User reviews

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.

Well, if you're a James Woods fan (which to me is the real reason to rent this) then you will love him in this movie. I haven't read the novel but I liked both this movie & Ellroy's L.A. Confidential. It is rare indeed to take a novel & translate it to the screen without losing something. Perhaps I'm lucky because I never read either novel before seeing the film.

One of the reasons I watch this movie over & over again is that it IS funny yet disturbingly dark at times. In one scene where Woods is trying to get laid by an uptight bisexual poetess, you can just see the boredom & apathy on his face as she drones on & on about her " knight in shining armor." This ties in with an opening scene when he's trying to convince his soon to be estranged wife that it's better NOT to delude their daughter with fairy tales that is just AWESOME writing. I cannot paraphrase it all, but he basically says that innocence kills. The idea that some man will come along to make it perfect is what kills deluded women. Which ties into the story because he ends up on a case that turns out to be a serial killer who specializes in killing innocent women.

There are some parts that are slow but over all this movie is well paced w/great actors and great acting. This movie is just as gripping as Training Day, just less well known. Either way, give it a try, you won't be disappointed if you like James Woods.

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.

What lifts Cop beyond the range of a normal action film is James Woods's multi-layered performance in the lead. His investigation into a woman's death reveals a serial killer at work, one who's been plying his trade for about 15 years. The problem is that Woods can't convince the police brass of his suspicions, they don't want to alarm the public. He even has a problem with his partner, Charles Durning on the issue.

The connection to these crimes has something to do with feminist author Lesley Ann Warren and what happened back in high school which coincidentally enough is the same alma mater for Woods. Warren's cooperation has to be dragged out of her, she's not able to comprehend that she is the key to the killings.

Woods as the detective is at once dedicated, arrogant, tender, and quite the misogynist on occasion. Any one of these emotions is hard enough, but James Woods manages to achieve them all, sometimes all of them at once. Whatever else he is, he's a man convinced of the rightness of his course and nothing is deterring him whatsoever.

Also in the cast is Charles Haid, late of Hill Street Blues who also is part of the mystery. He too is an alumnus of the high school. Haid plays a sleazy deputy LA County sheriff and plays it well.

For fans of James Woods, an absolute must for them.

James Woods is the most underrated of all the great actors. Maybe it's because he hasn't starred in enough 'classics', but there's something fundamentally troubling in his personality that discourages full recognition. It's not because he usually plays villains - audiences have had great affection for the hateful throughout movie history. Woods is too normal to be a melodramatic villain; he's a tensed up, selfish, narcissistic, arrogant jerk. He has neither redeemable qualities, nor conventional charisma. His look compounds these drawbacks with its strangeness - it somehow seems all wrong; his body is to wiry for his head and shoulders, his head is reptilian and bug-eyed. And yet he charms by his total indifference to what we think of him. (He's also very funny)

Cop is too flawed to be great - its plot mechanics are too predictable; James Ellroy, having started with the daring proposition that Woods might be mad, and his investigations just an extension of this, is too afraid of loose ends to be truly scary (serial killer plots, ostensibly about the blackest modern evil, are paradoxically reassuring - they suggest pattern and order, and an identifiable problem, which once rooted will result in restoration); the visual style could be out of any dour 70s cop show (except for some gorgeous Kubrickian tracking shots); the music is hellish 80s synth orchestration; the climactic showdown is implausible and silly, although the film boasts one of the best endings in cinema.

What makes this film essential is Woods, and Harris' direction. Laura Mulvey once claimed that Hollywood cinema privileged the actions of the male hero; the woman was an object to be stared at and won. Cop refutes this by having an archetypal male hero - a cop - whose actions shape the movement of the film, and yet who is riveted to the screen, subjected to the merciless exposure of the camera. Woods cannot lie to us, every tic, flaw, line of thought is laid bare. Even though he always seems in control, we are constantly aware that he is being stared at (even before this becomes a narrative element), that he is stuck in the frame. Harris, producer of The Killing, Dr. Strangelove, Lolita etc., has learned much from Kubrick in this unforgivingly formal, analytic approach (see also Melville).

