; but I really do feel that this is a film where the style of it is much more important than the plot line. For some it will no doubt be too much of a problem...but I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this to anyone that enjoys a good crime thriller!

Based on the James Ellroy novel "Blood on the Moon", James Woods is LAPD detective Lloyd Hopkins who discovers the terribly mutilated corpse of a young woman and immediately starts comparing the scene with previously unsolved murders. He becomes convinced a serial killer is at work here, preying on women for the last fifteen years. Soon, more gruesome murders occur and detective Hopkins becomes a target himself. Detective Hopkins is the kind of amoral sleazeball that makes Dirty Harry seem like a little angel in comparison. He's the kind of cop that blows your date away, leaves his partner to clear the mess and then asks the woman if she needs a ride home and have some fun.

James Woods also co-produced with director James B. Harris, long time buddy of Stanley Kubrick and producer of THE KILLING (1957), PATHS OF GLORY 1958) and LOLITA (1962), who also wrote the script for this hard-edged cop thriller. I made the mistake expecting a really good film, mostly based on Woods' presence, the writings of James Ellroy, and Kubrick sidekick James B. Harris taking the directorial helm, but Harris hardly shines in that department. His direction is adequate, but not much more. Best to watch this as a gritty cop flick, trashy, cynical and sometimes a bit silly with plenty of misguided attempts at humor on account of leading man James Woods, always a plus, in any film. It's a reasonably well-executed cop thriller, but no classic. Expect an enjoyable slice of B-movie nonsense and you probably won't be disappointed.

Camera Obscura --- 7/10

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.