BY CHRISTOPHER STAMM
GUEST MOVIE REVIEWER
Copshop (Now showing in theatres)
Rated a Hard R – For language, bloodshed, and nearly non-stop brutal violence
I know, I know … Many of you were expecting me to review Clint Eastwood’s newest film, Cry Macho, but let’s be honest here: It’s going to be good. His movies are almost always excellent. So I chose to review one that may have otherwise slipped past your radar.
Ladies and gentlemen, that film is Copshop, and I am here to tell you this film, with the running time of 1 hour and 47 minutes, feels like 30 minutes max. There is a whole lot of fun and smart writing going on in this film.
Teddy Mureto (played by the awesome Frank Grillo from multiple Marvel films) is on the run and needs to hide. Where is the safest place to hide? Well, he decides a police station in the middle of the Nevada desert is a good choice.
Enter Bob Viddick (Gerald Butler from the Olympus Trilogy) who is here to tell Teddy and us that it’s not as safe as one would think.
And from there, things just go insane.
Borrowing from great films like Assault on Precinct 13 (the 1976 original masterpiece, not the 2005 waste of time and money remake), Copshop does not fail to deliver. It is fun, sharp, and has no interest in politically correct nonsense.
Rounding out the cast is Alexis Louder (Watchmen) in her first leading role, who holds her own and then some when sharing scenes with the two veteran stars of this film. Expect great things from Ms. Louder – she was fantastic – and from Toby Huss (Reno 911) who turns in what can only be described as a rip-roaring portrayal of a psychopath.
There are only three films in the last few years in the crime genre I thought excelled and did not retread old ideas: Wrath of Man, Bad Times at the El Royale, and now, joining that list of great crime films, Copshop.
Four solid stars (out of five) for this one, folks. Catch it before it disappears.
P.S. Have I mentioned there is a film called Dune coming out on Oct. 22? I’m just a little bit excited for this one.