The film subverts the usual maverick cop cliches. Unlike Dirty Harry, Hopkins' concern for the cause of murdered women is undermined by his egocentric insensitivity towards the women who practically need him in his life. There is a Freudian framework used, as Hopkins' neuroses (he is accused of having a fixation on murdered women) are linked to his past, but the final working of them out (it takes place in his old school) is not reassuring. The force itself is perverted and corrupt, both in obvious (one sherrif is a drug-dealing, rent-boy pimp) and not so obvious (most of Hopkins' superiors are 'born agains') ways. Hopkins is like a Kubrick hero, an instrument of a corrupting social force.

There are problems - the co-opting and infantilising of feminism, the possible homophobia; like the Searchers, the critique sometimes seems to become confused with what is being criticised. But this is brave, dangerous, clever film-making that deserves to be better known.

Sometime ago a sadistically violent novel written by James Ellroy was published under the title 'Blood on The Moon.' Having read the book, I was most surprised to see the story up on the silver screen under the marquee of " Cop." The tragic tale was so woefully violent, I wondered how it's stark terror and black suspense would transferred to the Big Screen. However, I was pleased when I saw that James Wood would be the hero and it would be directed by James B. Harris. Woods plays detective Sgt. Lloyd Hopkins a hard-as-nails police officer seemly obsessed with solving an unsolved series of murders dating back years. Seemingly at a dead-end, he is frustrated and on the verge of giving it up, when a ray of hope inspires him to continue. As he does, he enlist the aid of Kathleen McCarthy (Lesley Ann Warren) a Feminist poet and his police mentor Dutch Peltz (Charles Durning) who is in line to become a police Captain. Despite his unorthodox methods, Hopkins gets results even if it means stepping on toes and challenging his superiors. The movie is powerfully dark, suspenseful and dotted with terrifying scenes which are not for the faint of heart. Still any Woods' fan is sure to enjoy the power and skill with the main actor and I for one look forward to this film becoming a milestone for Woods. Excellent rendition of the book and if one wants to peek under the ambulance sheet, I suggest you read the novel. ****

Don't know why it took me so long to finally sit down and watch 'Cop'. I've always been a fan of James Woods. Wherever he's top billed or supporting - he delivers unique characters. Off centered, funny, parts admirable or disgusting. He can do drama. Action. Comedy. With a perchance for equal parts sleazy and intelligent.

That about sums up his character here, Sgt. Lloyd Hopkins of the LAPD. Based on a trilogy of books is a cop who's great at his job but is his own worst enemy. Crossing the line. The end justifying the means. With a personality type that might be equal parts because of his job, what he's seen, dealt with and his own twisted outdated misogynistic attitude.

The thrust of the story is of an undiscovered serial killer centering around a past high school rape and feminist leanings. There's some mild police diversions and clashes with a police superior. As Hopkins crumbling home life is shown as well, but the laser focus beneath all these elements is his character. The identify of the killer is secondary.

He's the glue. Not always easy to like, but that's the charm. The hook of the material. It's increasingly unabashed in showing his flings with multiple women (he's married). His sleep deprivation. The questionable way he talks to his young daughter about the job and his willingness to violence as an abrupt solution.

Woods is fantastic and the reason to watch. Lesley Ann Warren plays naive quite well while Charles Durning is grounded as a fellow cop and Hopkin's friend. Lastly Charles Haid is effective as a greasy corrupt deputy sheriff. Easily dismissable as exploitive in the 80's - the violence and politically incorrect characters feel right at home today. I should have seen this sooner.

Veteran LAPD detective Sgt. Lloyd Hopkins (James Woods) is the smartest man in the room and the only one suspecting a serial killer murdering women. Fellow detective Dutch Peltz (Charles Durning) is his main ally. His investigation leads to Kathleen McCarthy (Lesley Ann Warren) who runs a feminist bookstore.

It's a meandering murder mystery. It's nothing special and nothing really grabs me. James Woods is being his James Woods self. Then in the interrogation room, the movie explodes in overacting and overboard character turns. It feels fake. James is doing James to the max and Lesley is pushing the limits to match him. It's a bland police drama until it jumps overboard.

