Copshop (Blu-ray Review)
This year has been a very interesting one for the film world. Some movies were sent straight into the home. Some had hybrid releases. Some came and went without so much as a peep. Copshop is one of the latter variety. The film came and went with little to no fanfare from its distributor Universal and even makes its debut on Blu-ray quietly tomorrow (12/7/21) with not much going for it publicity wise. I wonder if the filmmakers knew something we didn’t or if they were hoping audiences would find a diamond in the rough. Read on for my thoughts below and be sure to click the paid link at the bottom to get yourself a copy of Copshop.
Film 
Copshop centers around a tiny Nevada town’s large police station. Out in the middle of practically nowhere, the station operates with a small crew of officers. One of whom, Valerie Young (Alexis Louder), a young rookie, is confident and calm in her role. She is also bored, admittedly. Things pick up when a stranger in a bullet riddled cop car, Teddy (Vincent Grillo) comes into town. He practically begs to be arrested, going so far as to punch Valerie to get taken to jail.
Immediately, Valerie is savvy to Teddy’s mysterious reasons for wanting to go to jail. Valerie’s suspicions are given more heft when Viddick arrives to the station “drunk” and needing to dry up for the night. When Viddick and Teddy are alone, Viddick begins to taunt Teddy. It’s all about time for him, and Teddy knows that his time is almost up. Viddick is only there to somehow get to Teddy and kill him before the night is through. As things begin to reveal themselves, we find out Teddy has been giving up information to the feds regarding an assassination of a Nevada government official, and Viddick is after him for that very reason. We also meet Huber (Ryan O’Nan) who may somehow be attached to the crime, and Anthony Lamb (Toby Huss), an even more vicious killer than Viddick.
Copshop is immediately trying to show it’s a throwback to the past. The film uses modern technology, but beyond those very few instances of technology use, this film places itself somewhere in the 70’s. A B-movie exploitation right from the onset, there is very little character development and very little in the ways of plot. The 70’s style score is kind of fun, and the random elements of comedy thrown in there draw a laugh or two, but this movie feels like there’s parts missing, or a lack of originality keeping things from feeling fresh. I do catch elements of Assault on Precinct 13 here and there.
There is a misleading bit of casting here too. The film has a marquee star in producer/actor Gerard Butler, but he is not the main draw of the movie. The film’s third lead, Alexis Louder is the main character in my opinion. She is tough, a quick draw with her gun, and is surprisingly adept at her job with a calmness that is greatly refreshing for a character like this. After mentioning Louder, the rest of the cast sort of pales in comparison. Frank Grillo is giving his performance, but I was much more focus on his greasy hair piece. Gerard Butler spends much of the runtime handcuffed to a cell, mugging for the camera. Toby Huss does a decent job as a crazy killer, but his character almost feels like he’s in another movie.
As with all film criticism, the enjoyment is in the eye of the viewer. For me, Copshop had a promising premise. Who doesn’t like a fast-paced action thriller? Alexis Louder, who you may know from Watchmen (2019) or The Tomorrow War gives a great nuanced performance as Valerie. She is the one character we care about, and her performance is what keeps this movie afloat. Without her, this for me would’ve been a stinker. Predictable, cheesy and plenty of phoned in acting to behold. The technical merits of the disc are fine, but the lack of any bonus material is sort of glaring. Worth a rental at best.
Video
- Encoding: MPEG-4 AVC
- Resolution: 1080P
- Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1
- Layers: BD-50
- Clarity/Detail: Copshop hits Blu-ray with a great looking crispy transfer. There will be no mistaking this for an older film. The clarity of the film is flawless with zero grain, and a variety of eye-catching moments. Detail in fine textures and interiors all show out as well, leaving you able to see everything very easily no matter the size of your screen.
- Depth: In the depth department things are also quite nice. There is great spacing provided in the main set piece and desert shots in the opening really open up in the wide shots.
- Black Levels: The blacks in this film are a standout. Taking place mostly at night (with some noticeable day for night shots), the darkness never leads to crush, and you can still make out details in darker scenes.
- Color Reproduction: The color palette for Copshop isn’t one to show off your home theater with, but for what the film asks of it, the colors look great. Nothing appears washed out or phony and costuming and blood effects look nice and natural.
- Flesh Tones: Nice and natural overall, the flesh tones are exactly as they should be. There are no spray tan looks or bad makeup jobs in this one.
- Noise/Artifacts: None
Audio
- Audio Format(s): English DTS HD-MA 5.1
- Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish
- Dynamics: Copshop is a tad odd dynamically. Music and sound effects are mixed way up while dialogue is on the quiet side. This is something I haven’t endured in a long while, but I had to keep my remote in hand to contrast sound effects and music and dialogue. I can’t say this is a bad mix per se, but the constant need to turn my system up and down was annoying.
- Low Frequency Extension: LFE is consistently hefty throughout Copshop. Gunshots, explosions, music, and car engines all come to life in the low end and sound great.
- Surround Sound Presentation: The surround sound experience here is one that can be frustrating. As stated above, music and sound effects are mixed way up, so the sounds can assault you from the rear channels. I had to constantly adjust my volume throughout my viewing and know the same will happen to others checking this out at home.
- Dialogue Reproduction: When you get your volume turned up to hear people speak, you will hear them just fine. Should we have to adjust the volume all the time? No.
Extras
There are no extras to accompany Copshop.
Summary
Overall, Copshop had the potential to bring Alexis Louder to a larger audience. She, to me anyway, carries the film and deserves better overall. People will likely check this out if they’re Gerard Butler fans, but he hasn’t got anything to do for most of the film. There is a pointed need for him to play this role in such a way that (not wanting to spoil it for people who haven’t seen this…) will induce eye rolling for some. His role definitely did that for me. Leaving this film up to Louder to lead and execute, may have changed my rating (I emphasize her in my movie stills, as you can see…). She plays a badass woman of color cop and to have her more fleshed out would have been a great way to present the film. With that not being the active goal, Copshop mostly feels like a wasted opportunity. James Carnahan uses his direction much like he has in the past (I’m thinking visually of Smokin’ Aces) but that isn’t necessarily a compliment either. Worth a stream or a rental maybe, but not much else.
