Cop Land (1997)

Cop Land (1997) -* * *1\2

Directed By: James Mangold

Starring: Sylvester Stallone, Ray Liotta, Robert Patrick, Peter Berg, Method Man, Annabella Sciorra, Frank Vincent, Bruce Altman, Harvey Keitel, and Robert DeNiro

The version I will be writing about is the Director's cut.




"I gave you a chance and YOU BLEW IT!!!"- Moe Tilden



Cop Land is a underrated film.

Sheriff Freddy Heflin (Stallone) is down on his luck. He's overweight and deaf in one ear after an accident. He stumbles upon a corruption case that could be a ticket out of his situation. The case is also connected to a cop killing that involves Ray Donlan (Keitel) and his band of cops (Robert Patrick and Peter Berg). His only ally is Sgt. Moe Tilden (DeNiro) who's on the rat squad. Can Freddy figure out the mystery?




The director's cut is a definite improvement over the theatrical version. It has over 20 minutes of new footage that really fleshes out the characters. Stallone's and Keitel's in particular. They have a fantastic scene towards the climax. In the theatrical version, the climax feels rushed and underdeveloped, but in the new cut it makes sense. The whole cast does a great job. Liotta is very intense. It's Sly's best performance ever. DeNiro and Keitel are at their best.



I highly recommend the director's cut of Cop Land.

Comeuppance Review by: Ty

Grilled (2005)

Grilled (2005)-* * *

Directed By: Jason Ensler

Starring: Ray Romano, Kevin James, Jon Polito, Kim Coates, Michael Rapaport, Juliette Lewis, and Burt Reynolds










Grilled was a pretty funny and suspenseful dark comedy. Ray Romano and Kevin James play meat salesman who are in a slump. If they don't make at least two sales, they're going to be fired.



Ray Romano was really good in this. He doesn't have to wait for a laugh track this time. Kevin James is his usual bumbling self, but he showed that he can be serious also and he pulled it off. You care about their problems. Jon Polito, Juilette Lewis and Michael Rapaport put in funny performances. The two stand-outs are Burt Reynolds and Kim Coates. They take one-dimensional characters and make them interesting.



"Grilled" doesn't deserve a quick death. It's worth watching.

Comeuppance Review by: Ty

Paper Soldiers (2002)

Paper Soldiers (2002) -*

Directed By: Damon Dash and  David Daniel

Starring: Kevin Hart, Stacey Dash, Michael Rapaport, Jay-Z, and Memphis Bleek











Shawn (Hart) is a petty robber, who wants to make it with the big boys of thieving. But he doesn't have the guts. But he does get into a lot of wacky situations which aren't the least bit funny.

This movie is terrible. They are no laughs at all, every joke is strained, and the delivery is off. I guess when that didn't work, they turned to weak melodrama, which falters immensely. Kevin Hart should not try to be a dramatic actor.

Michael Rapaport is always worth watching, and his cameo is slightly humorous. But the other cameo by Jay-Z looks like a freeze frame. He doesn't say a word.




If you're looking for a quality African-American flick, watch Dead Presidents (1995).


Comeuppance Review by: Ty