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.

James Woods plays L.A homicide detective Lloyd Hopkins, an obsessive cop on the trail of a serial killer targeting women. Lloyd goes undercover and makes contact with a beautiful single woman(played by Lesley Ann Warren) who may have had contact with the killer, and therefore could be his next target. Lloyd falls for her, though she doesn't know his secret, and can't believe her life is really in danger.

James B. Harris directs this mostly routine and undistinguished drama which would be as generic as its title but for two things: James Wood's intense and compelling performance as a hard-driving cop and the memorable ending involving the final confrontation with the killer(I wont give it away, but wow!) Film still falls short, but those two things at least make it watchable.

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

James Woods does extremely well as can be expected in this film based on a novel by James Ellroy of "L.A. Confidential" fame. The original title "Blood on the Moon" would have been a more striking choice, with the title "Cop" suggesting a certain generic quality about this whole thing, which isn't exactly far off the mark. This movie does have a large air of familiarity to it, overall, starting with Woods' character Lloyd Hopkins, an intense and driven individual who has his own way of doing things.

Lloyd is a weary man determined to teach his daughter early on that the world can be a bad and ugly place, and it's Lloyds' assertion that innocence and naivety is what really kills young women - and he's proved correct in regards to a serial murder case he's stubbornly pursuing. Mostly, what we get here is good, solid, straightforward, no frills storytelling: the story might be familiar, but the execution is still quite competent. Woods and his director James B. Harris, who'd previously worked together on 1982s' "Fast-Walking", also served as the producers here.

It does help the movie that it does have that rather glum, film noir style to it, enhanced by Michel Colombiers' moody music score. Although the story plays out in such a way that we can sort of see where things are going, it never makes things too obvious and in fact the true identity of the killer is not revealed until just before the final act. This leads to a pretty suspenseful finale in a school gym with Woods and the killer playing a game of cat and mouse - not to mention one of the most kick ass endings to a movie of this kind, with a memorable quote from Woods.

Very good supporting performances are another heavy asset, with lovely Lesley Ann Warren as the feminist writer and would be romantic interest, Charles Durning, a steady presence as Woods' good friend on the force, Raymond J. Barry, as a ramrod straight and humourless superior, Charles Haid as a crooked deputy with a disgusting past and present, and Randi Brooks as the "entertainer" who provides Woods with some information. Woods makes for a commendably flawed yet compelling protagonist - not a gentleman who's one dimensional, as he's quite tender with his daughter, yet his "dog with a bone" mentality does get him into a great deal of trouble.

A good and consistently watchable, if not really remarkable, movie.

Seven out of 10.

Ha, "Cop" . . . "Maniac with a Badge" is more like it.

As is the trademark of James Ellroy, this particular detective is kind of an amoral prick with a real hangup about violence against women. On any other day of the week, I would be behind this 100%, but the actual case he's working on doesn't measure up. A new lead sprouts up conveniently at every turn, and were it anyone else in the lead role, the movie would be DOA. Profane and violent yes, but also tedious.

Fortunately, it's James Woods, a live wire who berates, seduces and shoots his way through the investigation and gives the story the charge that it needs. He's absolutely the reason to watch this and he ends up shouldering the load. I'm iffy on the movie but I love his performance.

James Woods plays yet another sleazebag, it's his stock in trade. He's trying to find a serial killer of women and maybe get a little for himself. You've seen dozens of movies like this (or think you have) but Woods elevates it as few can. Similar ground is covered in Clint Eastwood's Tightrope and the two movies would make for an excellent double feature for different takes on extremely similar material.

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!

James Woods is a great actor and this is one of his best roles. It's nothing more than a B picture, but Woods is great as Lloyd Hopkins a bad cop in a bad city. He's the kind of cop who picks up on the bad guys girlfriend after he shoots him dead on the street. It's got a lot of good scenes with Woods at his best and a knockout ending. It also has sexy Randi Brooks and Charles Durning for support. Lesley Ann Warren also does a fine job as a chainsmoking Lesbian poet. This movie is highly reccommended. Put it in the VCR and hold on.

