By: Lana K. Wilson-Combs
Sacramento producer, director, and screenwriter
Joe Carnahan revels in making bloodthirsty action thrillers like “Narc,” “Smokin’ Aces” and “El Chicano.”
Carnahan’s latest movie,
“Copshop” follows along those same lines and boasts an impressive cast that includes: Gerard Butler (“Den of Thieves 2: Pantera”), Frank Grillo (“Black and Blue”), Toby Huss (TV’s “Dickinson”) and
Alexis Louder(“The Tomorrow War”), who not only holds her own among the big boys here, but nearly steals the show.
“Cop Shop” is set in the fictional city of Gun Creek, Nevada where you can most likely get concealed weapon permits easily from the town’s modernized and high-tech police department.
What seems like a routine day for many of the police officers clocking in on the job, turns out to be anything but that. Nothing can prepare them for the mayhem that’s about to go down.
It all starts when Teddy (Grillo), a con artist blows into town to escape from a contract killer named Bob Viddick (Butler). With his options limited, Teddy decides to intentionally get arrested by assaulting rookie officer Valerie Young (Louder). Teddy thought Officer Young was an easy target, but boy was he wrong. But she’s just one of his problems.
I bet you can guess who is arrested and placed in a jail cell right next to Teddy. Yep. It’s Bob.
Teddy and Bob’s introduction stirs things up, but their sparring is no match for mobster Anthony Lamb (Huss), a nutjob who arrives at the police station with a machine gun, balloons, and some of the funniest quips in the movie.
If you’re wondering how all these people can just waltz inside a police station, well, for starters there is a corrupt cop conspiring with Anthony.
Now it’s up to Officer Young to be the hero and save the station, stay steps ahead of these contract killers as the blood splatters and the body count rises. She’s smart, tough, and relentless. In the end, Officer Young stands her ground even when one of the bad guys thinks he’s made a clean getaway.
“Copshop” is a beefy, B-movie that often plays like a 1970s blaxploitation flick. Maybe that’s why Carnahan opted to incorporate Curtis Mayfield’s classic hit, “Freddie’s Dead” to such surprising and humorous effect. It worked for me.
Editor's Note: Be sure to catch my N2Entertainment.net movie talk segment on the Kitty O'Neal Show Fridays at 6:20 p.m. on radio station KFBK 93.1 FM and 1530 AM.
Watch This Trailer For
"COPSHOP"
Lana K. Wilson-Combs is a member of the Broadcast Film Critics Association (BFCA), The Black Film Critics Circle (BFCC), The American Film Institute (AFI), and a Nominating Committee Voting Member for the NAACP Image Awards.