Copland (1997)

4 corrected entries

★★★★☆

Starring: Robert De Niro, Sylvester Stallone, Ray Liotta, Harvey Keitel

Corrected entry: When Sylvester Stallone is asked why he couldn't join the NYPD, he points at his left ear and says it was because of deafness...but his deaf ear was the right.

Correction: He used his left hand to point to his head generally to indicate deafness, not specifically to his left ear.

Watchful

Corrected entry: In a scene between Liotta and Stallone on the front porch, Liotta deliberately lays his beer can on its side on the porch railing. In the next scene it is standing upright.

Correction: The can is upright because Liotta puts it upright himself on camera.

Corrected entry: Midway through the film a character speaks to Stallone from the back of his squad car and then gets up and leaves. I thought you couldn't open the back door of a police car from the inside.

Correction: The guy in the back is also a cop and would know that so just didn't close the door when he got in.

tw_stuart

Corrected entry: In the flashback scene where the young Freddy is in the submerged car, he uses the side of his head to smash the window from inside, but the glass breaks just before he hits it for the last time.

Correction: In the DVD version we don't see the glass break and I see nothing else unusual about this scene.

tw_stuart

More for Copland

Mistakes

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.

More mistakes in Copland

Quotes

Sheriff Freddy Heflin: You people are all the same.

More quotes from Copland

Trivia

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

Questions

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 ★

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