James Ellroy fans will probably want to check this out. They especially are the ones who should avoid it.

Ellroy writes complex, psychologically damaged characters. James W. Harris's screenplay loses all that. It's watered-down and dumbed-down, making this just another average cop thriller.

Stick with L.A. CONFIDENTIAL or BROWN'S REQUIEM instead.

James Woods plays a stressed-out but determined detective on the hunt for a serial killer who has a vendetta against some former female college students.

Not only is he stressed with his crumbling marriage, but is also ham strung by his boss at the police precinct who is a born-again Christian and won't allow Woods the kind of resources he demands in order to trace the serial murderer before he strikes again.

By the end of the film Woods has been suspended from the force for repeatedly over stepping the mark, but at least he has his prey in his sights and won't let something as the Law get in his way.......

Not a particularly original script and it sometimes stalls & loses emphasis and a sense of direction. But for all that Woods hold the story together quite well in his customary man-on-the-edge way.

Woods has always been one of my favourite actors, he plays his characters with a great deal of intensity, passion and understanding (especially in the Oliver Stone movie, Salvador). And as a consequence his part as Lloyd Hopkins in this film is well suited & crafted for Woods' considerable depth.

Hopkins is arrogant & difficult not only to work with but also to live with. He is pushy and very confrontational and insists he gets his own way now rather than later, very much like Clint Eastwood's "Dirty" Harry Callahan character.

In particular he hates to see women ill-treated and so this particular murder mystery is to his liking and won't rest until he has tracked down the "scum ball" that murdered these students.

He has a heart of gold when he is with his little daughter. But he is also scared & concerned about her future and hopes that she will learn right from wrong and not fall into the shadows of crime & sleaze that he witnesses every day where he works.

But for all his morality & self-rightousness, he is also a cheat, a womaniser & just as sleazy as some of the scum that walk the streets that he so detests. So he is a man of contradiction, compassion and anger all rolled into one, which is just the kind of role best suited for Woods.

Unfortunately, none of the supporting actors are blessed with such dynamic or rounded characters, most of them are predictable & stereotyped, so we soon learn or hazard a guess as to what will happen to them during the unravelling of the movie.

There are a couple of cameo roles from Charles Haid (typecast again from his days as a cop in Hill Street Blues), Lesley Anne Warren and Charles Durning. But none of these characters are strong enough or offer any dimension to the film.

A lot has been said about the unusual ending. I guess in one respect it could have been done better although the very final scene (the fade to black and the sound of fired bullet casings clinking off the floor) is excellent and quite shocking.

Overall then, Cop is a routine thriller with only James Woods lifting it from the mediocre and into a competent drama. Woods does a fine job as always but there's not much else going on and is perhaps 20 minutes or so too long.

***/*****

In 'Cop' James Woods plays Hopkins, the title role. A cop whose life is coming apart. About to lose his wife, his kid, his mind. He's not a straight-shooter of a cop; he's barely on the right side of the law. And his boss knows it, and would like nothing better than to be rid of him.

Woods' Hopkins is assigned to a grizzly murder and, whatever the reason, he makes finding the serial perpetrator his life's work. Along the way the plot becomes incredibly convoluted, so much so, that even after watching the film for a second time, it was still unclear what the victims had in common. In fact, even after Woods explains their connection, there was no way I or anyone else would buy it.

The film features Leslie Ann Warren. She may or may not be a lady in distress but whatever she is, she is one very creepy lady. And James Woods - creepy himself - is all too aware of that. Even so, when Leslie Ann Warren is on screen, she takes over the scene. A very good performance as a damaged woman. Charles Haid - from Hill Street Blues - plays another cop, and though he's really fine in his role, his character's role in the murders remained unclear. Charles Durning plays ... Charles Durning; the gruff but lovable older cop.

One last thing. The ending. That alone gives the film a couple of extra stars. You will not see it coming. That said, Is the ending worth the nearly two hours of watching?

Nope.