Copshop is the latest project from filmmaker, Joe Carnahan, who along with directing, also co-wrote the screenplay with Kurt McLeod, making this his second feature released in 2021 after Boss Level was unceremoniously dropped on Hulu earlier this year. It’s pretty good, by the way, worth checking out as long as you can stomach seeing Mel Gibson on screen. Anyway, Carnahan has made a name for himself creating wild and idiosyncratic genre flicks, mostly action oriented, and has carved out a cool niche for himself that makes him a director to watch. And with Copshop, he has made what might be his best offering yet, or at least among the best.
The premise is deceptively simple. Teddy Murretto (Frank Grillo) is a con artist on the run, and he comes up with a way to ensure his safety from incoming bounty hunters: hit a cop, get himself jailed, and buyout some time until the bounty hunter loses his trail. That cop turns out to be rookie officer Valerie Young (Alexis Louder), who gets Teddy locked up in a small town police station in the middle of nowhere. But it doesn’t take long before the bounty hunter, Bob Viddick (Gerard Butler), gets himself arrested, and locked up in the cell across from Teddy.
And this is where a battle of wits begins. In a manner of speaking at least, I wouldn’t describe much of the characters here as witty, aside from a select few. Carnahan goes all out on this, and while working on a sometimes obviously low budget compared to some of his other efforts, he makes some big swings here. It’s a part hostage film, part siege film, and it’s painted with a brush that has a love of grindehouse, even with musical nods to Dirty Harry, all while bringing its own modern sensibilities. Think Assault On Precinct 13’s (or Rio Bravo, if we’re gonna get technical about it) quirky and edgy younger brother, and one that would make a strangely solid double feature with something like this year’s Wrath Of Man. This is a cool movies with a capital C.
What makes a film like this work is its characters and overall style. Carnahan knows how to work with these actors, and giving them as much room to breathe so that little details are setup for payoffs later, backstory is brought in for some added depth, as well as some really fun banter that occurs between all the character actors that are part of the ensemble like Jose Pablo Cantillo, Chad L. Coleman, Toby Huss, Ryan O’Nan, Kaiwi Lyman, among many others. Each have a specific type they’re playing, and they do it well, bringing as much flair to the roles within the screentime that they are given so that they can make a big impression as quickly as possible.
Of course, the real stars are the trio of Butler, Grillo, and Louder, though Huss damn near steals the whole show right from under their feet. The film plays with the dynamic of this main three really well, as we only truly know what Officer Young knows, and she’s forced to make choices on whether she can trust either Teddy or Bob at any given moment, which could lead to some dire consequences if things go wrong, and a lot of times, they do. But in between the more intense moments, these three bounce off each other in really entertaining ways. Louder in particular really shines here, especially as a relative newcomer going up against two established action stars. She’s got plenty of charisma, and she can deliver the hell out of a one-liner.
As fun as Copshop can be, don’t let the quirkiness fool you, as Joe Carnahan indulges in some really nasty, mean-spirited, and brutal stuff, often at some really unexpected moments. The film puts in a pretty expansive body count, and sometimes I had no idea who might come out of this whole situation alive, if any. But it’s all ultimately a part of the joy in watching something like this. This is a great throwback that works as well as it does because it doesn’t only focus on replicating aesthetics, instead it captures the spirit of sleazy cop thrillers of the late 70s and 80s. Carnahan’s oddball energy is on full blast here, probably at his strongest since something like Smokin’ Aces. This is an absolute blast of a film, and a real treat for genre fans. And here’s hoping we see Alexis Louder is more action roles in the future because she is a star.
Copshop is now out in theaters.