I went into the film “Copland" with a few reservations.  First of all, the title makes it sound like a horror movie right out of my  worst nightmare.  As if there weren't enough cops!

 I was anxious, however,  to see the performance of  actors Ray Liotta,  Harvey Keitel and Robert de Niro,  who have starred in  such great films as “Goodfellas,” “Casino” and “Taxi Driver”.  However, I was unfamiliar with the director, James Mangold, and the fact that Rambo (oops...), Sylvester Stallone, also had a starring role in the movie also made me skeptical.

 To my relief,  though, Mangold’s work is high quaility, and Stallone’s performance almost entirely redeems  him for years of cheesy action movies.

      The film takes place in Garrison, N.J., a town just across the Hudson River from New York City.  The town is populated almost entirely by New York City police officers who have come there to escape the everyday madness and violence of the city.  But instead of protecting the public, they turn to lawlessness.
 
 Stallone plays the sheriff of the town who faces a moral dilemma.  He must choose between the loyalty he feels toward his friends in the town and his civic duty to curb their illegal activities.  Keitel and Liotta play corrupt cops,  and both give excellent performances.  Robert de Niro’s part is small, but  crucial to the plot, and his acting is as flawless as usual.
 
 Method Man also makes a cameo as a crazed crackhead, and is quite convincing.  I thoroughly enjoyed “Copland.” It is well written,  intelligent and entertaining.  Go see this movie, and you won't be disappointed

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