Bullet Points: Copshop

Get ready to eat your weight in popcorn when Open Road Films releases Copshop in theaters on September 17th.

• The Plot: Teddy Murretto (Frank Grillo) is a two-bit swindler who has pissed off the wrong people. He knows his life is in danger, so he intentionally gets arrested by rookie cop, Valerie Young (Alexis Louder). What begins as a night in jail, soon turns into something a lot of more violent, when competing hitmen, Bob Viddick ( Gerard Butler) and Tony Lamb (Toby Huss) show up to send Teddy into forever sleep. Who will survive the night? Copshop is directed and co-written by Joe Carnahan. 
• This One is Simple: Earlier this year, I reviewed Boss Level. A badass movie starring Frank Grillo and directed by Joe Carnahan. Do we get more of the same with Copshop? What do you think? Copshop reminds me a lot of Carnahan’s  Smokin’ Aces. Both films have very similar plots, but I do think Copshop is a tad-bit more serious than Smokin’ Aces.

• The Showstopper: Of the four main characters, we only have one “good” guy and the good “guy” is the badass Alexis Louder’s Valerie Young. She holds her own with the boys as the moral compass of Copshop. We see most of the film through her eyes. It is plot you’ve seen many times: A rookie cop is forced to step up when all hell breaks loose at the police station. And this rookie cop must decided who to trust and who not to trust, and if you choose wrong, you could end up stone-cold dead. What makes Copshop even more fun is both Grillo and Butler have characteristics that makes them morally bad. This means they can have more fun doing things we could only wish we could do. If you are a fan of Grillo and Butler, you should have a lot to be excited for while watching Copshop. 
• Action Action: The first half sets up the action with typical Carnahan dialogue, and the second half brings the kaboom. The fight for survival is both brutal and hilarious at the same time. The action is on point. If you watch Carnahan films you know exactly what you are getting yourself into. Copshop doesn’t pretend to be anything more than a fun-as-hell action flick. 

• Final Thoughts: Copshop is my type of action movie. It is awesome in so many ways. The characters, even the supporting cast jobbers are memorable. You can tell the cast had a lot of fun filming. I have a feeling most of my action fanatics will have a blast as well.
• Grade: A