Copland

Copland (1997)

6 mistakes - chronological order

(5 votes)

Other mistake: In the scene where Sly and his female partner are using the speed gun, a speeding car drives past. The female cop is pointing the speed gun towards the sky and not at the car, so it would never give a reading. (00:19:30)

Mr Manchester

Continuity mistake: The first scene with Murray Babitch driving across the George Washington Bridge from New York to New Jersey was actually filmed going the other direction. When driving from New York to New Jersey on the lower level of the bridge you enter a black tunnel first, and exit through a yellow tiled tunnel. The scene in the film starts in the yellow tiled tunnel - New Jersey to New York direction.

Continuity mistake: In one of the scenes, Sheriff Heflin is playing a record, and the music we hear is a song by Springsteen. However, the record doesn't have the red Columbia Records label that all of Springsteen's albums have. They obviously decided to use Springsteen's song later.

Continuity mistake: There's a scene after Superboy jumps from the bridge with a paramedic smoking a cigarette close to the butt. The camera switches and suddenly his cigarette is a freshly lit one.

Continuity mistake: In the final shootout when Freddy is shot by Leo, he falls against the car parked in the driveway and dents the passenger door. When he gets up again after Gary shoots Leo, the dent is gone.

Continuity mistake: In the final shootout at Ray's house, Figgis first fires at the crooked cops with a revolver. When he follows Freddie into the house and shoots at Ray he is shooting a semi-automatic pistol.

Upvote valid corrections to help move entries into the corrections section.

Suggested correction: Ray Liotta likely picked up the deceased crooked cop's Glock pistol.

Moe Tilden: That cupcake makes a mess and we got a case again.

More quotes from Copland

Trivia: In the trailer, there is a scene in which a purple Geo Tracker is doing a 180 degree turn. This scene is not in the film.

More trivia for Copland

Question: Harvey Keitel was supposed to have been a highly respected veteran officer with the NYPD with connections within the department and other agencies as stated in the movie. With all that power and connections, it puzzles me why his character is still a patrol officer working beat shifts as shown in the scene when he intentionally let Joey fall to his death on the roof. He shows up in uniform in a patrol car with his other crooked partner responding to the call.

Answer: Being a higher-up not only means more responsibility, but also closer scrutiny. As a low-level beat cop, it allows Donlan a lesser profile, greater mobility out on the street, to be at crime scenes without suspicion, and he can more easily and covertly interact with his criminal accomplices and contacts. Being tied to an office would be a hindrance; he can wield his corrupt power more effectively this way.

raywest

Actually, Donlan is a Lieutenant, which is a pretty high rank.

Answer: Yes that's correct but in actuality it's highly unlikely a veteran officer would stay in patrol their entire career, crooked cop or not, unless they work for a very small department and there are no opportunities to move up.

Yes, in the real world, it is indeed highly unlikely he would spend his entire career on patrol. For the purpose of the movie, it serves the plot to have the Donlan character written as a mobile beat cop for the reasons stated. It also allows for more action and sets up the final confrontation between Stallone and the crooked cops. Movies just do not reflect reality.

raywest

More questions & answers from Copland

Join the mailing list

Separate from membership, this is to get updates about mistakes in recent releases. Addresses are not passed on to any third party, and are used solely for direct communication from this site. You can unsubscribe at any time.

Check out the mistake & trivia books, on Kindle and in paperback.